Kilifi is a town on the coast of

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

, northeast by road 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 ...

. The town lies on the Kilifi Creek and sits on the estuary of the Goshi River. Kilifi is capital of the

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 and its largest town is Malindi. Kilifi county is one of the five counties that harbor the Kenyan Coast with 109k ...

and has a population of 122,899 (2009 census). Kilifi is known for its beach and for the

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

of Mnarani, including

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s and

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

s, dating from the 14th to the 17th century.

Geography and climate

Kilifi town sits on both sides of the estuary and are linked by the Kilifi Bridge which overlooks the estuary. The south side has the Mnarani ruins and Shauri Moyo beach while the north side is the main part of Kilifi Town and Bofa Beach. The weather is generally warm throughout the year (above 25 °C) with two seasons of moderate rainfall (about 800–1000 mm). Long periods of rain start around March and last into July, while the short periods start around October and last until December. The terrain is generally flat with sandy-loamy

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former ...

s. Common trees include ''Cocos nucifera'', ''Anacadium occidentale'', ''Azadirachta indica'', and ''Mangifera indica''.

Demographics

Kilifi is a cosmopolitan town with mixed ethnic groups. The predominant inhabitants (about 80%) are from the Mijikenda groups (mainly Giriama and Chonyi). Other groups include the Swahili-Arab descendants, Barawas, Bajunis, Somalis as well as other groups from inland. There is a handful of Indians, and Europeans, mainly British, German and Italian.

Economy

Like every coastal town, fishing in Kilifi is one of the historical economic activities. With time, the town has slowly been transforming from a fishing village to basic industrial and service. The growth of the town was mainly fuelled by the cashew nut milling factory between 1976 and 1990; the district has been a producer of cashews since 1930. The town almost became a ghost town when the factory was closed in 1990 due to decline in nuts supply, mismanagement of the factory and increased global competition. Other industrial activities include sisal farming at Kilifi Plantations. Since 2008 with the transformation of the Kilifi Institute of Agriculture into

Pwani University Pwani University is a public university in the Kilifi County in Kenya, located 60 km north of Mombasa in the resort town of Kilifi, within the larger Kilifi County. Prior to the award of a charter, the university was a constituent colleg ...

there has been substantial expansion of the service sector as a result of this. Banking activity has been growing with about 7 banks (KCB, Barclays, Postbank, Imperial, Equity, Co operative, Diamond Trust Bank and most recent National Bank) as well as microfinance institutions. Retail business and hotels have historically been significant economic activities. 3 to 4 star hotels include Mnarani Club, Kilifi Bay Beach Resort and Baobab Lodge.

Health

The Kilifi County Hospital, which is also a referral hospital, serves all of Kilifi County, and also supports the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, a large medical research centre collaborative between Kenya's KEMRI and the British

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

, known for its work on malaria and bacterial and viral childhood infections. Several other private clinics can be found here. The Khairat Medical Centre which was recently opened is equipped with modern laboratory, x-ray and scan machines with qualified personnel is situated in the Mtaani area of Sokoni Sb-Location opposite Masjid Hudaa.

Notable organizations

Kilifi is home to several notable organizations, including: *

: A university with undergraduate and graduate programs, specializing in Coastal, Marine and Fisheries science, in addition to Agriculture and Microbial Science * KEMRI-Wellcome Trust: A 25+ year partnership between KEMRI and

, doing medical research next to the Kilifi District Hospital (http://www.kemri-wellcome.org/)
Moving the Goalposts
A nonprofit organization founded in 2002, using football as a tool to empower girls and young women * KOMAZA: A social business growing trees with

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

farmers for sale as sustainable wood products *

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

* Plan International
Distant Relatives
A popular eco-lodge & restaurant, which hosts one of Kenya's larges
New Year's Eve parties
* K.E.D.A (Kilifi Education and Development Association) *

The Fred Hollows Foundation The Fred Hollows Foundation is a non-profit aid organisation based in Sydney, Australia, which was founded in 1992 by eye surgeon Fred Hollows. The foundation focuses on treating and preventing blindness and other vision problems. It operat ...

References

External links

Information Guide Mtwapa City Kilifi District

more about Kilifi
{{Authority control Swahili people Swahili city-states Swahili culture Populated places in Coast Province Populated coastal places in Kenya County capitals in Kenya Populated places in Kilifi County Ports and harbours of Kenya