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Written by Steve Nguru

Published: 11 July 2011

Last Updated: 06 April 2014

Hits: 27924

 

 

Welcome to the County of Murang'a

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rich in history, its people and resources

Contents

Introduction

1.  Genesis History People Museums Archives 2.  Education Primary Schools Secondary Schools Polytechnics Colleges Universities Special Schools Libraries xxxxxxxx 3.  Health Hospitals Public Health & Sanitation Traditional xxxxxxxx 4.  Work Agriculture Manufacturing Cooperative Societies Business Services Natural Resources xxxxxxxx 5.  Governance Vision Elections & Politics Governor Senator Senate Constituencies Local Government National Government 6.  Visitors Attractions Parks & Reserves Hotels & Restaurants Sights & Sounds Art & Culture xxxxxxxxx 7.  Towns & Cities

Geography   The County of Murang`a covers 0.4% of the total land mass in Kenya, over an area of 2,558.82 km2 in the central part of Kenya between the latitudes 0034’ and 0134' South and longitudes 3600 East and 3700 East1 (@geolocation -0.804314, 37.035566). It is bordered by the County of Nyeri to the north, County of Nyandarua to the west, County of Kiambu to the south, County of Machakos to the south east,  County of Embu to the east, County of Kirinyaga to the north east.   Relief   "Land of steep hills" is how first-time visitors describe the County of Murang'a. Its lowest parts are at an altitude of about 900m while its highlands on the slopes of the beautiful Aberdare Ranges (Nyandarua Mountains) lie at an altitude of over 3,300m. Many tributaries and rivers, mostly from the Aberdare Ranges to the west, crisscross the county, flowing on an easterly direction to the River Tana (locally known as "Thagana").   Population   Murang'a, by population, is ranked behind Homa Bay County, as the 14th most populous county of all the 47 Counties of Kenya. Having a total of 942,581 people living there, it is host to 2.4% of the total population in Kenya.  The county has a density of 3.7 people per household (2009 Census).   Climate   The county's climate is largely tropical wet and dry: This means Murang'a experiences 2 rainy seasons each year. A cool (10 - 25 deg. Celsius) and wet (>1500mm average) "long rains" period in March-May and a warm (20-30 deg. Celsius) during the "short-rains" (<1000mm) period in September-October.   Representation   The people of Murang'a County directly elect 7 members to parliament to represent them in Gatanga Constituency, Kandara Constituency, Kangema Constituency, Kigumo Constituency, Kiharu Constituency, Maragua Constituency and Mathioya Constituency. There are 427,458 registered voters in the county. These represent 2.99% of the national total of registered voters (2010).

 

 

Genesis

 

The County name of Murang'a (pronounced moʊrʌŋʌ) has its origins from its main town of Murang'a; various accounts fail to agree on the origin of the name. One account says that the Kikuyu who lived in Kirinyaga and Meru areas would say, "twathii kurang'a" translated to 'we are going to visit', whenever they traveled to the areas now known as Murang'a. However, before Kenya's independence in 1963, this town was known as Fort Hall. 

 

History

 

The history of this county is closely connected with that of pre-independence Kenya, as well as one Mr Francis Hall.

The Kikuyu people consider Murang'a as their ancestral home or cradle; specifically at the place known as "Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga" in present Kiharu Constituency close to the town of Gaturi. They believe that they are all descended from Gikuyu and his wife Mumbi who lived here with their 9 daughters.

Murang'a is also generally considered as the birth-place of Kenya's independence struggle. The Mau Mau uprising is thought to have began here before spreading to other parts of Central Kenya and beyond.

In 1900 the colonial government set up an administrative outpost at Mbiri, now known as Kiharu, under the command of Lt Francis Hall. Hall was the first District Commissioner of what was then known as the 'Kenya Province' of the East Africa Protectorate. He built a fort at Mbiri from whence he worked. The fort, perched on a hill, also served as a shelter and refuge for settlers and soldiers. When Hall died at age 40, of dysentery, the fort at Mbiri was renamed Fort Hall in his honour.

Fort Hall town was renamed Murang'a town upon independence in 1963. 

 

People

 

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2009 National Census shows the County of Murang'a to have a population of 942,581 people. By far, the large majority of them were born in the County and are from the Kikuyu ancestral community and speak the Gikuyu language as well as the National Languages of Kiswahili and English. There are small populations of other groups such as Asian and white business owners in urban centers. A few of them are engaged in agriculture and other related activities. A small group from other communities from the rest of Kenya are mostly skilled and semi-skilled employees working in large-scale farms, private enterprises, government departments, and non-governmental organizations.

Although Murang'a covers only 0.4% of the total land mass of Kenya, the county's population makes up just over 2.4% of the total population of Kenya. This places it as the 14th most populated county behind Homa Bay County. The County is quite densely populated but with diverse distribution varying from one region to another. There are 255,696 households in the county, giving it a density of 3.7 people per household.

 

Table 1.1 Demographic Rankings for Murang’a County

 

Indicator	Size	National Ranking	Leading County
Population	942,581	14th	Nairobi: 3,138,369
Male population	457,860
Female population	484,721
National percentage	2.44%	14th	Nairobi : 8.13%
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Area (km2)	2,558.82	35th	Marsabit : 70,961.19
National percentage	0.44%	35th	Marsabit : 12.21%
Density (per km2)	368.4	11th	Nairobi : 4,515.0
Households	255,696	9th	Nairobi : 985,016
Household density	3.7	42nd	Mandera : 8.2
National percentage	2.92%	9th	Nairobi : 11.23%
xxx
Voters	427,458		Nairobi : 1,275,445
National percentage	2.99%		Nairobi : 8.92%

 Source: National Population and Housing Census 2009

 

Map 1: Muranga (County) District Location Administrative Areas and Population Densities

 

 Source: NCAPD, 2005. Retrieved Jan, 2012.

The district annual population growth rate of 0.2% per annum is the lowest in the province and also low in relation to the national average of 2.4% per annum. The population aged 0-19 account for approximately 54.3% of the total population. (NCAPD, 2005).

 

Year	Population
1962
1969
1979
1989	348,304
1999
2009	942,581

 

Museums

 

 

Archives

 

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Education

 

In this Page:   2. Education Primary Schools Secondary Schools Special Schools Polytechnics Colleges Universities Libraries

 

Introduction

 

About 93% of all children in Murang'a County between the school-going ages of 6-17 yrs have ever attended school. This is below the national average of 95.16%. Out of a total county population of 942,581, only 70% have basic (primary) education. (Opendata)

 

Primary Schools

 

About 70% (way below the national average of 96%) of children aged between 3-5 yrs in the rural areas of the county attend pre-school. Urban areas register about 96% pre-school attendance. Primary school attendance is much better, averaging 123% and 115% attendances in rural and urban areas respectively.(Uwezo)

 

Figure 2.1: Primary Education Assessment  in Murang'a 2011

 

Source: Uwezo

 

Murang'a has 739 primary schools. Of these, 2 are boys-only and 2 are girls-only schools. The two boys-only schools are Murang'a Elite Primary in Murang'a Town and St Martins Boys Primary in Mugoiri. Both offer boarding only. The 2 girls-only primary schools in the county are Bishop Perlo Center Primary (boarding-only) and Upendo Rehabilitation Centre Primary (a day-school). All 4 schools are in Kiharu Constituency.

Murang'a has 26 special primary schools, and another 66 integrated primary schools. One of the well-known special primary schools in the county is the St Anna Centre.

St. Anna is a day and boarding school serving 154 sponsored orphans and 92 self-sponsored children from the community. It also has 42 sponsored orphans in Secondary School. The mission of St. Anna Centre in Gaturi Town in Kiharu Constituency is to rebuild the lost parental love by instilling hope.  

 

The county is home to well-known primary schools that attract large populations of pupils from outside the county, especially the nearby Nairobi County.

Notable schools that post good results in the KCPE examinations include St. Paul Thomas Academy (a private and integrated school), attained position 1 in the county in the 2011 KCPE examinations and also produced the best candidate in the county. It is in Maragwa Constituency.

Brainstorm Academy (also private) in Gatanga Constituency was position 2 in the county in the same year.

