Machakos
|
Machakos Masaku |
|
|---|---|
| Municipality | |
Machakos
|
|
 Machakos
|
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| Coordinates: 1°31′S 37°16′E / 1.517°S 37.267°E | |
| Country |
 Kenya
|
| County | Machakos County |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 150,041 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
| Postcode | 9010O |
| Climate | Cwb |
Machakos is a town in Kenya, 63 kilometres southeast of Nairobi. It is the capital of the Machakos County, Kenya. Its population is rapidly growing and is 150,041 as of 2009. The Machakos county governor is one Dr. Alfred Mutua. People who live here are mostly the Akamba though it is a cosmopolitan town. Machakos is surrounded by hilly terrain, with a high number of family farms.
Machakos was established in 1887, ten years before Nairobi. Machakos was the first administrative centre for the British colony, but they moved the capital of Kenya to Nairobi in 1899 since Machakos was by-passed by the Uganda Railway that was under construction. Town and the county were named after Masaku wa Munyati, an Akamba chief who arrived in the area in 1816 from the area around Sultan Hamud..
Sudan-related peace talks were held in Machakos, resulting in the on 20 July 2002.
* 2009 census. Source:
Machakos open air market. Fruits, vegetables and other food stuffs like maize mbemba, beans mboso, etc. are sold here. Major market days are Mondays and Fridays. One can buy second hand clothes mutumba in the open air market, situated differently from the market marikiti.
Machakos has a number of banks such a Barclays, Equity, National Bank, NIC Bank, Credit Bank, Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), Standard Chartered, K-rep, Co-operative and Kenya Commercial in the CBD. It also has the larger administrative offices in lower Ukambani.
Machakos town also has good road infrastructure and town planning. It also has a well planned bus terminal at the heart of the town. There is a bus terminus in Nairobi popularly known as the Machakos Airport. It's a busy place where Buses and Matatus depart for Machakos and Kitui as well as Western Kenya, Nyanza and the Rift Valley.
Machakos has a beautiful hilly scenery that is perfect for camping and hiking. This consists of tricky terrain that would challenge any camper. It is also the home town of some of the world's most beautiful sculptures made in Wamunyu. Kaloleni near Ngelani, is famous for "water flowing against gravity". It is located on Kituluni Hill, a famous spot known as Kya Mwilu to the east of Machakos town. As the slogan of Machakos County goes, it is " The Place to be"
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Wikipedia