Mariakani is a town in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

lying on the boundary of Kaloleni and Kinango districts (formerly Kilifi and Kwale respectively) in the old

Coast Province The Coast Province ( sw, Mkoa wa Pwani) of Kenya, along the Indian Ocean, was one of Kenya's eight provinces. It comprises the Indian Ocean coastal strip with the capital city at Mombasa and was inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili, among oth ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, 36 kilometres northwest of the port city of

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Administration during colonial period

The administrative areas which make up Mariakani today were shared by the Durumas, Chonyi, Giriamas and Kambas. The British colonists considered it more prudent to administer the dominant ethnic groups separately. The Kilifi county side had a Giriama and Kamba Chief to take care of the interest of the two ethnic groups, whereas on the Kwale County side, i.e. the Mwavumbo area, was another pair of chiefs to represent the Duruma and

Kamba people The Kamba or Akamba (sometimes called Wakamba) people are a Bantu ethnic group who predominantly live in the area of Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and north to Embu, in the southern part of the former Eastern Province. This land i ...

. The last of these chiefs were the late Chief Johnson Mwero Mwaiga from Matumbi and Ex-Senior Chief Nzana wa Mumo from Gwasheni. From the 1960s onwards and especially after Kenya achieved independence, the practice was discontinued to give way to one chief for the entire area. The first chief of the area in Mwavumbo was Mkalla Mwero from Matumbi.

Today

The boundary between the two Counties has changed since the colonial times but nowadays there is the Railway line from

Mazeras Mazeras is a township in Coast Province, Kenya, approximately north-west of Mombasa. Mazeras is located between Mariakani and Miritini along Nairobi Mombasa highway. There is a famous botanical garden in Mazeras called ''Mazeras Mauwani'' where m ...

Town to Maji ya Chumvi. The origin of the centre is set in the 15th Century during the long-distance trade. The traders from Ukambani threw away their weaponry at this spot as a peace sign when approaching

as the Sultan of that time did not allow traders to enter the island with any kind of weaponry. "Riaka" (Mariaka in plural is Durumas word for quiver; Mariakani translates as the place of quivers in Duruma language. The

Giriama The Giriama (also called Giryama) are one of the nine ethnic groups that make up the Mijikenda (which literally translates to "nine towns"). The Mijikenda occupy the coastal strip extending from Lamu in the north to the Kenya/Tanzania border i ...

word for quiver is similar to the Kamba: Thyaka though it may be spelled slightly different. The Kamba call Quiver "Thyaka" (singular) hence the town is also called "Mathyakani" when speaking in Kigiriama or Kikamba. Most of the business activities are done on the Kaloleni side owing to the shift of transport preference to Mombasa-Nairobi Highway rather than the rail line and station. However, earlier business and development endeavours were done jointly by both side of the boundary. These include the Mariakani High school, the Kwale-Kilifi Milk Scheme Cooperative of the 1960s, slaughter houses among others. The Kwale County side is part of Mwavumbo area and is not widely known. Its population is dominantly Durumas and Coastal Kambas, the descendants of the explorers' scouts and long-distance traders. Mariakani (Kilifi county side) hosts a town council with a population of 67,984, of whom 10,987 are classified urban (1999 census ). The town council consists of five wards: Kaliangombe, Kawala, Mariakani, Mugumo-wa-Patsa, Tsangatsini. All of them are located within

Kaloleni Constituency Kaloleni Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of seven constituencies in Kilifi County Kilifi County was formed in 2010 as a result of a merger of Kilifi District and Malindi District, Kenya. Its capital is Kilifi an ...

. Central Mariakani is located in Mariakani

location In geography, location or place are used to denote a region (point, line, or area) on Earth's surface or elsewhere. The term ''location'' generally implies a higher degree of certainty than ''place'', the latter often indicating an entity with an ...

of Kaloleni division of Kilifi district. From at least 2019, 21 Kenya Rifles (

Kenya Army Infantry The units of the Kenya Army Infantry are the principal fighting arms of the Kenya Army. The primary mission of the Infantry formations is to fight and win land battles within area of operational responsibilities in the defence of the nation again ...

) has been located at Mariakani Barracks, reporting to 6 Brigade at Garissa.

Transport

Mariakani has a station on the Kenyan Railway system. Elevation = Altitude.nu

References

{{coord, 03, 52, 00, S, 39, 28, 00, E, region:KE_type:city, display=title Populated places in Coast Province

Administration during colonial period

Today

Transport

See also

References