Karuri
Encyclopedia
Karuri is a town in Kiambu District
(Kiambu East), Central Province
, Kenya
. The town hosts a town council
.
The Council borders the city of Nairobi
to the South for about 20 km from Nairobi
City, Kikuyu
Town Council to the West, Limuru
Municipal Council to the North and Kiambu
Municipal Council to the East. It covers an area of 46 km2. with a population of 105,506 people, of which 19,746 are classified as urban (1999 census ).
The Council’s main town, Karuri, was established as a meeting center in the pre-colonial era where Kikuyu paramount Chief
s used to meet for deliberations. The town derived its name from a paramount chief, namely Karuri Wa Gakure who used to travel all the way from Tuthu in the slopes of Aberdare Range
to meet his counterparts like Kinyanjui Gathirimu.
Proximity to the city of Nairobi and adequate transportation has attracted many people working in Nairobi and other neighbouring towns to the few urban centres within the Town Council in search of cheaper accommodation. In many circles, the Council has always been referred to as The “Domitories” of Nairobi.
The Town serves as the divisional headquarters for Kiambaa division thereby boosting its growth. It was made Urban Council in 1988 under Kiambu County Council with an area of 44.8 km2. The Town Council was upgraded into a Township in 1997 with an area of 46 km2.
The Council falls in the Hinterland, which has fertile soils that are well drained. The Council enjoys good climatic conditions as most areas in central province. The Council lies in the east highlands of the Rift Valley
, enjoying moderate climate, and within a coffee
– growing zone even though bordering a tea
– growing zone.
Hills, Plateaus and High-level structural plains that make it fairly easy for the development of road network characterize Karuri Town Council. The Council does not have major rivers. The altitude ranges between 1500 and 1800 metres above sea level
.
The soils are developed on undifferentiated tertiary volcanic and basic igneous rocks. They are well-drained, shallow, dark reddish brown though in some places they are imperfectly drained, very deep, dark gray to black, with calcareous
, slightly saline deep sub-soil. They are of moderately high fertility. The crops that are grown are coffee
, maize
, horticultural crops, fruits and dairy farming
.
Other physical features include steep slopes and valleys that are unsuitable for cultivation
.
Rainfall regime around Karuri is bimodal, with long rains occurring between April and May while short rains fall from October to November. Average temperature, which is determined by altitude range from 20.4 degrees in the upper highland
to 34 degrees in the lower midland
.
The Council consists of Four Electoral wards namely;
The four wards elect one councillor each. The total number of Councillors is six with one nominated councilor and an appointed public officer. All these wards are part if the Kiambaa Constituency
.
According to 1979 census
the area had a population
of 45,000 people. In 1989 census the population
had grown to 73,000 people. The population has been growing tremendously as a result of the influx of the working class people from Nairobi
coming to look for cheap and convenient accommodation in this township. Many people working in Nairobi
resides in the periphery towns like Gachie, Kihara, Ruaka, Ndenderu
and Karuri. Market Centres attract people because it offers business and employment opportunities. This urban population will provide labour and market as we prepare for industrialization take off and kenya metropolitan vision 2030.
Population projection is estimated to be 109,599 people coming year 2005. The population growth rate around Karuri stands at 2.87%. The same growth rate has been used to compute the population projection of this Council.
Population analysis per the LADP 2001 show women are more than men hence a high reproductive capacity. Age between 0-44 comprises 83.6% of the total population. Population in this category is the very needy in terms of social amenities, services and related infrastructure
. It’s the same population
which contributes to the Council’s revenue thus the Council is embarking on investing adequately in terms of service provision.
Kiambu District
Kiambu District is an administrative district in the Central Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kiambu. The district is adjacent to the northern border of Nairobi and has a population of 744,010....
(Kiambu East), Central Province
Central Province (Kenya)
Kenya's Central Province covers an area of 13,191 km² and is located to north of Nairobi and west of Mt. Kenya. The province had 4,383,743 inhabitants according to the 2009 census...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. The town hosts a town council
Local authorities of Kenya
Local authorities in Kenya are the bodies controlling local governance in Kenya.Kenya has four classes of local authorities: City, Municipality, Town and County council. Currently there are three authorities with city status: Nairobi, the national capital, Mombasa and Kisumu...
.
The Council borders the city of Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
to the South for about 20 km from Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
City, Kikuyu
Kikuyu, Kenya
Kikuyu is a town in the Central Province of Kenya. The town is located 20 km northwest of central Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Kikuyu hosts a town council and an administrative division in the Kiambu District....