 

Table 2.1: Notable Primary Schools in Murang'a County

 

Name of School	Addresses	Status of School	Sponsor of School	School Institution Type_1	School Institution Type_2	Total Enrolment	Location	Costituency	Geolocation
MURANGA ELITE PRI SCH	BOX 863-10200 MURANG'A	PRIVATE	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	142	TOWNSHIP	KIHARU	(-0.715321111, 37.17271833)
BRAIN STORM ACADEMY		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY ONLY	88	MITUMBIRI	GATANGA	(-1.028388889, 37.16733333)
ST. PAUL THOMAS ACADEMY PRI	BOX 555-10205 MARAGWA	PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	265	ICHAGAKI	MARAGWA	(-0.825428, 37.161946)
KANYENYAINI PRI SCH		PUBLIC	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	DAY ONLY	367	KANYENYAINI	KANGEMA	(-0.6854525, 36.90100972)
MAKUYU BY GRACE ACADEMY PRI		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY & BOARDING	129	MAKUYU	MARAGWA	(-0.925994, 37.1497)
THE PRECIOUS ANGELS PRI		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY ONLY	110	ICHAGAKI	MARAGWA	(-0.79395, 37.13087)
KANINI YOLK ACADEMY-PRI SCH		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY ONLY	120	MURARANDIA	KIHARU	(-0.727571666, 36.92778167)
GITHUMU ACADEMY PRI SCH		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY & BOARDING	245	RUCHU	KANDARA	(-0.823670278, 36.90840222)
KANINI MEMORIAL ACADEMY PRI SCH		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY & BOARDING	123	KANYENYAINI	KANGEMA	(-0.70519055, 36.94014528)
RURAGO ACADEMY PRI		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY & BOARDING	286	ICHAGAKI	MARAGWA	(-0.793614, 37.130076)
BISHOP PERLO CENTRE-PRI SCH		PRIVATE	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	GIRLS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	416	GATURI	KIHARU	(-0.705780833, 37.17976139)
KAMAHUHA MUNYAKA ACADEMY PRI		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY ONLY	228	KAMAHUHA	MARAGWA	(-0.840012, 37.184545)
SHAMMAH EBENEZER		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY ONLY	184	MAKUYU	MARAGWA	(-0.936311, 37.127052)
ST MARTINS BOYS BOARDING PRI SCH		PUBLIC	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	230	MUGOIRI	KIHARU	(-0.749012222, 37.02608861)
BENEDICTO HIGHWAY PRI		PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	DAY & BOARDING	372	TOWNSHIP	KIHARU	(-0.735750277, 37.15363833)

 

Treetops Primary School Murang'a, is a mixed boarding primary school situated 1 km from Murang'a Town, on the Murang'a - Sagana Road on your way to the railway station.

 

Learning at the Treetops Primary School Murang'a

 

This private school is set on pleasant surroundings conducive to academic work, and has a rich tradition that endears people from diverse backgrounds. It has a student population of 194. Click Here for more about this school that was founded in 1998. 

 

Table 2.2 2011 KCPE Results for Murang’a County

 

Murang’a Indicators	Size, (%age)	National Ranking	Leading County
Candidates	32,049 (4.13%)	5th	Nairobi 44,098 (5.68%)
Mean Score	232.88/500	40th	Kirinyaga 274.67/500

 

Murang'a's ranking placed it ahead of Kitui County at no. 41 and which had a mean of 232.49 over 28,591 candidates. 

 

Secondary Schools

 

One of the earliest and well-known boys' schools in the county is Murang'a High School, a boys-only school in Murang'a Town, within Kiharu Constituency. It was built in 1925 by the Catholic Church, who continue to sponsor it to this day. The school performs well in national examinations; it was ranked 15^th nationally in 2007 in the KCSE examinations. 

Murang'a County has a combined total of 271 public and private secondary schools. Boys-only schools total 15 (less than 6%) and slightly more than 10% (28 schools) admit girls only; the rest, totaling 228 (84%) have mixed student populations.

At present, there are no National Schools in the county. However, plans are underway by the Ministry of Education to elevate 2 schools in the county to National Schools status; proposed for this upgrade are namely Kahuhia Girls Secondary School and Njiiris Boys Secondary School, both in Kiharu Constituency.

 

Wahundura High School

 

Wahundura High School was started in 1965 under the sponsorship of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Mt. Kenya Central.

Students in the computer lab at Wahundura High School

 

It is a boys boarding school, located 4km from Kiria-ini Town in Mathioya Constituency. The current MP for the area, Clement Muchiri, is a former student of the school. It had a total enrollment of 345 students in 2007 (OpenData).

 

Githunguri Girls High School

 

Soon after independence, Githunguri Girls High School was founded as a Harambee (self-help) secondary school by the local Kagundu-ini Coffee Growers Society in May 1964. It was then a mixed school. It is located 5km from Kabati Town along the Kabati –Kariua Road off Thika – Nyeri highway in Kandara Constituency.

 

Members of the music club at Githunguri Girls High School performing a dance at a school function

In 1965 the school  became a girls-only school after the boys were moved to Kariti Secondary School. It features in the top 10 girls' school in the county in terms of student numbers with a student population of well over 600 girls.

 

Kahuhia Girls High School

 

The history of this school began with the arrival of the Church Missionary Society CMS in 1906 at Weithaga in present Kiharu Constituency. The missionaries set up a co-educational elementary school with boarding facilities for both girls and boys. The Teacher Training School or the Normal School as it was popularly called was introduced in 1923. It was training P3 teachers. Those who qualified to join the college were Std. V graduates, which was equivalent to present day Std. 8.

In 1940, the practicing school was introduced. Some of the girls were taken as boarders. The rest of the school was moved to Gatitu-ini, which is the present day Kahuhia Primary School. The secondary school was introduced in 1959 to replace all the other institutions. The idea was hatched by what was called, Rural Deaconal Council. 

The Teacher Training College was finally phased out in 1961 along with the Intermediate School. (Source: Strathmore University)

These early missionaries received much assistance and hospitality from then area leader the legendary female Chief Wangu wa Makeri of Weithaga. 

 

Inside the chapel at the Kahuhia Girls High School

 

Table 2.2: Notable Secondary Schools in Murang'a County

School	Contacts	Sponsor	Students	Facilities	Total Enrolment 2007	Sub-location	Constituency	Location
KANGEMA HIGH SCH	BOX 63,KANGEMA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	529	KANORERO	KANGEMA	(-0.668787222, 36.98801694)
KIAGUTHU BOYS SEC	BOX 3-10201 KAHURO	CENTRAL GOVERNMENT/DEB	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	648	KAHURO	KIHARU	(-0.751469444, 36.97273383)
NYAGATUGU BOYS SEC SCH	BOX 233 10202 KANGEMA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	325	WANJERERE	KANGEMA	(-0.650040555, 36.8672925)
NJIIRI SEC	BOX 555 THIKA	CENTRAL GOVERNMENT/DEB	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	1001	KANGARI	KIGUMO	(-0.770730278, 36.84603444)
MURANGA SEC SCH	BOX 101 MURANGA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	779	NJOGUINI	KIHARU	(-0.718547222, 37.14402861)
KIGUMO BENDERA HIGH SCHOOL	BOX 56 KIGUMO	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	339	IRIGUINI	KIGUMO	(-0.801054, 36.962377)
GAICHANJIRU SEC SCH	447-0100 THIKA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	BOYS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	578	GAICHANJIRU	KANDARA	(-0.888459, 37.058295)
GATANGA GIRLS SEC SCH	BOX 76 THIKA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	GIRLS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	569	KIRIAINI	GATANGA	(-0.923365555, 36.95049083)
KAHUHIA GIRLS SEC SCH	66 KAHUHIA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	GIRLS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	762	KIROGO	KIHARU	(-0.709255555, 37.04083333)
KIRIA-INI GIRLS SEC SCH	BOX 53 KIRIAINI	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	GIRLS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	704	KIRIAINI	MATHIOYA	(-0.599532777, 36.94965194)
RUCHU GIRLS SEC SCH	1128 THIKA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	GIRLS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	642	GAKARARA	KANDARA	(-0.893794167, 36.98557583)
KAMAHUHA GIRLS HIGH	BOX 37 SABASA	CENTRAL GOVERNMENT/DEB	GIRLS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	687	SABA SABA	MARAGWA	(-0.866423, 37.145633)
MUGOIRI GIRLS SCH	20,KAHURO	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	GIRLS ONLY	BOARDING ONLY	721	KAHURO	KIHARU	(-0.744395555, 37.02529639)
KAMACHARIA SEC.	272,KIRIANI	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	DAY ONLY	322	KAMACHARIA	MATHIOYA	(-0.599941388, 36.99002361)
MUTHITHI SEC	BOX 49 MARAGUA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	DAY ONLY	414	KAGURUMO	KIGUMO	(-0.843624, 37.096153)
KANGUI SEC SCH	772 THIKA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	DAY ONLY	306	MUNGARIA	KANDARA	(-0.859714444, 36.94975722)
PHILADELPHIA SEC SCH	542 MURANGA	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	105	MUKUYU	KIHARU	(-0.740023055, 37.17200194)
KIRWARA HIGH SCH	880 THIKA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	714	KIRWARA/ CHOMO	GATANGA	(-0.930797, 36.942885)
NJUMBI HIGH SCH	BOX 63 GIKOE	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	652	NJUMBI	MATHIOYA	(-0.638276111, 36.94978806)
KIRITI MIXED SEC SCH	BOX 75 GIKOE	CENTRAL GOVERNMENT/DEB	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	257	GACHARAGENI	MATHIOYA	(-0.624334444, 36.87033972)
NAARO SEC SCH	784 THIKA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	532	NAARO	KANDARA	(-0.922217, 37.020915)
GITHUMU SEC SCH	468 THIKA	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	617	GITHUMU	KANDARA	(-0.825513333, 36.91311944)

References/Sources: OpenData

 

Mugoiri Girls High School

 

Beautiful Dormitory Wall Mural at Mugoiri Girls' High School

 

Mugoiri Girls High School started in 1938 by Consolata Catholic Sisters, as a primary school with a handful of 25 students and manpower of 4 teachers headed by Sr. Zaveria Pasqualini. It then became an intermediate school between 1940 - 1956. By the end of 1956, the population had risen to a total of 150 students. Most of its students who passed well in the K.A.P.E. joined Teachers' training colleges and qualified as T3 and T4 grade teachers.

