Kenya's Central Province covers the area around Mt. Kenya. It is the ancestral home of, among others, the g.e.m.a communities . Image File history File links Kenya-Central. ... Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya, and the second-highest in Africa (after Mount Kilimanjaro). ... Abbreviation for Gikuyu, Embu, Meru Association created to advance the social and political needs of peoples descended from Mumbi. ...

Climate

The climate of Central Province is generally cooler than that of the rest of the country due the region's relatively higher altitude. Rainfall is fairly reliable, falling in two seasons: one from early March to May and a second during October and November.

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 province's headquarters are in Nyeri. Central Province is divided into seven districts (wilaya):

District Headquarters

• Nyandarua -- capital Nyahururu
• Nyeri -- capital Nyeri
• Kirinyaga -- capital Kerugoya
• Maragua - capital Maragua
• Murang'a -- capital Murang'a
• Thika -- capital Thika
• Kiambu -- capital Kiambu

Nyahururu is the capital of Nyandarua district . ... Nyeri is a town and a district in Kenya about 120km north of the capital Nairobi. ...

History

The majority of the communities that now inhabit Central Province are of Eastern Bantu heritage and are believed to have migrated into the region in the 17th century. These communities chiefly consist of the Agikuyu, Aembu and Meru. During Kenya's colonisation by the British, much of the province was regarded as part of the 'White Highlands' for the exclusive use of the settler community. Thus it was prone to a lot of political activity from the local communities who felt that they had an ancestral right to the land. This culminated in the 1950's with the Mau Mau rebellion that saw the region placed under a state of emergency and the arrest of many prominent politcal leaders. Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (dull yellow) vs. ... The White Highlands is an area in the central uplands of Kenya, so-called because, during the period of British Colonialism, white immigrants settled there in considerable numbers particularly to take advantage of the good soils and growing conditions. ... The Mau Mau Uprising was an insurgency by Kenyan rebels against the British colonial administration from 1952 to 1960. ...

See also

• Ruiru

Provinces of Kenya
Central | Coast | Eastern | Nairobi Area | North Eastern | Nyanza | Rift Valley | Western