Town Council to the West, Limuru
Limuru
Limuru is a town in central Kenya. It is also the name of a parliamentary constituency and an administrative division. Current 2004 population is about 4800....
Municipal Council to the North and Kiambu
Kiambu
Kiambu is a town in Central Province, Kenya. It is located at around , in the elevation of about 1,720 m. It has an urban population of 13,814. It is the capital of the Kiambu District, which bounds the northern border of Nairobi...
Municipal Council to the East. It covers an area of 46 km2. with a population of 105,506 people, of which 19,746 are classified as urban (1999 census ).
The Council’s main town, Karuri, was established as a meeting center in the pre-colonial era where Kikuyu paramount Chief
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...
s used to meet for deliberations. The town derived its name from a paramount chief, namely Karuri Wa Gakure who used to travel all the way from Tuthu in the slopes of Aberdare Range
Aberdare Range
The Aberdare Range is a 160 km long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It is located in west central Kenya, northeast of Naivasha and Gilgil and just south of the Equator...
to meet his counterparts like Kinyanjui Gathirimu.
Proximity to the city of Nairobi and adequate transportation has attracted many people working in Nairobi and other neighbouring towns to the few urban centres within the Town Council in search of cheaper accommodation. In many circles, the Council has always been referred to as The “Domitories” of Nairobi.
The Town serves as the divisional headquarters for Kiambaa division thereby boosting its growth. It was made Urban Council in 1988 under Kiambu County Council with an area of 44.8 km2. The Town Council was upgraded into a Township in 1997 with an area of 46 km2.
The Council falls in the Hinterland, which has fertile soils that are well drained. The Council enjoys good climatic conditions as most areas in central province. The Council lies in the east highlands of the Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
, enjoying moderate climate, and within a coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
– growing zone even though bordering a tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
– growing zone.
Hills, Plateaus and High-level structural plains that make it fairly easy for the development of road network characterize Karuri Town Council. The Council does not have major rivers. The altitude ranges between 1500 and 1800 metres above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
The soils are developed on undifferentiated tertiary volcanic and basic igneous rocks. They are well-drained, shallow, dark reddish brown though in some places they are imperfectly drained, very deep, dark gray to black, with calcareous
Calcareous
Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...
, slightly saline deep sub-soil. They are of moderately high fertility. The crops that are grown are coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, horticultural crops, fruits and dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
.
Other physical features include steep slopes and valleys that are unsuitable for cultivation
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
.
Rainfall regime around Karuri is bimodal, with long rains occurring between April and May while short rains fall from October to November. Average temperature, which is determined by altitude range from 20.4 degrees in the upper highland
Highland (geography)
The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...
to 34 degrees in the lower midland
Midland
-Places:In Australia:* Midland, Western AustraliaIn Canada:* Midland, OntarioIn Germany:* Mittellandkanal, the Midland CanalIn Ireland:* Midland Region, a region of the Republic of IrelandIn the United States:...
.
The Council consists of Four Electoral wards namely;
- 1. Kiambaa Ward
- 2. Muchatha Ward
- 3. Kihara / Gachie Ward
- 4. NdenderuNdenderuNdenderu is a settlement in Kenya's Central Province....
/ Ruaka Ward
The four wards elect one councillor each. The total number of Councillors is six with one nominated councilor and an appointed public officer. All these wards are part if the Kiambaa Constituency
Kiambaa Constituency
Kiambaa Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of five constituencies in Kiambu District. The constituency was established for the 1963 elections.- Members of Parliament :- Locations and wards :- References :...
.
According to 1979 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
the area had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 45,000 people. In 1989 census the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
had grown to 73,000 people. The population has been growing tremendously as a result of the influx of the working class people from Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
coming to look for cheap and convenient accommodation in this township. Many people working in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
resides in the periphery towns like Gachie, Kihara, Ruaka, Ndenderu
Ndenderu
Ndenderu is a settlement in Kenya's Central Province....
and Karuri. Market Centres attract people because it offers business and employment opportunities. This urban population will provide labour and market as we prepare for industrialization take off and kenya metropolitan vision 2030.
Population projection is estimated to be 109,599 people coming year 2005. The population growth rate around Karuri stands at 2.87%. The same growth rate has been used to compute the population projection of this Council.
Population analysis per the LADP 2001 show women are more than men hence a high reproductive capacity. Age between 0-44 comprises 83.6% of the total population. Population in this category is the very needy in terms of social amenities, services and related infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. It’s the same population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
which contributes to the Council’s revenue thus the Council is embarking on investing adequately in terms of service provision.