As at 2007, Mugoiri had a population of 721 students (OpenData).

 

Special Schools

 

The county is home to several special schools for learners with various disabilities and challenges.

 

Table 2.4: Selected Special Primary Schools in Murang'a County

 

Name of School	Status of School	Sponsor of School	School Institution Type_1	School Institution Type_2	School Institution Type_3	Total Enrolment	Location	Costituency	Geolocation
MURANGA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF PRI SCH	PUBLIC	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	SPECIAL SCHOOL	71	MBIRI	KIHARU	(-0.761460555, 37.12774167)
ST. PAUL THOMAS ACADEMY PRI	PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	INTEGRATED	265	ICHAGAKI	MARAGWA	(-0.825428, 37.161946)
ST ANNA PRI SCH	PRIVATE	RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION	MIXED	DAY & BOARDING	SPECIAL SCHOOL	227	GATURI	KIHARU	(-0.629070555, 37.06222139)

 

Table 2.5: Selected Special Secondary Schools in Murang'a County

 

Name of School	School Address	Public or Private	School Sponsor	Students	Day or Boarding	Ordinary or Special	Total Enrolment 2007	Pupil Teacher Ratio	Sub-location	Location 1
KAHATIA SEC SCH	281 KAHURO	PUBLIC	LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY	MIXED	DAY & BOARDING	INTEGRATED	465	21.1	THEIR	(-0.726243888, 36.92898556)
PHILADELPHIA SEC SCH	542 MURANGA	PRIVATE	PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL	MIXED	BOARDING ONLY	INTEGRATED	105	17.5	MUKUYU	(-0.740023055, 37.17200194)

 

Polytechnics

 

 

Colleges

 

Murang'a's most well-known colleges are arguably the Murang'a Teacher's College and the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Murang'a.

 

Murang'a College of Technology

 

Murang’a College of Technology is the brainchild of Murang’a Harambee Development Fund founded by the people of Murang’a in 1970 and established under a Trust Deed.

 The college opened its doors in 1975 with 30 craft students, i.e 24 in mechanical engineering and 6 in the woodwork department. It has grown in leaps and bounds to 14 departments including ICT, applied sciences, business studies, building and civil engineering, electrical and electronics engineering.

 

 Table 2.3: Notable Colleges in Murang'a County

 

COLLEGE	TRAINING OFFERED	ADDRESS	CONTACTS	SPONSOR	CONSTITUENCY
Murang'a Teachers Training College	Teacher Training	Murang’a-Nyeri Highway	P.O. Box 232, Makuyu, Tel: 060-64221, 060-64096, 060-23210, 0722-239098	Ministry of Education	Maragua
Murang'a Technical Institute		County Council Building, Murang'a Town	P.O. Box 751-10200, Murang'a, Tel: 060-22678		Kiharu
Kenya Medical Training Center (KMTC), Murang’a	Diplomas in nursing and clinical medicine. In-service diploma in HRI, Certificate in HRI. Diploma in nursing-distance learning.	Murang’a Town, next to Murang’a District Hospital	P.O. Box 69-10200, Murang'a, Tel: 060-22780	Ministry of Health	Kiharu
Murang'a College of Technology	JKUAT, KNEC, and KASNEB exams	Murang’a Town	P.O. Box 75-10200, Murang'a Tel: 060-2030267/9, http://www.mct.ac.ke	Ministry of Education	Kiharu
Michuki Technical Training Institute		Off Murang’a-Kangema Road	P.O. Box 4, Kangema, Tel: 060-56831, 0725-912313, 0722912313 020 - 3526533	Ministry of Education	Kangema
Mbiiri Institute of Professional Studies		Murang'a County Council Building, 4th Floor, Rm. 402	P.O. Box 508, Murang'a, Tel: 0722-554453		Kiharu
Maragua Teachers Training College	Teacher Training		P.O. Box 14-10200, Murang’a 060-42229		Maragua

 

Universities

 

 

Libraries

 

The government-owned Kenya National Library Service KNLS, has a public library in Murang'a Town.

Murang'a District Library P.O. Box 504 Murang'a  Tel: 020 2188300 KnlsMurang'This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.	Murang'a District Library P.O. Box 504 Murang'a  Tel: 020 2188300 KnlsMurang'This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.	Murang'a District Library P.O. Box 504 Murang'a  Tel: 020 2188300 KnlsMurang'This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

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Health

 

In this Page:   3. Health Health Facilities Public Health & Sanitation Traditional Medicine

 

Introduction

 

Murang'a County has a total of about 271 health facilities. These facilities range from District Hospitals (KEPH rating level 4) to Maternity/Nursing Homes, (KEPH rating level 1). Slightly over ²/₅ of them are government-run.

The following is a more detailed breakdown of these facilities by ownership and level, etc:

 

Table 3.1: Health Facilities Ownership Summary in Murang'a County

 

Ownership	Total Facilities	%	Hospital	Health Centre	Dispensary	Maternity and Nursing Home	Medical Clinic	Other
Faith Based Organizations CHAK, Catholic, AIPCA	31	11%	2	1	25		3
Ministry of Health	112	41%	6	19	86		1
Other Public Institutions, Community Development Fund, NGOs	3	1%			2	1
Private institutions, specialists etc	125	46%			3	2	119	1
Total	271	100	8	20	116	3	123	1

Sources: Opendata

The well-known Marie Stopes health NGO, has a 12 bed nursing home facility at Mbiiri, in Kiharu Constituency.

 

Hospitals

 

The largest hospital in Murang'a is the government-run Murang'a District Hospital located in Murang'a Town's Karuri area in Kiharu Constituency. It was established in 19xx. It's current capacity consists of 270 beds and 58 cots. (Opendata).

 

Table 3.2: Hospitals in Murang'a County

 

Facility Name	Type	Owner	Sub Location	Constituency	KEPH Level	Beds	Cots
Kangari Dental Clinic	Dental Clinic	Private Enterprise (Institution)	Kangari	KIGUMO	Not Classified	0
Kangema Sub-District Hospital	Sub-District Hospital	Ministry of Health	Gakira	KANGEMA	Level 4	10	2
Kirwara Sub District	Sub-District Hospital	Ministry of Health	Gatanga	GATANGA	Level 4	16	0
Maragua District Hospital	District Hospital	Ministry of Health	Gakoigo	MARAGWA	Level 4	82	1
Murang'a District Hospital	District Hospital	Ministry of Health	Karuri	KIHARU	Level 4	270	58
Muriranjas Sub-District Hospital	Sub-District Hospital	Ministry of Health	Kahuro	KIHARU	Level 4	60	8
Githumu Hospital	Other Hospital	Christian Health Association of Kenya	Githumu	KANDARA	Level 4	0	34
Gaichanjiru Hospital	Other Hospital	Ministry of Health	Gaichanjiru	KANDARA	Level 4	0	147
Kiria-ini Mission Hospital	Other Hospital	Other Faith Based	Kiriaini	MATHIOYA	Not Classified	0

 

Murang’a Hospice, the county's first hospice, opened in 2008 as a satellite of Nyeri Hospice, and serves Murang’a county and the surrounding community. The hospice is located at the County Council buildings in Murang’a Town. Follow up visits are made by Nyeri Hospice once a month. It is run by the Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association, KEHPCA.

 

Public Health & Sanitation

 

Table 3.3 Health & Sanitation Demographics for Murang’a County

 

Indicator	Rate	National Ranking	Leading County	National Average
Children below 5 yrs born in a health facility	53.6%	12th	Kirinyaga : 87.7%	37.0%
Immunization of children 12-23 months	73.0%	21st	Nyeri : 100%	65.9%
Urban households with access to piped water (2009)	34.9%	25th	Baringo : 53.3%	38.5%
Rural households access to piped water (2009)	21.5%	14th	Isiolo : 85.8%	15.7%
Rural Access to main sewer, sceptic tank or cess pit (2009)	1.1%	11th	Kajiado : 3.2%	0.8%
Urban Access to main sewer, sceptic tank or cess pit (2009)	14%	14th	Nairobi : 58.4%	11.5%
Morbidity (2005)	25.6%	27th	Narok & Nyandarua : 11.4%	25.5%
Incidence of Flu (2005)	11.1%	27th	Nakuru : 0.0%	14.0%
Incidence of Fever/Malaria (2005)	36.2%	15th	Nakuru : 0.0%	39.1%
Health Spending per Capita	22/=	23rd	Lamu : 50/=	24/=

Source: OpenData

 

Traditional Health

 

Murang'a does not have any formal preservation of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) through conservation of medicinal trees and plants. Like much of the rest of the country, there is need to gather and preserve IK from oral sources, practitioners, and arts and crafts.

 

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Work

 

In this Page   4. Work Agriculture Manufacturing Cooperative Societies Business Services Natural Resources

 

Introduction

 

The County of Murang'a's poverty index of 30.7% places it at no. 8 in Kenya, behind the County of Lamu (2005/06-KIHBS), against Kenya's poverty index average rate of 46.6%. The County of Kajiado leads in this respect with a poverty index of 12.1% (Opendata).

