Murang'a County
 | This article possibly contains original research. (July 2013) |
Muranga County | |
|---|---|
 Muranga County Landscape | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location in Kenya | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| Formed | March 4th 2013 |
| Capital | Murang'a |
| Government | |
| • Governor | jamleck kamau |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,325.8 km2 (898.0 sq mi) |
| Population (2009) | |
• Total | 942,581 [1] |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Website | muranga.go.ke |
Murang'a County is one of the counties of Kenya's former Central Province. Its largest town is Murang'a its capital, 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 county has a population of 942,581 (2009 census).[2] Many have traveled to Muranga to enjoy the lush foliage (www.planning.go.ke). 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 Muranga 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 Muranga became a site for placement of Peace Corps volunteers (www.peacecorps.com)
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 of the main highlights of Murang'a's history, however, is that the Mau Mau uprising that was led by the Agikuyu community who consider Murang'a their ancestral origin. Murang'a is thus considered by some as the birthplace of the Kenyan independence movement. Missionaries had initially been welcomed by Karuri Wagakure who was the chief of Tuthu. They set up the first mission church in Kenya at Murang'a. Murang'a is also the source of many big rivers like River Maragua which originates from the heart of the Aberdare range, River Mathioya, River Kayahwe, River Irati, River Muriurio and many others. Murang'a is additionally known for its fertile farming soil and good climate with maize, beans, sweet potatoes, arrow roots, pumpkins,bananas and numerous other food crops grown in the region. Tea and Coffee are the main cash crops produced.
County Government
The Constitution of Kenya of 2010 created 47 regional governments with the formerly larger Murang'a district as a county. The county government is composed of an executive branch and an assembly.
Executive
The executive arm is headed by a governor, a position currently held by Mwangi wa Iria. In every election the each person vying for the governorship is expected to select a running mate with whom the person get elected as a single ticket. The current deputy governor of Murang'a is Gakure Monyo. The governor is assisted by a team of ministerial members referred to as County Executive Committee (CEC), which has ten other members. The individuals and their portfolios include
| CEC member | Portfolio |
|---|---|
| Hon. Githirwa M. Macharia | Environment & Natural Resources |
| Hon. Muiruri Maina Edward | Youth,Sports,Gender,Culture,social services Co-operatives & special Programmes. |
| Hon. George M. Kamau | Finance,IT & Economic Planning |
| Hon. Nyambura Macharia | Public Service |
| Hon. Albert Mwaniki | Agriculture, Livestock & Irrigation |
| Hon. Eng. Amos Njoroge | Energy Transport & Infrastructure Development |
| Hon. David W. Waweru | Commerce,Trade, Industry & Investment |
| Hon. Dr. Susan Muthoni Magada | Health, water & sanitation |
| Hon. Gerishon Nyagia | Education & Technical Training |
| Hon. Sarah Masaki | Lands, Housing & Planning |
Assembly
Murang’a County Assembly is situated in Central Kenya in a town known as Murang’a town along the Kiria-ini road opposite Ihura stadium. It is in the building which was formerly the Municipal Council of Murang’a. It is in Murang’a County Government area of jurisdiction. On 4 March 2013, the general election was held in Kenya and the Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), the women representatives, the Members of Parliaments (MPs), the senators, the governors and the president were elected.
Murang’a County has 35 MCAs elected members, a speaker and 16 nominated members of which 4 are people who are physically challenged. On 22 March 2013, the elected MCAs were sworn in and the speaker of the county Assembly elected and sworn in at the same time. Subsequently, the select and the sectoral committees were formed, of which there are 18.
Select committees are the county public investment and accounts committee, county budget and appropriation committee, committee on appointments, committee on implementation, committee on delegated county legislation, committee on selection, committee on procedure and rules, the county Assembly business committee and the liaison committee.
The current speaker of the assembly is the Hon. Leonard Nduati, deputized by the Hon. Moses Gachui. The assembly is also administratively managed by Clerk to the Assembly, a post being occupied by Peter Ndegwa Mbue. The assembly's Majority Leader is the Hon. Peter Irungu Kihungi.
