Mariakani is a town in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

lying on the boundary of Kaloleni and Kinango subcounties (formerly Kilifi and Kwale respectively) in the former

Coast Province The Coast Province () was one of Kenya's eight provinces prior to 2010. It covered the entire country's coastline on the Indian Ocean. Its capital city was Mombasa. It was inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili peoples, among others. The provin ...

, 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 British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Origin

The origin of the centre is set in the 15th Century during the long-distance trade.

Kamba Kamba may refer to: *Kamba African Rainforest Experiences, a collection of eco-luxury lodges in the Republic of Congo *Kamba people of Kenya *Bena-Kamba, a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo *Khampa, also spelled Kamba, Tibetan peop ...

traders threw away their weaponry at this spot as a peace sign when approaching

as the

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

of that time did not allow traders to enter the island with any kind of weaponry. Therefore, the area became known as "Mathyakani" which translates to "the place of quivers". "Thyaka" is the Kamba word for quiver.

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 Bantu peoples ethnic group who predominantly live in Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and northwards to Embu, Kenya, Embu, in the southern part of the Eastern Province, Kenya, f ...

. 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

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 Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populo ...

. Central Mariakani is located in Mariakani

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

of Kaloleni division of Kilifi district.Kaloleni constituency: CDF allocation by sector and location (2003-6)
/ref> 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 agai ...

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

Garissa Garissa ( Arabic: قارسا) is the capital of Garissa County, Kenya. It is situated in the former North Eastern Province. Geography The Tana River, which rises in Mount Kenya east of Nyeri, flows through Garissa. The Bour-Algi Giraffe ...

Transport

Mariakani has a station on the

Kenyan Railway The Demographics of Kenya is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics. Kenya is a multi-ethnic state in East Africa. Its total population was at 47,558,296 as of the 2019 census. A national census was conducted in 1999, although t ...

system. Mariakani also benefits from motorcycles popularly known as ‘Boda Boda’ motorcycle owners charge a fee to transport passengers from one place to another.

References

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

Origin

Administration during colonial period

Today

Transport

See also

References