 

Agriculture

 

Agriculture, livestock farming and related activities form the backbone of the economy of Murang'a. Most livelihoods (90%) are dominated by small-scale subsistence farming. With a county population density of 368.37 people per km2, a large part of its agricultural activity is practiced on small family-owned land, that continues to experience ever-growing population pressure and susbsequently sub-division of land, much like the rest of the country. The result has been land and environmental degradation that has been made worse by global warming, causing parts of the county to experience food shortages at various times. 

Variations in altitude, rainfall and temperature between its western highlands and its eastern lowlands coupled with the differences in the underlying geology of both volcanic and basement system rocks give rise to a variety of soil types. Highland areas have rich brown loamy soils suitable especially for tea, coffee, maize and dairy farming. They are also well-drained by streams and rivers. Low lying areas to the east of the county have black cotton soils and are generally flatter. They are mostly farmed for subsistence crops including maize, beans, bananas, potatoes, and large-scale mango and pineapple plantations, among other crops.

 

Tea

 

Coffee

 

Avocado

 

Dairy Farming

 

Livestock Farming

 

Murang'a County has significant populations of pigs and chicken under commercial production, accounting nationally for 6.66% and 8.48% respectively. This earned the County about KShs xxxx in 2010. The neighboring County of Nairobi is a major market for pig and commercial chicken from the county. The fast-growing populations of schools and colleges in the Counties around Murang'a are also key markets for pork and chicken products.

 

Table 4.1 Notable Livestock Demographics for Murang'a County

 

Livestock	Populations	National Percentage	Ranking	Leading County
Pigs	22,284	6.66%	6th	Busia : 48,788
Commercial Chicken	515,090	8.48%	2nd	Kiambu : 1,686,565

 

Source: OpenData 2011

 

Manufacturing

 

Plans are underway to build an avocado processing plant in Murang'a town for the export market. Investors from New Zealand hope to tap into the large source of the fruit from farmers in the county. The Ministry of Trade has set aside 2.7 hectares for this project, and estimates it will provide employment to about 1,000 people directly and indirectly.

 

Cooperative Societies

 

Introduction

 

The County of Murang'a leads other counties in having a well developed movement of self-help savings and credit co-operative societies (SACCOS) that were set up in the mid 1960s. These societies primarily served as conduits for farm inputs (fertilizers, chemicals, farm implements) and credit, especially to coffee growers. In 1970, these farmers were required under new national government policies, to converted their saccos to Union Banking Sections (UBS) in order to continue to receive financial services from the State, separated from their economic activities. Therefore, the farmers in Murang'a came together to form a UBS and operate under the Murang'a District Farmers Co-operative Union Ltd. The current chairman of the Co-operative Bank, Stanley Muchiri was at one time, the general manager of Murang'a District Farmers Co-operative Union, during which it experienced tremendous growth.

 

Murata

 

Murang'a District Farmers Co-operative Union Ltd was renamed Mugama Farmers Co-operative Union Ltd in 1997^[2] while hiving a part of it to form Murata Co-operative Credit and Savings Society Ltd (Murata SACCO). The name Mugama is actually an acronym for MUrang'a, GAtanga and MAragua areas which now form the county of Murang'a. Mugama Co-op alone, accounted for more than half of all the coffee produced in Kenya in 1987/88 (Mugama Website).

Murata SACCO is today the largest sacco in Murang'a County, boasting of 15 branches spread around the county and parts of Thika in Kiambu County, offering full micro-credit, banking and Sacco services. It has a membership of 72,000+ and share capital of KES180 million serving over 102,987 customers, whose deposits exceed KES1 billion (Murata Website).

 

Muramati Sacco (now renamed Unaitas)

 

Muramati SACCO Society with roots in the County has won the FiRE Awards, Saccos Category in 2010 and 2011. Initially known as Murang’a Tea Growers SACCO Society Limited, it was formed in 1993 to serve tea farmers in the former Murang'a District. It changed name to Muramati Tea SACCO Society Limited in 1997 so as to cater for its members in the former Murang’a, Maragua & Thika Districts. The sacco changed its name to Muramati Sacco in 2007 to reflect its diverse clientele who now include all classes of business people, investors, and savers.

In 2012, Muramati changed name yet again to Unaitas.

Unaitas currently has twelve (12) functional branches and 16 mobile points with an overall membership of over 70,000 and close to Kshs 2 billion in assets. It has 3 branches outside of the county with 2 in Nairobi, and 1 at Juja in Kiambu County. The current chair of the board, Samuel Hugo Muturu, is also the chairman of the Kenya Rural Sacco Societies Union - KERUSSU.

Today, there are dozens of Saccos in the county, that serve not just farmers engaged in agriculture, livestock and dairy production, but members involved in other economic activities and businesses such as transport, land buying and selling, housing, real estate, etc. Other Saccos include those belonging to professional groups such as the Muranga Teachers Co-operative & Credit Society Ltd. Other large saccos with business interests in the county include the 3 public transport sector saccos namely MTN, 4-NTE and Kamuna SACCO. Like many large saccos in the country, these present-day saccos are well automated offering banking services such as front office services activities (FOSA).

 

Business

 

The County of Murang'a's primary economic activity is agriculture and related activities. Transportation of people and agricultural produce is also a significant contributor to the economy of Murang'a. Due to its strategic location neighboring highly populated and rich agricultural counties Murang'a offers great opportunities for investment in the transportation of people and of farm produce.

The county is home to the giant Murang'a/Thika/Nairobi (MTN Sacco), a public transport company operating between the towns of Nairobi, Thika and Murang'a. The Sacco has a membership of xxxx and ferries xxxxx passengers daily, employing thousands of people directly or indirectly.

The Nairobi - Nanyuki railway line passes through the county with stations at Matubiri, Makuyu, Maragwa, and Murang'a towns. 

 

Services

 

 

Natural Resources

 

Over the years, Murang'a County has exploited some of its natural resources. However, there exists  potential for further growth and opportunities for investment. 

 

Ndakaini Dam

 

Spectacular View of the Ndakaini Dam Intake

 

80% of all the fresh water supplied by the Nairobi Water Company to the County of Nairobi, comes from Murang'a County's Ndakaini Dam built in 1988 on the Thika River, 40 km west of Thika Town. The dam's capacity is 70 million cubic metres over a surface area of 280 Hectares. It has a catchment area of 75 km² served by the Rivers Thika, Githika and Kayuyu, within the Kimakia and Gitare Forests of the Aberdare Ranges. There is also a 1.3MW hydro power facility at the dam. 

 

Hydro Power Stations

 

The county is home to 3 hydro power dams built along various rivers with an installed capacity of a total of 27.78MW. The oldest of them has been running for over 80 years.

        Inside the Tana Power Station                     Elevated view of Wanjii Power Station  

 

Table 4.2. Hydro Power Stations in Murang’a County 

 

	Power Station	Location	Rivers	Capacity	Notes
1	Mesco Power Station	Four (4) kms. off Murang’a-Nairobi rd, twelve (12) kms from Murang’a town and eight (8) kms from Maragwa town.	Maragwa	0.38MW	It has one (1) horizontal Francis turbine, driving one (1) generator. The machines were commissioned in 1930's.
2	Tana Power Station	83km from Nairobi along the Nairobi – Nyeri road.	Sagana, Maragwa	20MW	It has two (2) vertical and three (3) horizontal Francis turbines driving five (5) generators. The machines were commissioned between 1932 and 1954, with an installed capacity of 14.4MW and redeveloped in 2010 and has a current capacity of 20MW.
3	Wanjii Power Station	One (1) km off the Murang’a-Nairobi rd,  ten (10) kms from Maragwa town and six (6) kms from Murang’a town.	Mathioya, Maragwa	7.4MW	It has four (4) horizontal Francis turbines driving four (4) generators. The machines were commissioned between 1952 and 1954.
4	Ndakaini	Ndakaini Dam	Thika	1.3MW	Part of Thika Dam development in 1988

Source: KenGen, NWC

 

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Governance

 

In this Page:   5. Government County Executive County Assembly National Government        County Finance

 

Introduction

 

The new limited devolution of power as laid out in the New Constitution, provides that executive authority in the county will be exercised by a county executive committee headed by an elected governor. An elected County Assembly headed by a Speaker will legislate on county matters and exercise limited oversight powers on the executive. The authority, roles and functions of both the County Executive and the County Assembly are discussed under the 47 Counties of 2010 link.

 

Vision

 

What is the vision of the people of the new County of Murang'a?

How do the people of this area want to be identified?

What do they want to be known for?

And where do they want to be in the next 10 years?

