Kikuyu, Kenya

Kikuyu
Kikuyu in 2009
Kikuyu in 2009
Kikuyu is located in Kenya
Kikuyu
Kikuyu
Location in Kenya
Coordinates: 1°15′S 36°40′E / 1.250°S 36.667°E / -1.250; 36.667
Country Kenya
CountyKiambu County
Population
 (2019)
 • Total323,881[1]
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)
ClimateCfb

Kikuyu is a town in Kiambu County, Kenya, which grew from a settlement of colonial missionaries. The town is located about 20 km (12 mi) northwest of central Nairobi. It is about 20 minutes from Nairobi via a number of routes, including a dual carriage road,the Southern Bypass and has a railway station on the Mombasa – Malaba Railway Line. The town is named after the Kikuyu/Gĩkũyũ people, the major ethnicity that settled in the area. As of 2019, the total population was 323,881.[2]

Due to its geology and rich soil texture, the chief activities are livestock and crop farming. The jurisdiction also includes the Ondiri Wetland which is the source of the Nairobi River.[3][4] With the recent completion of the Southern Bypass that connects Mombasa to Nairobi via Kikuyu, the town is poised for greater growth as it is the only town on the Bypass. Kikuyu hosts a Sub-County Administration which is the administrative division in Kiambu County.

  1. ^ 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume II: Distribution of Population by Administrative Units; retrieved 25 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Friends of Ondiri Wetland Kenya | Home". friendsofondiriwetlands.org. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  4. ^ Obura, Fredrick. "Increased human activities threaten source of Nairobi River - FarmKenya Initiative". Farm Kenya Initiative. Retrieved 27 July 2021.