Nyeri is county 019 of Kenya’s 47, in the former Central Province, and its capital is Nyeri town. The 2019 census counted 759,164 residents across 2,361.0 km², about 322 people per km². The county lies between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range, and for most of the colonial period Nyeri town was the administrative centre of the whole Central Province.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Capital | Nyeri town |
| County code | 019 |
| Population (2019 census) | 759,164 |
| Area | 2,361.0 km² |
| Former province | Central |
| Sub-counties | 6 |
| Main languages | Kikuyu, Swahili, English |
Towns and Villages in Nyeri County
Nyeri town is the county capital and the largest urban centre. Karatina, on the A2 towards Mount Kenya, holds one of the biggest open-air markets in East Africa. Othaya, Mukurwe-ini, Naro Moru, Mweiga, Chaka, Kiganjo and Endarasha are the other main centres. Figures below are for the built-up core of each town, not its wider sub-county.
| Town | Type | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Nyeri | Town, county capital | 80,081 |
| Karatina | Town | 23,552 |
| Naro Moru | Town | 9,018 |
| Othaya | Town | 6,650 |
| Mukurwe-ini | Town | 6,508 |
| Chaka | Trading centre | 5,970 |
| Kiganjo | Trading centre | 4,009 |
| Mweiga | Trading centre | 3,609 |
| Endarasha | Trading centre | 2,743 |
- Aberdare
- Amboni
- Baricho
- Bellevue
- Birithia
- Burguret
- Chaka
- Chang’onde
- Chehe
- Cheronge
- Chieni Settlement
- Chinga
- Embalingo
- Endarasha
- Endarasha Settlement
- Gaaki
- Gachatha
- Gachika
- Gachirero
- Gachuiro
- Gachuku
- Gaikundo
- Gaikuyu
- Gakanga
- Gakuyu
- Gatarakwa
- Gatel
- Gathaithi
- Gathanji
- Gathera
- Gathethu
- Gathumbi
- Gathungururu
- Gathuthi
- Gatina
- Gatitu
- Gatugi One
- Gatugi Two
- Gatumbiru
- Gatundu
- Gatunganga
- Gatura
- Gaturi
- Gaturiri
- Gatuyaini
- Giachamwengi
- Giagatika
- Giaitu
- Giakaibii
- Giakibii
- Giathugu One
- Giathugu Two
- Gichichi
- Gichira
- Gikigie
- Gikondi
- Gitathi-ini
- Gitero
- Githakwa
- Githerere
- Githima
- Githiru
- Githunguri
- Githura
- Gititu
- Gitugi
- Gitumbi
- Gumba
- Gura
- Hatha-ini
- Hombe
- Huguini
- Huho-ini
- Ichagachiru
- Ichamara
- Igana
- Ihithe
- Ihuririo
- Ihururu
- Ihwa
- Ihwagi
- Iruri
- Itemeini
- Ithaithi
- Ithanji
- Ithekahuno
- Ithenguri
- Itiati
- Itundu
- Kaagogi
- Kabage
- Kabaru
- Kabebero
- Kagarii
- Kagere
- Kagicha
- Kagioini
- Kagonye
- Kagumo
- Kagumoini
- Kagundu
- Kagwathi
- Kahaaro
- Kaharo
- Kahiga
- Kahigaini
- Kahurura
- Kairuthi
- Kaiyaba
- Kamatu
- Kamoko
- Kamuchoni
- Kamunyaka
- Kamuyu
- Kamwenja
- Kangaita
- Kangoru
- Kanjora
- Kanyama
- Kanyinya
- Karangia
- Karatina
- Karemeno
- Karia
- Kariara
- Kariguini
- Kariko
- Karima
- Karindi
- Karingaini
- Karogoto
- Karundu
- Karura
- Karuthi
- Kiaguthu
- Kiahagu
- Kiamabara
- Kiamariga
- Kiamathambo
- Kiamucheru
- Kiamurathe
- Kiamuya
- Kiamwathi
- Kiandemi
- Kianderi
- Kiandongoro
- Kiandu
- Kiangai
- Kianganda
- Kiangararu
- Kiangoma
- Kianjogu
- Kiawaithanji
- Kiawamurathe
- Kiawamururu
- Kiawarigi
- Kibutio
- Kiganjo
- Kigogo-ini
- Kihatha
- Kihingo
- Kihome
- Kihora
- Kihuri
- Kihuyo
- Kiinu
- Kimahuri
- Kimondo
- Kinunga
- Kinyaiti
- Kirerema
- Kiria
- Kiriko
- Kiriti
- Kirungi
- Kirurumi
- Kiumbi
- Kiuu
- Konyu
- Kuhora Twana
- Mahiga
- Marua
- Mathari
- Mbuyu-ini
- Miirini
- Mirundu
- Mucharage
- Mugunda
- Muirungi
- Mukore
- Mukui
- Mukurwe-ini
- Munyange
- Munyange One
- Munyange Two
- Muruguru
- Mutathiini
- Muthambi
- Muthinga
- Muthira
- Muthua-ini
- Muthuthiini
- Mutitu
- Mutundu
- Mweiga
- Naro Moru
- Ndaroini
- Ndathi
- Ndiaini One
- Ndiaini Two
- Ndimaini
- Nduma
- Ndunyu
- Ndurutu
- Ngamwa
- Ngandu
- Ngaru
- Ngunguru
- Nitimaini
- Njege
- Njigari
- Njiruini
- Nyakahuho
- Nyamakuyu
- Nyangio
- Nyeri
- Othaya
- Pirisya
- Ragati
- Ratai
- Riamukurwe
- Rititi
- Rukira
- Ruringu
- Rurunguti
- Ruthagati
- Ruthanji
- Rutura
- Tambaya
- Tetu
- Thangathe
- Thanu
- Thatha
- Thengeini
- Thimu
- Thiu
- Thunguma
- Thunguri
- Thuthi
- Treffos
Geography
Nyeri occupies the saddle between two mountains. Mount Kenya rises on the eastern boundary and the Aberdare Range walls the county on the west. The settled ridges and valleys between them sit at 1,500 m to 2,200 m. The Kieni plateau in the north sits in the rain shadow of both ranges and is markedly drier than the rest of the county.