 

County Executive

 

The following are the members who have been appointed to serve in the County Executive Committee of Murang'a County:

 

Table 5.1 Members of the Murang'a County Executive

 

No	Member	Gender	Constituency	Department	Leadership: education, qualification, service,
1	Governor Mwangi Wa Iria	Male
	D/Governor Augustine J Gakure Mwonyo	Male
3	A N Other	Male	Kiharu	Health
			Gatanga
				Education
6		Female
				Transport
			Mathioya
				Housing
10		Male	Kigumo
11				Roads
	A N Other
			Kangema	Environment

 

County Assembly

 

The following are the elected and nominated persons who will serve in the Murang'a County Assembly:

 

Table 5.2 Members of the Murang'a County Assembly

 

No	Member	Ward	Constituency	Gender	Sponsoring Party
	Speaker Nduati Kariuki^	N/A	N/A	Male
1	Deputy Speaker A N Other				TNA
	Peter Irungu Kihungi	Kanyenya-ini	Kangema	Male	TNA
	Samuel Ndehi Mwangi	Muguru	Kangema	Male	TNA
	Peter Mweri Maina	Rwathia	Kangema	Male	TNA
	Duncan Mwangi Njuguna	Gitugi	Mathioya	Female	TNA
	Julius Maina Kimani	Kiru	Mathioya	Male	TNA
	Joseph Kimani Machiri	Kamacharia	Mathioya	Male	TNA
	Isaac Mwangi Kamote	Wangu	Kiharu	Male	TNA
	Samson Kago Njoroge	Mugoiri	Kiharu	Male	TNA
10	Joseph Njoroge Mwangi	Mbiri	Kiharu	Male	TNA
	Charles Mwaniki Karina	Township	Kiharu	Male	TNA
	Martin Mwangi Macharia	Murarandia	Kiharu	Male	TNA
	Rosemary Wakuthii Njine	Gaturi	Kiharu	Female	TNA
	Erick Kamande Kimani	Kahumbu	Kigumo	Male	TNA
	Samuel Dishon Wandia	Muthithi	Kigumo	Male	TNA
	Caroline Wairimu Njoroge	Kigumo	Kigumo	Female	TNA
	Anderson Muchemi Waweru	Kangari	Kigumo	Male	TNA
	Charles Mwangi Kirigwi	Kinyona	Kigumo	Male	TNA
	Eliud Gitau Kabuthi	Kimorori-Wempa	Maragwa	Male	TNA
20	Danson Mburu Muchoki	Makuyu	Maragwa	Male	TNA
	David Kabaka Gachuru	Kambiti	Maragwa	Male	TNA
	John Njoroge Gitau	Kamahuha	Maragwa	Male	TNA
	Joseph Ndung'u Njogu	Ichagaki	Maragwa	Male	TNA
	Jesse Mburu Gitau	Nginda	Maragwa	Male	TNA
	James Kariuki Ngugi	Ng'araria	Kandara	Male	TNA
	Peter Murigi Ngugi	Muruka	Kandara	Male	TNA
	Francis Kamande Kamau	Kagundu-ini	Kandara	Male	TNA
	Bernard Wanyoike Kariuki	Gaichanjiru	Kandara	Male	TNA
	Joseph Kimani Gitau	Ithiru	Kandara	Male	TNA
30	Boniface Njihia Mbogo	Ruchu	Kandara	Male	TNA
	Esther Nyakio Munywoki	Ithanga	Gatanga	Female	TNA
	John Kiarie Ngugi	Kakuzi/Matubiri	Gatanga	Male	TNA
	James Njoroge Kariuki	Mugumo-ini	Gatanga	Male	TNA
	Moses Gachui Mungai	Kihumbu-ini	Gatanga	Male	TNA
	Joseph Ndungu Muchina	Gatanga	Gatanga	Male	TNA
	David Muhoro Njeri	Kariara	Gatanga	Male	Mzalendo Saba Saba
	Kamau Catherine Wanjiku*	Women	-	Female	TNA
	Cyrus Ruru Mwaura*	Marginalised	-	Male	TNA
	Mary Watiri Kariuki*	Women	-	Female	TNA
40	Njogu Peter Kariuki*	Marginalised	Persons with Disabilities	Male	TNA
	Lucy Wangechi Njoroge**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
	Wangechi Florence N.**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
	Njogu Susan Wanjiru**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
	Esther Wanjiku Ngugi**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
	Mary Waithera Njoroge**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
	Elizabeth Wambui Mwangi**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
	Jane Wanjiku Ndegwa**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
	Rebecca Mwicigi**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
	Charity Wangui**	Women	Women	Female	TNA
50	Catherine Wairimu Mugo**	Women	Women	Female	TNA

^The Speaker is a former MP for Makuyu (later renamed Maragwa) and Assistant Minister; and immediate Chair of the Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers (KENFAP).

* Nominated Member of the County Assembly as per Article 177. (1).

** Gender Top-up Nominee as per Article 197. (1).

 

National Government

 

In our discussion of the PA under the link Provincial Administration Under the New Constitution, we noted that the Constitution of Kenya 2010 has spelled out in the Fourth Schedule, the roles and functions of the National Government as being separate from those of the County Government. We saw that a restructured PA will be the means by which the Executive will undertake its National obligations and responsibilities and through which it will cooperate and liaise with the people of the Counties and the County Governments. The following are the heads of the Provincial Administration (National Government) departments represented in Murang'a County:

 

Table 5.3 County Heads of the Provincial Administration

 

Office	Head	Gender	Contacts
County Commissioner	Kula Hache	Male
Director of Education	A N Other
Police Commander	A N Other
Procurement Officer
County Controller of Budget
Administration Police Commander	A N Other

 

County Revenue

 

Murang'a County is set to receive 4.185 billion Shillings as recommended by the Commission on Revenue Allocation CRA, as its share of devolution funds, from the Consolidated Fund into its Revenue Fund for the financial year 2013/2014. Relevant information (budgets, expenditure, audit etc) touching on the County Revenue for Murang'a will be provided here below as it becomes available via official, verifiable channels.

 

 

Proposed Budget

 

 

 

Expenditure

 

 

 

Audit Reports

 

 

 

 

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Elections & Politics

 

 

In this Page:   6. Elections & Politics Political Parties Governor Senator Women Representative Constituencies and MPs         Wards

 

 

Introduction

 

The politics of Murang'a is currently dominated by The National Alliance, TNA. The place and manner of Political Parties under the Constitution of Kenya 2010, is discussed in more detail under the Politics & Elections link.

 

Governor

 

The office of governor will be one of the key political offices in the new county structures under the devolved system of government as envisaged in the new constitution. The following people ran for the office of Governor of Murang'a County at the March 2013 elections. 

 

Table 6.1 Results for Governor for Murang'a County 2013

 

Candidate	Gender	Party	Votes	% Votes	Leadership bio, education, public office held, birth place (constituency)
Julius Ndung'u Kaberere	Male	APK	31,572	7.5
Gacuru wa Karenge	Male	Saba Saba Asili	4,467	1.1
Moses Ndung'u Mwangi	Male	Mzalendo Saba Saba Party	43,103	10.3
Mwangi wa Iria	Male	TNA	335,280	80.0
Samuel Mwangi Njuguna	Male	ODM	4,626	1.1

 

Senator

 

The following ran for the office of Senator for Murang'a County.

 

Table 6.2 Results for Senator for Murang'a County 2013

 

Candidate	Gender	Party	Votes	% Votes	Leadership bio, education, public office held, birth place (constituency)
James Kembi Gitura	Male	TNA	346,988	89.1
John Joseph Kamotho*	Male	GNU	24,095	6.2
Joseph Waweru Ndung'u	Male	Agano Party	18,326	4.7

 *John Joseph Kamotho is a former MP for both Kangema and Mathioya Constituencies. He has also served as the secretary general of the political party KANU, at a time when the party was very unpopular in the county. Kamotho is 69 years old and was born in Mathioya Constituency.

 

Women Representative

 

The following women ran for the office of Women Representative for Murang'a County in the National Assembly.

 

Table 6.3 Results for Women Representative for Murang'a County 2013

 

Candidate	Party	Votes	% Votes	Leadership bio, education, public office held, birth place (constituency)
Sabina Wanjiru Chege	TNA	402,380	96.6
Hellen Njeri Kiarie	ODM	5,832	1.4
Mercy Wanjiku Kimwe	KNC	8,510	2.0

 

Constituencies and Members of Parliament

 

 

A) A History of Representation in Murang'a County (District) Under the 1963 Constitution 

 

Murang'a County is represented in the National Assembly (Parliament) by 7 directly elected  members for Gatanga, Kandara, Kangema, Kigumo, Kiharu, Maragua and Mathioya. At independence in 1963, the county had only 4 constituencies of Kandara, Kangema, Kigumo, and Mbiri (later renamed Kiharu), which have since been split to create 3 additional legislative areas, as shown in the tables below.

 

Table 6.4 M.Ps for Kandara Constituency

 

Election Year	Constituency	Member of Parliament	Party
1963	Kandara	Bildad Kaggia	KANU
1966	Kandara	Thaddeo Mwaura	KANU
1969	Kandara	George Ndung’u Mwicigi	KANU
1974	Kandara	George Ndung’u Mwicigi	KANU
1979	Kandara	George Ndung’u Mwicigi	KANU
1980	Kandara	David Ng’ethe Waweru	KANU
1983	Kandara	George Ndung’u Mwicigi	KANU
1988	Kandara	Wilson Mburu Kimani	KANU
	Gatanga*	Joseph Mwaura Gachui	KANU
1992	Kandara	Gacuru Wa Karenge	FORD-Asili
	Gatanga	Josephat Mburu Wanyoike	FORD-Asili
1997	Kandara	Joshua Ngugi Toro	DP
	Gatanga	David Wakairu Murathe	SDP
2002	Kandara	Joshua Ngugi Toro	NARC
	Gatanga	Peter Kenneth	NARC
2007	Kandara	James Maina Kamau	PNU
	Gatanga	Peter Kenneth	PNU
2013	Kandara	Alice Muthoni Wahome**	TNA
	Gatanga	Humphrey Kimani Njuguna	NARC

*Gatanga was created upon the splitting of Kandara Constituency for the 1988 elections.