Learning Institutions
Currently, there is only one public university college in the county, known as Murang’a University College (MRUC). Murang’a University College (MRUC) was established in September 2011 via Murang’a University College order legal notice No. 129 of September 2011 as a constituent College of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. MRUC is the successor of Murang’a College of Technology. The University College currently operates under the provision of the Universities Act 2012 CAP 210 B of the laws of Kenya. MRUC is positioning itself to develop a distinctive profile as a progressive and international Technical University, growing its enrollment strategically.
Although the University College has just opened its doors to undergraduate students, MRUC remains strongly committed to exploring how best to harness technology to improve the quality of education it offers students. Through the continued development of our courses, we will continue to explore and embrace sound pedagogy through a combination of active and engaged learning and appropriately matched technological tools. At MRUC, students are being trained to analyze, interpret, and synthesize information from a variety of sources; practice holistic reasoning; improve verbal, visual and written communication skills; organize and contribute to team efforts; and enhance self-confidence and preparation for a career and/or postgraduate training.
The University College intends to build technology and innovations that will go a long way to improve the quality of life of the Kenyans and also contribute to quickening industrialization envisioned in vision 2030.
The University College is located 1.5 km from Murang'a town, 85 km North East of Nairobi, 70 km South East of Nyeri and 50 km South West of Embu. Its location provides a serene environment conducive for learning.jkkkcdjc
County subdivisions
| Local authorities (councils) | |||
| Authority | Type | Population* | Urban pop.* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murang'a | 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 | Kangema |
| Mathioya | 110,139 | 0 | Kiria-ini |
| Total | 348,304 | 11,218 | - |
| * 1999 census. Sources: [3], [4], | |||
The county has seven constituencies:
- Kangema Constituency
- Kiharu Constituency
- Mathioya Constituency
- Kigumo Constituency
- Kandara Constituency
- Maragwa Constituency
- Gatanga Constituency
The county has several upcoming towns:
Central Kenya Region
Urbanisation
| County | Urbanisation in Central Kenya (Percent)
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiambu County | |||||||||
| Nyeri County | |||||||||
| Nyandarua County | |||||||||
| Muranga County | |||||||||
| Kirinyaga County | |||||||||
| Kenya Average
|
|||||||||
|
Urbanisation by County in Central Kenya | |||||||||
Wealth/Poverty Level
| County | Poverty Level in Central Kenya (Percent)
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirinyaga County | |||||||||
| Muranga County | |||||||||
| Kiambu County | |||||||||
| Nyeri County | |||||||||
| Nyandarua County | |||||||||
| Kenya Average
|
|||||||||
|
Poverty level by County | |||||||||
Cash crops in Murang'a county:
- Tea
- Coffee
Notable People
Mwangi wa Iria - Governor
Kembi Gitura - Deputy Speaker of The Kenyan Senate, Senator Murang'a County
Leonard Nduati - Assembly Speaker
Wangu wa Makeri - A woman colonial chief
Kenneth Matiba - Politician, First Kenyan Opposition Leader, Business Man, civil servant
John Njoroge Michuki - Former Cabinet Minister
Sabina Wanjiru Chege - Chairperson of Education Committee in National Assembly, MP, Woman Representative Murang'a County
Clement Muchiiri Wambugu - MP, Mathioya Constituency
Elias Mbau - Former MP
Peter Kenneth - Presidential candidate 2013 elections, Former Assistant Minister and Member of Parliament
Joshua Toro - Former Assistance Minister, MP
Charles Rubia - First African Mayor of Nairobi
Alice Wahome - MP Kandara Constituency
James Mwangi - Entrepreneur, Businessman and Current C.E.O of Equity Bank
Peter Munga - Businessman, Entrepreneur
Jimnah Mbaru - Politician, Businessman, Entrepreneur
See also
References
www.peacecorps.com