Rivers run off both mountains in parallel ridges — the Sagana, Chania, Gura, Ragati, Muringato and Nairobi rivers among them — and the ridge-and-valley pattern sets how villages are laid out, in strips along the crests. Rainfall ranges from about 500 mm a year in parts of Kieni to over 1,500 mm on the Aberdare slopes. Both Mount Kenya and Aberdare national parks reach into the county.
Nyeri borders five counties: Laikipia County to the north, Meru County to the north-east, Kirinyaga County to the east, Murang’a County to the south and Nyandarua County to the west.
Demographics
The 2019 KNBS census recorded 759,164 residents, an average of about 322 people per km². Density is highest in Mathira, Tetu, Othaya and Mukurweini, where the coffee and tea ridges have been subdivided for generations. It is lowest in Kieni, which holds the county’s largest land area and its driest ground.
Nyeri is one of Kenya’s most Kikuyu counties, and Kikuyu is the everyday language alongside Swahili and English. It has an older age profile than the national average, a consequence of long-standing out-migration by young adults to Nairobi and to the towns of the Rift Valley.
Economy and Local Life
Coffee and tea are the historic backbone. Smallholder coffee societies across Mathira, Othaya, Tetu and Mukurweini deliver to factories that mill and market their own crop, and tea is grown on the higher, wetter Aberdare slopes. Dairy is the steadiest income for most households, with milk collected daily by co-operatives.
Kieni has moved into irrigated horticulture — French beans, snow peas, tomatoes, onions and potatoes — much of it for export. Karatina market draws traders from across the country twice a week. Tourism runs on the Mount Kenya and Aberdare parks, with lodges at Mweiga, Naro Moru and the park gates. Naro Moru is the main starting point for the western route up Mount Kenya.
History
Nyeri was a centre of the Mau Mau war of the 1950s. Dedan Kimathi, the movement’s best-known field commander, was born at Thegenge in Tetu, and the forest camps on the Aberdare slopes were run from within the county. A statue of Kimathi stands in Nyeri town.
Nyeri was also the seat of the colonial Central Province administration, which is why it carries provincial-scale institutions for a county of its size. Baden-Powell spent his last years at Paxtu, a cottage in the grounds of the Outspan Hotel, and died in Nyeri in 1941.
Getting There
Nyeri town is about 150 km north of Nairobi. The A2 highway runs Nairobi–Thika–Sagana–Karatina–Nyeri–Nanyuki and carries most traffic into the county; the B5 continues west from Nyeri to Nyahururu, and a second road crosses the Aberdares into Nyandarua.
The metre-gauge Nanyuki branch railway passes through Sagana, Karatina and Nyeri, and carries a passenger service revived in 2021. Matatus and buses run all day from Nairobi’s Tea Room and Kenya Cinema stages, taking roughly three hours. Nyeri has an airstrip; the nearest airport with scheduled flights is Nanyuki, in Laikipia.
FAQ
What is the capital of Nyeri County?
Nyeri town is the county capital. It lies on the A2 highway about 150 km north of Nairobi.
How many towns and villages are in Nyeri County?
268 towns, villages and trading centres are mapped in Nyeri County. The 250 largest and best documented are listed on this page.
What are the sub-counties of Nyeri?
Nyeri has six sub-counties, matching its constituencies: Tetu, Kieni, Mathira, Othaya, Mukurweini and Nyeri Town.
What is the population of Nyeri County?
The 2019 census counted 759,164 people in Nyeri County, over 2,361.0 km².
Which counties border Nyeri?
Laikipia, Meru, Kirinyaga, Murang’a and Nyandarua.
Who is buried in Nyeri town?
Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement, and his wife Olave are buried at St Peter’s Cemetery in Nyeri. Their grave is a listed monument.