Muranga District

Muranga lies between Nairobi and Mount Kenya

Murang'a (sometimes misspelled as Muranga) is one of the districts of Kenya's Central Province. Its capital town is also now named Murang'a but was called Fort Hall in colonial times (before 1963). It is inhabited mainly by and is considered the home of the Kikuyu, the largest community in Kenya. The district has a population of 942,581 (2009 census). Many have traveled to Murang'a to enjoy the lush folage. On the road to the Post Office the road forks leading traveler to take the road to Nyeri via Kiria-ini and beyond or the road to the Murang'a Technical College. As the traveler walks along the road, an old English pub sits along the road on the right. Over the course of several years Murang'a became a site for placement of Peace Corps volunteers.^{[citation needed]}

History

When missionaries first came to Kenya, they were prevented from settling on the coast by the Portuguese, who had taken the coastal area, strategic for trade, from Arab powers in the 16th century. The missionaries were forced to venture into Kenya's rugged interior, and Murang'a was one of the first places they settled.

When the British set up the East African Protectorate in 1895, their first administrative post, Fort Smith, was located in Murang'a.

One on the main highlights of Murang'a's history, however, is that the Mau Mau uprising was led by the Kikuyu community and the Kikuyu consider Murang'a their ancestral origin. Murang'a is considered by some as the birthplace of the Kenyan independence movement.

District subdivisions

Local authorities (councils)
Authority	Type	Population*	Urban pop.*
Muranga	Municipality	24,443	11,021
Kangema	Town	18,229	3,971
Muranga County	County	305,632	0
Total	-	348,304	14,992
* 1999 census. Source: [2]

Administrative divisions
Division	Population*	Urban pop.*	Headquarters
Kiharu	84,868	10,433	Muranga
Kahuro	92,104	0
Kangema	61,182	785
Mathioya	110,139	0
Total	348,304	11,218	-
* 1999 census. Sources: [3], [4],

The district has three constituencies:

• Kangema Constituency
• Kiharu Constituency
• Mathioya Constituency

See also

• Kikuyu people
• Dedan Kimathi
• Jomo Kenyatta

External links

• Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Kenya AdminLevels 1-4