**Wahome is the first woman MP to be elected from the County.

 

Kandara Constituency sits well in the national history of Kenya courtesy of its first MP. Bildad Mwaganu Kaggia remains one of the most famous sons from the county. He is remembered for his courage, radicalism and fierce sense of justice. He was part of the well-known "Kapenguria Six" alongside Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Ngei, Kung'u Karumba, Achieng Oneko, and Fred Kubai.

Although Kaggia was born in Nairobi's Dagoretti area in 1922, his roots were from Murang'a. Kaggia worked as a clerk in the colonial administration before joining the Kings African Rifles (KAR) in 1940 to fight with the Allies in Asia, in the Second World War. He returned to Kenya in 1946, and became many things: a trade unionist, politician, christian socialist and freedom fighter.

He founded and led the Clerks and Commercial Workers Union CCWU. He would later head the regional umbrella trade union - the Labour Trade Union of East Africa.

Kaggia started an 'Independent' Church (commonly referred to as 'dini ya Kaggia' or religion of Kaggia) in the hope that his fellow Africans would embrace and practice an indigenous brand of Christianity. Kaggia even founded a Kikuyu language magazine called Inooro ria Agikuyu (Whetstone of the Kikuyu).

In 1946 the unstoppable Kaggia and others most of whom had previously served with the Allies, helped found 'Anake a 40' or the 'Forty Group' (borrowing their name from the year 1940 in which they were drafted into the army). 'Anake a 40' was founded by one Mwangi Macharia and led by Stanley Mathenge wa Mirugi and was closely related to the Kenya African Union KAU political party, in which Kaggia would later serve as the secretary. Later, the Forty Group transformed into the Kenya Land and Freedom Army later known as the Mau Mau. Kaggia served in the central committee of the Mau Mau and upon arrest in 1952 at the height of the state of emergency that had been declared by the colonial administration, was jailed for 8 years for various crimes connected with the war of independence. He was released from prison in 1961. 

Upon independence and elections in 1963, Kaggia was elected an MP on a KANU ticket and appointed an Assistant Minister for Education. Kaggia continued to press for matters of land justice and recognition of the role Asians in Kenya played in the struggle for independence. Soon Kaggia fell out with Kenyatta and was hounded out of KANU and government together with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga due to his radicalism and fierce opposition to corruption in the government. Kaggia (and Jaramogi) formed the Kenya Peoples Union KPU and remained in the opposition in parliament until elections in 1966 when he lost his Kandara seat to Thaddeo Mwaura, not in small part to Kenyatta's visit to Kandara to campaign against him. 

Kaggia lived a simple life continuing to champion for the rights of the poor and equality of all racial groups. He led a quiet life outside politics in later years and died poor, almost forgotten, in 2005 aged 83.

 

Table 6.5 M.Ps for Kangema and Mathioya Constituencies

 

Election Year	Constituency	Member of Parliament	Party
1963	Kangema	Julius Gikonyo Kiano	KANU
1966	Kangema	Julius Gikonyo Kiano	KANU
1969	Kangema	Mwangi Wanjagi	KANU
1974	Kangema	Mwangi Wanjagi	KANU
1979	Kangema	John Joseph Kamotho	KANU
1983	Kangema	John Joseph Kamotho	KANU
1988	Kangema	John Njoroge Michuki	KANU
1992	Kangema	John Njoroge Michuki	FORD-Asili
	Mathioya*	John Joseph Kamotho	KANU
1997	Kangema	Gidraph Mwangi Mweru	KANU
	Mathioya	Francis Maina Njakwe	FORD-People
2002	Kangema	John Njoroge Michuki	NARC
	Mathioya	John Joseph Kamotho	NARC
2007	Kangema	John Njoroge Michuki**	PNU
	Kangema	Tirus Nyingi Ngahu	TNA
	Mathioya	Clement Muchiri Wambugu	PNU
2013	Kangema	Tiras Nyingi Ngahu	TNA
	Mathioya	Clement Muchiri Wambugu	TNA

*Mathioya was hived off Kangema prior to elections of 1992. **Michuki died in February 2012 and was succeeded by Tirus Nyingi Ngahu in a by-election.

 

Kangema's first MP, Julius Gikonyo Kiano holds the distinction of being the first black Kenyan to obtain a doctorate degree awarded to him by the University of California in 1959. He was also one of the first African lecturers at the then Royal Technical College (now known as University of Nairobi). Kiano was actively involved in the academic airlifts of Africans in the early 1960s to Europe, India and the Americas.

Another of Kangema's MP John Michuki was in 1970, the first black Kenyan chief executive of the Kenya Commercial Bank - Kenya's largest bank by assets. He was a well respected and firm public administrator and oversaw a well-run Kangema constituency developement fund CDF. While serving as Minister for Transport in 2002-2005, Michuki won wide public approval for his efforts to improve safety and order in public transport. He died on 21 February 2012, aged 80 years.

Other famous people from the county were mostly involved in the struggle for independence and include:

Field Marshal Mbaria wa Kaniu: Born in 1920 in Njumbi in Kangema Constituency, led the successful Naivasha raid in 1953, and later led bands in Murang'a and in the Kinangop area of Nyandarua County.

General Kago wa Mboko born in Rwathia in Kangema Constituency in 1920 was the leading guerilla general in Murang'a until his death in battle in 1954. (Source: Mau Mau memoirs: history, memory, and politics).

 

Table 6.6 M.Ps for Kigumo Constituency

 

Election Year	Member of Parliament	Party
1963	Kariuki Karanja Njiiri*	KANU
1969	Munene JFC	KANU
1974	Njuguna Mwangi	KANU
1979	Njuguna Mwangi	KANU
1983	Francis Mwangi Thuo	KANU
1988	Francis Mwangi Thuo	KANU
1992	John B Kirore Mwaura	FORD-Asili
1997	Onesmus Kihara Mwangi	DP
2002	Onesmus Kihara Mwangi	NARC
2007	Jamleck Irungu Kamau	PNU
2013	Jamleck Irungu Kamau	TNA

*Njiiri Secondary School is named after Kigumo's first MP, Kariuki Karanja Njiiri. 

 

Table 6.7 M.Ps for Kiharu (Mbiri) Constituency

 

Election Year	Constituency	Member of Parliament	Party
1963	Mbiri	Jesse Mwangi Gachago	KANU
1969	Mbiri	Julius Gikonyo Kiano	KANU
1974	Mbiri	Julius Gikonyo Kiano	KANU
1979	Mbiri	Kenneth Matiba	KANU
1983	Mbiri	Kenneth Matiba	KANU
1988	Mbiri	Kenneth Matiba	KANU
1990	Kiharu*	Gidraph Mwangi Mweru	KANU
1992	Kiharu	Kenneth Matiba	FORD-Asili
1997	Kiharu	Ignatius Ngenye Kariuki	Safina
2002	Kiharu	Kembi Gitura	NARC
2007	Kiharu	Barnabas Muturi Mwangi	Sisi Kwa Sisi (PNU)
2013	Kiharu	Irungu Kang'ata	TNA

*Mbiri was renamed Kiharu before the 1990 by-elections.

 

Julius Gikonyo Kiano had previously won the Kangema seat in the 1963 and 1966 elections.

Kiharu Constituency has been represented by the well-known Kenneth Stanley Njindo Matiba who is best remembered as leading the clamour for multi-party democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many describe him as a maverick. Matiba was the first indigenous Kenyan to be appointed a permanent secretary in the ministry for education in 1963. Matiba later left the civil service to venture into private business. He had an eventful stint as the chair of Kenya Football (1974-1978), before joining politics being and elected to serve three consecutive terms as MP for Kiharu.

Later he quit the party KANU  unhappy with its autocratic rule. Matiba, together with Charles Rubia, was arrested and detained by the government in 1990. Upon his release, with fellow detainee Charles Rubia, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga (a former vice-president of Kenya) and others, he helped form the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy, FORD, political party in 1991 but fell out with Odinga not long after.  Matiba formed and led a splinter party known as FORD-Asili in which he won the Kiharu Constituency seat in 1992, and made a good showing by placing second in the presidential vote . He boycotted the 1997 elections, later forming yet another political party Saba Saba-Asili. Matiba leads a quiet life to-date, away from elective politics.

