Mpeketoni
Encyclopedia
Mpeketoni is a small town and an administrative division in the mainland part of Lamu District
, Coast Province
, Kenya
. It is a settlement scheme started in 1960s by the first president of the Republic of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta
near a fresh water lake bearing his name.
Originally, Mpeketoni and its surroundings was inhabited by swahilis
called wabajuni and a small huntersand gatherers tribe by the name of wasanye or the sanyes who are almost extinct. In the early 1970s Mpeketoni was transformed into a settlement area for landless Kenyans. Most of those who settled there were Kenyans from upcountry who had been living in Tanzania
but decided to return home due to changing political climate. The Kikuyu tribe, which is traditionally a farming community, mostly populates this area. Other tribes found in Mpeketoni include the Luos and Kambas as well as the original local Swahili people. The land has since been painstakingly transformed to arable land for farming. The main cash crops include maize, cotton, cassava, cashew nuts, mangoes, and bananas.
The division and the division headquarter by the same name is in a route that was used by the Arab traders taking their commodities "slaves" to Lamu Island
. Up to now a huge mango
tree along the way from Mpeketoni to Lamu Island are still visible and are said to have grown from the seeds of the mangoes slaves were eating.
The population in the late 1990s was estimated to be around 25,000.
The people of Mpeketoni have benefited from the efforts from variety of non profitable organizations a German not for profit organization GTZ and a Dutch philanthropist with ongoing charity projects since 1987. Schools, a clinic and a church have been built with funds collected from Holland in collaboration with the Groen van Prinsterer school in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands. The clinic was named Maria Teresa Nuzzo Health Centre after the foundress of the Catholic Sisters' congregation that run it. More information is available at www.wimvandenburg.nl.
Mpeketoni is host to Lake Kenyatta, a fresh water lake that covers about 5 square KM. The lake is an ecological site for variety of fish, not less than 3500 Hippos, and a big array of birds.
The Division is divided into small administrative villages, including Kiongwe, Baharini, Mkunumbi, Bomani, Uziwa, Mapenya, Lakeside, Kibaoni.
Lamu District
Lamu District is a district of Kenya's Coast Province. Its district headquarters is Lamu town. The district covers a strip of northeastern coastal mainland and the Lamu Archipelago. Lamu District has a population of 72,686 and its land area is 6,167 km².There are extensive mangrove forests in...
, Coast Province
Coast Province
Coast Province of Kenya, along the Indian Ocean, is one of Kenya's seven administrative provinces outside Nairobi. It comprises the Indian Ocean coastal strip with the capital city at Mombasa and is inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili, among others...
, 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...
. It is a settlement scheme started in 1960s by the first president of the Republic of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....
near a fresh water lake bearing his name.
Originally, Mpeketoni and its surroundings was inhabited by swahilis
Swahili people
The Swahili people are a Bantu ethnic group and culture found in East Africa, mainly in the coastal regions and the islands of Kenya, Tanzania and north Mozambique. According to JoshuaProject, the Swahili number in at around 1,328,000. The name Swahili is derived from the Arabic word Sawahil,...
called wabajuni and a small huntersand gatherers tribe by the name of wasanye or the sanyes who are almost extinct. In the early 1970s Mpeketoni was transformed into a settlement area for landless Kenyans. Most of those who settled there were Kenyans from upcountry who had been living in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
but decided to return home due to changing political climate. The Kikuyu tribe, which is traditionally a farming community, mostly populates this area. Other tribes found in Mpeketoni include the Luos and Kambas as well as the original local Swahili people. The land has since been painstakingly transformed to arable land for farming. The main cash crops include maize, cotton, cassava, cashew nuts, mangoes, and bananas.
The division and the division headquarter by the same name is in a route that was used by the Arab traders taking their commodities "slaves" to Lamu Island
Lamu Island
Lamu Island is a part of the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya.Lamu Old Town, the principal inhabited part of the island, is one of the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlements in East Africa. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms...
. Up to now a huge mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
tree along the way from Mpeketoni to Lamu Island are still visible and are said to have grown from the seeds of the mangoes slaves were eating.
The population in the late 1990s was estimated to be around 25,000.
The people of Mpeketoni have benefited from the efforts from variety of non profitable organizations a German not for profit organization GTZ and a Dutch philanthropist with ongoing charity projects since 1987. Schools, a clinic and a church have been built with funds collected from Holland in collaboration with the Groen van Prinsterer school in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands. The clinic was named Maria Teresa Nuzzo Health Centre after the foundress of the Catholic Sisters' congregation that run it. More information is available at www.wimvandenburg.nl.
Mpeketoni is host to Lake Kenyatta, a fresh water lake that covers about 5 square KM. The lake is an ecological site for variety of fish, not less than 3500 Hippos, and a big array of birds.
The Division is divided into small administrative villages, including Kiongwe, Baharini, Mkunumbi, Bomani, Uziwa, Mapenya, Lakeside, Kibaoni.