The Turkana tribe of northern Kenya, known as the ‘pastoralists’, lead a nomadic life based on livestock herding. Recent years of drought have caused widespread poverty; now the spread of HIV poses a new threat. In the past year, HIV prevalence in the Turkana region has increased from 7 per cent to 9 per cent, according to Kenyan government figures. The rise is particularly significant when compared to national figures which show a decline in prevalence. A combination of cultural factors makes the risk of HIV transmission amongst the Turkana tribe particularly high. And because they live a nomadic life, it’s much harder for pastoralists to become aware of the threat.