 

Table 6.8 M.Ps for Maragwa Constituency

 

Election Year	Constituency	Member of Parliament	Party
1969	Makuyu
1974	Makuyu
1979	Mkuyu
1983	Makuyu
1988	Makuyu	Julius Njuguna Njoroge	KANU
By Election	Makuyu	Robert Mungai	FORD-Asili
1992	Makuyu	Leonard Nduati Kariuki
1997	Makuyu	Peter Kamande Mwangi	DP
2002	Maragwa*	Elias Mbau	NARC
2007	Maragwa	Elias Mbau	PNU
2013	Maragwa	Peter Kamande Mwangi	TNA

*Makuyu was renamed Maragwa for the 2002 general elections.

 

B) Demographics for the Constituencies of Murang'a County at the 2007 Elections

 

Table 6.9 Constituency Population and Density Demographics

 

Constituency	Population	County    %age	Gender Index F:M	Households	Density: Households per sq. km.
GATANGA	163,597	17.36%	1.02004	43,417	72.48
KANDARA	156,663	16.62%	1.065813	41,234	174.79
KANGEMA	76,988	8.17%	1.086056	21,814	125.63
KIGUMO	123,766	13.13%	1.069423	33,150	136.94
KIHARU	181,076	19.21%	1.069677	51,132	124.78
MARAGWA	152,272	16.15%	1.03812	40,194	73.46
MATHIOYA	88,219	9.36%	1.09417	24,755	70.47
Totals/Av.	942,581		1.063328	255,696	99.93

 

In population terms, Kiharu leads with a total count of 181,076 people while Kangema is the least populated at 76,988 people.  

 

Table 6.10 Constituency Size and Density Demographics

 

Constituency	Population (2009 Census)	Area in Sq. Km.	% age (Area)	Density: People per sq. km.	Density: Household per sq. km.
GATANGA	163,597	598.98	23.41%	273.1	72.48
KANDARA	156,663	235.91	9.22%	664.1	174.79
KANGEMA	76,988	173.63	6.79%	443.4	125.63
KIGUMO	123,766	242.07	9.46%	511.3	136.94
KIHARU	181,076	409.78	16.01%	441.9	124.78
MARAGWA	152,272	547.18	21.38%	278.3	73.46
MATHIOYA	88,219	351.26	13.73%	251.2	70.47
Totals/Av.	942,581	2,558.81		368.4	99.93

 

Gatanga is the largest of the 7 constituencies in the county measuring close to the combined geographic sizes of Kandara, Kangema and Kigumo Constituencies.  It occupies almost the entire southern areas of the county from the Aberdares Mountains to the west to Thika Town on the Nairobi - Nyeri Rd to the east. Kiharu, on the other hand has a sizable population due in part to Murang'a Town.

 

Table 6.11 Constituency Electoral Demographics 

 

Constituency	% age (Area)	Voters (2007)	% age Voters	Member of Parliament	Party
GATANGA	23.41%	79,362	16.53%	Peter Kenneth	PNU
KANDARA	9.22%	78,817	16.41%	James Maina Kamau	PNU
KANGEMA	6.79%	44,603	9.29%	John Njoroge Michuki	PNU
KIGUMO	9.46%	62,899	13.10%	Jamleck Irungu Kamau	PNU
KIHARU	16.01%	99,226	20.66%	Barnabas Muturi C. Mwangi	PNU
MARAGWA	21.38%	64,066	13.34%	Elias Peter Mbau	PNU
MATHIOYA	13.73%	51,220	10.67%	Clement Muchiri Wambugu	PNU
Totals/Av.		427,458*

 Source: IIEC

 

The county had never elected a woman representative to Parliament before the 2013 elections. Detailed discussion on representation can be found under the link on Representation on the home page.

 

C) 2013 Boundaries and Electoral Demographics under the New Constitution and beyond

 

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission IEBC, has gazetted Murang'a County into (unchanged) 7 Constituencies for the 2013 General Elections after a customary review of the electoral boundaries in line with the requirements of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

Below are the Winners of the 2013 General Elections for the Constituencies in Murang'a County. The table demonstrates the levels of representation of the people of the different Constituencies.

 

Table 6.12 Electoral Demographics in the 2013 General Elections

 

Constituency	Member	Registered Voters	Votes Cast	Votes Polled by Candidate	%age polled by Candidate*	Representation Details
Kangema	Tiras Nyingi Ngahu	39,781	36,873	31,939	86.6%	Closest challenger had only 12%
Mathioya	Clement Muchiri Wambugu	43,141
Kiharu	Irungu Kang'ata	89,180	81,785	63,148	77.2%	Closest challenger had only 8.1%
Kigumo	Jamleck Irungu Kamau	60,921	55,330	41,983	75.9%	Closest challenger had only 16.6%
Maragwa	Peter Kamande Mwangi	69,353	62,512	52,631	84.2%	Closest challenger had only 10.9%
Kandara	Alice Muthoni Wahome	80,554	68,032	52,810	77.6%	Only two candidates; the other got 22.4%
Gatanga	Humphrey Kimani Njuguna	74,122	66,544	23,982	36.0%	1st and 2nd runners-up got 33.2% and 24.2%

Source: IEBC. *Also note that the column 6 on %ages represents what the candidate garnered at the polling day as a percentage of the total votes cast in column 4, and not as percentage of the registered voters given in column 3.

 

Representation under the New Constitution is further discussed in the link on Representation under the New Constitution. Table 6.13 below lists the Constituency election winners in the County at the 2013 General Elections, and a brief bio-data of each.

 

Table 6.13 Members Elected in 2013 for the Constituencies in Murang'a County

 

Constituency	Member	Gender	Party	Leadership: Bio, Education, Service, Experience
Gatanga	Humphrey Kimani Njuguna	Male	NARC
Kandara	Alice Muthoni Wahome*	Female	TNA
Kangema	Tiras Nyingi Ngahu	Male	TNA
Kigumo	Jamleck Irungu Kamau	Male	TNA
Kiharu	Irungu Kang'ata	Male	TNA
Maragua	Peter Kamande Mwangi	Male	TNA
Mathioya	Clement Muchiri Wambugu	Male	TNA

 *The County finally elected its first female Member of the constituency in 2013 elections.

 

Wards

 

The following electoral Wards have been gazetted in Murang'a County for the 2013 General Elections.

 

Table 6.16 Wards in the Constituency of Gatanga

 

Count	Ward	Population	Area (sq.km)	Sub-Locations
1
2
3
4
5

 

Table 6.17 Wards in the Constituency of Kandara

 

Count	Ward	Population	Area (sq.km)	Sub-Locations
1
2
3
4
5

 

Table 6.18 Wards in the Constituency of Kangema

 

Count	Ward	Population	Area (sq.km)	Sub-Locations
1
2
3
4
5

 

Table 6.19 Wards in the Constituency of Kiharu

 

Count	Ward	Population	Area (sq.km)	Sub-Locations
1
2
3
4
5

 

Table 6.20 Wards in the Constituency of Kangema

 

Count	Ward	Population	Area (sq.km)	Sub-Locations
1
2
3
4
5

 

Table 6.21 Wards in the Constituency of Maragua

 

Count	Ward	Population	Area (sq.km)	Sub-Locations
1
2
3
4
5

 

Table 6.22 Wards in the Constituency of Mathioya

 

Count	Ward	Population	Area (sq.km)	Sub-Locations
1
2
3
4
5

 

 

Local Government

 

Murang'a County has 7 civic (local government) authorities. Between them, these civic authorities serve 71 civic electoral areas known as Wards each of which is represented by a directly elected councilor. 

These are the local government areas in the county namely:

County Council of Murang'a,

Maragwa County Council,

Kandara Town Council,

Kangema Town Council,

Maragwa Town Council

Makuyu Town Council, and

Municipal Council of Murang'a.

 

The Town Hall of the Murang'a Municipal Council

 

Local governments are expected to give way to devolved County governments.

 

 

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Visitors

 

 

 

In this Page:   6. Visitors Attractions Parks & Reserves Hotels & Restaurants People & Places Art & Culture

 

 

"Land of steep hills" is how first-time visitors describe the County of Murang'a. However, in addition to its beautiful hills and farmlands, the county is home to many places of interest, and vast untapped tourism potential.

 

Attractions

 

Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga

 

Murang'a's Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga is arguably the most important of all the historical sites in the county. It is here that the Agikuyu, who form the largest language group in Murang'a County and the Country, believe their first parents settled. It has been gazetted as a national monument. The site attracts many visitors from the Agikuyu people keen to see and learn first-hand how their first parents - Gikuyu and his wife Mumbi, lived with their 10 daughters. It also attracts students, writers and enthusiasts of such disciplines as history and anthropology. A visit to the county is not complete without a stopover at the site.

 

Fort Hall Monument

 

Murang'a County and surrounding areas of Central Kenya was called Kenya District in colonial times in the late 19^th century.The first colonial administrator of the area Francis C Hall is buried together with others, at the Fort Hall Monument in Murang'a Town. Francis Hall died of black water disease aged only 40. Murang'a Town was named Fort Hall in his honour. Click here>> for more views of the grave sites at the monument.

 

 

Francis C Hall grave site at the Fort Hall Monument

 

Fort Hall

 

An old building at Koimbi Children's Home

 

Koimbi Children's Home was formally a war-time camp and fort for white settlers built by Francis Hall. It was to act as a safe place during times of war and insecurity in the early 20^th century. It was also used as a home/office by the well-known female colonial headman and later a chief, Wangu wa Makeri. The Home is funded and run by the Murang'a County Council. It is located at Mbiri in Murang'a Town.

