The Central Province (, ) was a region in central Kenya until 2013, when Kenya's provinces were replaced by a system of counties. It covered an area of and was located to the north of Nairobi and west of Mount Kenya (see maps). The province had 4,383,743 inhabitants according to the 2009 census. The provincial headquarters was Nyeri.
Central Province was the ancestral home of the Gikuyu people.
Climate The climate of Central Province is generally cooler than that of the rest of Kenya, due to the region's higher altitude. Rainfall is fairly reliable, falling in two seasons, one from early March to May (the long rains) and a second during October and November (the short rains).
General information Central Province is a key producer of coffee, one of Kenya's key exports. Much of Kenya's dairy industry is also based in this province. The provincial headquarters were in Nyeri. Central Province was divided into seven districts (wilaya'at) until 2007:Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and National Security District Population Capital Nyandarua 479,902 Ol Kalou* Nyeri 661,156 Nyeri Kirinyaga 457,105 Kerugoya Maragua 387,969 Maragua Murang'a 348,304 Murang'a Thika 645,713 Thika Kiambu 744,010 Kiambu
Districts after 2007
Several new districts (declared sub-counties in 2013) were created in 2007:
District Capital Gatanga Gatanga Gatundu Gatundu Gatundu North Kamwangi Githunguri Githunguri Kabete Kikuyu Kandara Kandara Kiambu East (Kiambaa) Kiambu Kiambu West Limuru Kieni East Chaka Kieni West Mweiga Kigumo Kigumo Kinangop Engineer Kirinyaga Central Kerugoya Kirinyaga East Kianyaga Kirinyaga South Wanguru Kirinyaga West BarichoLari Lari Maragua Maragua Mathioya Kiria-ini Mathira East Karatina Mathira West Kaiyaba Mirangini Mirangini Mukurweini Mukurweini Murang'a North Murang'a Murang'a South Kenol Nyandarua Central Ol Kalou Nyandarua North Ndaragwa Nyandarua South Njambini Nyandarua West Ol Jororok Nyeri Central Nyeri Nyeri South Othaya Ruiru Ruiru Tetu Wamagana Thika East Gatuanyaga Thika West Thika
Counties after 2013 The Central Province was replaced by 5 counties in 2013. Code County Former Province Area (km2) PopulationCensus 2009 Capital 18 Nyandarua Central 3,107.7596,268 Ol Kalou 19 Nyeri Central 2,361.0693,558 Nyeri 20 Kirinyaga Central 1,205.4528,054 Kerugoya / Kutus 21 Murang'a Central 2,325.8942,581 Murang'a 22 Kiambu Central 2,449.21,623,282 Kiambu Totals 11,449.14,383,743 -
History The province is inhabited by the Kikuyu speaking community almost exclusively. They are part of the Kenya Eastern Bantus.
During Kenya's colonization by the British, much of the province was regarded as part of the 'White Highlands', for the exclusive use of the European community. Therefore, it saw political activity from the local communities who felt that they had an ancestral right to the land. This tension culminated in the 1950s with the Mau Mau rebellion; which saw the region placed under a state of emergency and the arrest of many prominent political leaders.
Villages and settlements (A-J)
Villages and settlements (K)
Villages and settlements (L-Z) Gitugi
References