 

Tuthu Catholic Church

 

The first Catholic church in Murang'a, Our Lady of Consolata Tuthu Catholic Church was established in 1902, by the Consolata Missionaries. The church has a beautiful memorial mausoleum that has been well preserved to this day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Lady of Consolata Tuthu Catholic Church 

It's rich history and beautiful grounds have made this church a favourite venue for weddings and other social functions for the local community and visitors to  the County. Click here for more views of this beautiful pre-independence church that celebrated its first Mass by its founders, the Consolata Missionaries, in 1902.

 

Parks & Reserves

 

Aberdare National Park, Aberdare Forest                                                                 Karuru Falls

The County of Murang'a's far west areas border the eastern lower slopes of the Aberdare Mountain Ranges. These areas also lie within the Aberdare National Park and the Aberdare Forest. Both the Park and the Forest on the lower slopes of the Ranges attract bird watchers (250 species can be found here), hikers, campers, and trekkers. The Park offers great views of water falls, steep river valleys, and wildlife especially elephants, leopards, and the black rhino. The park is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service, KWS.

 

Hotels & Restaurants

 

 Muchiri's Resort Ndakaini

 

A view of Ndakaini Dam from Muchiri's Resort Ndakaini

Muchiri's Resort Ndakaini is a countryside resort located on the shores of the spectacular Ndakaini Dam and overlooks the glorious Aberdare Ranges. It is 40km northwest of Thika Town on the Thika-Gatanga-Ndakaini Road. The resort boasts of a unique combination of peaceful refreshing countryside ambience with all the modern amenities that today’s traveler requires for business and leisure: bird watching, picnics, camping, family weekend get-away & team building activities; sports training, nature walks, hiking or as a stop-over to or from the beautiful Aberdare Ranges. 

 

 Rapids Camp Sagana

 

 

 Rafting at Rapids Camp Sagana

 

Rapids Camp Sagana is a camping and adventure spot located on the River Tana near Sagana Town, about 106km north of Nairobi and 9km off the Nairobi - Nyeri Road. It was started in 2006 and has grown in leaps and bounds to become the first such facility to host the first ever Kayaking Games/Olympic qualifier in Africa and was dubbed the Most Amazing Site of the year 2008 by International Canoeing Federation. Rapids Camp offers water sports like kayaking, river boarding; hikes, bird watching, rock climbing, bush breakfast, game fishing, bungee jumping, etc.

 

Sights & Sounds

 

Ndakaini Half-Marathon

 

Participants at the 2011 Ndakaini Half-Marathon. The dam is partly visible on the right. 

Murang'a County hosts the annual Ndakaini Half-Marathon to support sustainable supply of safe water to the Ndakaini Dam through conservation of the catchment area and the empowerment of the local community to develop viable social economic enterprises associated with the dam. 

 

Maragwa River Rail Bridge 

 

 

Mausoleum at Tuthu Catholic Church

 

This beautiful memorial structure is well preserved and attracts many visitors to the area. It is located at the Tuthu Catholic Church compound 9km from Kanyenya-ini Town in Kangema Constituency. 

 

Art & Culture

 

Over the years Murang'a has produced great writers of the arts in disciplines such as history, literature and fiction. Some of them include the following:

 

R Mugo Gatheru

 

This retired Professor of African and Middle Eastern History at the university of California, Sacramento was born in 1925. Mugo Gatheru attended his early schooling at Weithaga in Murang'a. He is best remembered for his autobiography: 

1. Child of Two Worlds: A Kikuyu's Story (Frederick A Praeger, 1964). Here he tells of his early life growing up as a Kikuyu in colonial settings. Mugo Gatheru also authored:

2. Kenya: From Colonialism to Independence, 1888 - 1970, (Macfarland & Co, 2005).

3. From Beneath the Tree of Life: A Story of the Kenyan People of Ngai (Bookmasters, 2002), where he retells the mythical Agikuyu narrative of creation.

Mugo Gatheru died in November 2011 in the USA at the age of 86. 

 

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Towns & Cities

[size (and relative), population(and relative), date of inception and why, current political and administrative significance, business, communication, transport, tourism numbers, GDP, foklore and nicknames, newspapers, etc]

 

In this Page:   7. Towns & Cities

 

 

Murang'a Town

 

Murang'a is 70km north-east of Nairobi, and 30km north of Thika. 

Lt Francis C Hall, the colonial District Commissioner for the Kikuyu District region had come to Murang'a and setup an administrative center and fort at Mbiri in 1900. Upon his death, the area's name was changed to Fort Hall from Mbiri, in his honour. The town's name was changed a second time to Murang'a at independence. The town has grown from a population of 2,300 in 1963 to 35,000 to-date (2009 Census). 

Murang'a is the largest town in the county, and 14th most populous in Kenya, after Kericho. In the devolved system of the new constitution, it is most likely that the town will be the capital of the new county. However, the smaller Kenol Town is laying a strong claim to be the new capital owing to its strategic location on the busy Nairobi-Nyeri Rd. Murang'a's stronger claim comes from its historical position as the main administrative town as well as its more central location within the county. Murang'a is in Kiharu Constituency.

Murang'a is host to the only radio station in Kenya of the World Family of Radio Maria, broadcasting on 88.1fm.

 

Kenol

 

Kenol Town got its name from a petrol station on the Nairobi-Nyeri Rd. The town sits 10km north of Thika Town at the south eastern edge of the county at the turn-off to Murang'a Town. Thus Kenol is an important trade and transist town to and from the surrounding counties of Murang'a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Embu, Machakos Kiambu and Nairobi. Kenol is in Maragwa Constituency.

 

Kangema

 

The town of Kangema in Kangema Constituency has a population of xxxxx (2009 Census). The town lies 21 kms west of Murang'a Town along the Murang'a - Othaya Rd. It is the seat of the Kangema Town Council.

 

Maragwa

 

There is a railway station at Maragwa on the Nairobi - Nanyuki railway line.

 

Makuyu

 

18km north of Thika Town on the Thika-Nyeri Road lies the town of Makuyu, in Maragwa Constituency. There is a rail station here on the Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line. 

 

Kandara

 

Kandara lies 25km off the Thika - Makuyu Rd left turn-off. The town population of 28,840 (1999 Census) is under the local jurisdiction of the Kandara Town Council.

 

Kiria-ini

 

This little town xx km north-west of Murang'a Town lies at the border between the counties of Murang'a and Nyeri along the Murang'a-Kangema-Othaya Road in Mathioya Constituency. It is host to the well-equipped Kiria-ini Mission Hospital run by the Catholic Church under the Christrian Health Association of Kenya, CHAK. Being a border town, Kiriaini has a flourishing commerce and transit economy.

 

Links.....

Murang’a location map

 

<! under history, check the enumerators_manual from knbs

 

 

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References:

1. Origin of the name Murang'a. As narrated to the Author by Mzee Peter Gathungu Kinyanjui of Gatanga, Murang'a. September 2012.

2. OpenData.go.ke. Retrieved at various times 2011-2012.

3. Uwezo. http://www.uwezo.net. Retrieved/accessed at various times 2011.

4. County Results of 2011 Uwezo National Assessment. Retrieved December 1, 2011. 

5. Mau Mau memoirs: history, memory, and politics. google books.

6. Mugama Farmers Co-op website. Retrieved October 3, 2011.

7. Murata SACCO Membership and Clientele. Retrieved October 3, 2011.

8. County Poverty Rates. KIHBS. Retrieved August 1, 2011. 

9. Hansard - Kenya National Assembly Retrieved Oct 3, 2011.

10. Gikandi S, Mwangi E. The Columbia Guide to East African Literature in English Since 1945.

11. The Kenya Gazette Volume CXV - No.45, of March 13, 2013. Government of Kenya. 

12. IEBC's final tally of Registered Voters as at 18th December 2012. 

13. Kenya Elections 2013 - Daily Nation. Retrieved March 2013.

 

Further Reading

1. Muriuki, Godfrey. 1974. A history of the Kikuyu 1500-1900. Nairobi, Oxford University Press.
2. Wanjau, Gakaara wa, 1999. Warahuri wa Muhooere wa Gikuyu na Mumbi. Karatina: Gakaara Press Ltd.
3. Beech, Mervyn W. H. 1913. “3. The Sacred Fig-Tree of the A-Kikuyu of East Africa“. Man.13: 4-6.
4. Kenyatta, Jomo, 1938. Facing Mount Kenya. London: Secker and Warburg.
5. Bildad Kaggia. (1975) Roots of Freedom 1921-1963: The Autobiography of Bildad Kaggia, Nairobi: East African Publishing House.
6. Gikandi S, Mwangi E. The Columbia Guide to East African Literature in English Since 1945.

 

External Links

• Gikuyu Architecture; Mukuyu.wordpress.com.
• Facing Mount Kenya, MagicalKenya, Kenya Tourist Board.
• Fort Hall Monument.
• Our Lady of Consolata Tuthu Catholic Church; The first Catholic Church to be founded in Murang'a (1902).
• Wikipedia - Bildad Kaggia