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Nakuru (nicknamed Nax) is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of
Nakuru County Nakuru County is a county in Kenya. It is county number 32 out of the 47 Kenyan counties. Nakuru County is a host to Kenya's Fourth City – Nakuru City. On 1 December 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded a City Charter status to Nakuru, ran ...
, and it is the fourth largest city in Kenya and the largest in the
Rift Valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges produced by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear ...
region. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570,674, making it the largest urban center in the Rift Valley, above
Eldoret Eldoret is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. Located in western Kenya and lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about at the Eldoret International Air ...
,
Uasin Gishu County Uasin Gishu County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Rift Valley Province. Eldoret city has the county's largest population centre as well as its administrative and commercial centre. It is bordered by Elgeyo-Marakwet to t ...
. The city lies along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway, from
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
, the
capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...
of Kenya.


History

Archaeological discoveries were located about from the Central Business District at
Hyrax Hill Hyrax Hill is a prehistoric site near Nakuru in the Rift Valley Province, Kenya, Rift Valley province of Kenya. It is a rocky spur roughly half a kilometer in length, with an elevation of 1,900 meters above sea level at its summit. The site was ...
. The city was incepted on 28 January 1904 when a local area one mile away from the railway station's main entrance was proclaimed to be a township by the British authorities. The name of the town was derived from the Maasai-speaking people of Kenya. During the colonial era, the British established Nakuru as part of the White Highlands and it became a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in 1952. After the founding of the Republic of Kenya, the first and second presidents of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta and
Daniel Arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...
respectively, had their semi-official residences. The city had been known for Kenyan politics and was home to politicians such as Kariuki Chotara, Kihika Kimani, Mirugi Kariuki, and Koigi Wamwere. During the 2007 post-election violence, dozens of buildings in Nakuru were burnt to the ground. On 3 June 2021, Nakuru was no longer a municipality after the Kenyan Senate voted that its status was adequate enough to be a city. Following the
Senate of Kenya The Senate of the Republic of Kenya ( swahili: ''Seneti ya Jamhuri ya Kenya)'' is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya, along with the National Assembly. The Senate was first established as part of Kenya's 1963 Constitution. Af ...
's approval in June, the President of the Republic of Kenya chartered Nakuru on 1 December 2021. It is the fourth urban centre in Kenya to be declared a city after
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
,
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 ...
, and
Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The ...
.


Geography

The city of Nakuru is situated in Nakuru County, Kenya. It lies 1,850 metres above sea level. Nakuru County holds four of the
Rift Valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges produced by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear ...
lakes, Lake Solai, Lake Nakuru,
Lake Elementaita Lake Elmenteita is a soda lake, in the Great Rift Valley, about 120 km northwest of Nairobi, Kenya. Geography Elmenteita is derived from the Maasai word , meaning "dust place", a reference to the dryness and dustiness of the area, esp ...
, and
Lake Naivasha Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya, outside the town of Naivasha in Nakuru County, which lies north west of Nairobi. It is situated in the Great Rift Valley. The name derives from the local Maasai name ''ɛnaɨpɔ́sha '', meaning ...
.


Cityscape


Climate

Nakuru has
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
and subtropical highland climates (known as Csb); temperatures fall significantly at night and between June and August.


Gardens

The Nyayo Gardens are located along Kenyatta Avenue in Nakuru.


Economy

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, manufacturing and tourism make up the economy of Nakuru. Around the city, it is widely known for its agricultural activity. The main crops grown include coffee, wheat,
barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...
, maize,
bean A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...
s, and potatoes. These crops are stored in great
silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...
s at the outskirts of the city, stored by the National Cereals and Produce Board and Lesiolo Grain Handlers Limited. The crops are the main sources for manufacturing industries found in Nakuru and Nairobi, such as flour milling and grain ginneries.
Dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...
supplies milk processing plants within Nakuru. Some manufacturing industries include the production of soaps, motorcycles, batteries, and gardening equipment. Nakuru is one of Kenya's largest hubs for retail supermarket chains with The Nakumatt, Naivas, Tuskys, and Gilanis being founded. The city is also a centre for various retail businesses that provide goods and services to the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. A large public market lies to the west of the town on the main thoroughfare to the capital, Nairobi.


Human resources


Education

Nakuru is the home of Egerton University and Kabarak University, a private university associated with former President Moi's business and religious interests. Mount Kenya University,
University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...
and Kenyatta University have campuses situated here. Nakuru contains numerous public and private secondary schools. Public schools include Nakuru Boys High School and Nakuru Girls High School (formerly Nakuru High School), Menengai High School, and Nakuru Day Secondary School. There is a public library run by the Kenya National Library Service.


Public health

The Nakuru hospital is one of the largest in the county, historically the biggest in the province of Rift Valley. It is also home to the Nakuru War Memorial Hospital, opened shortly after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
by Norman Jewell to commemorate troops.


Public safety


Police and law enforcement

Nakuru has a fire department that can be accessed by calling 911. The number can be called in case of any other emergencies.


Transportation

Train passing by Nakuru


Air

Nakuru is home to the Lanet Airstrip, later approved in 2017 to be upgraded to an international airport by the Ministry of Transport and the county government. Nakuru is also home to Kabarak Airstrip, located away from the city centre.


Road

Dondori Road C86 links the city to central Kenya. The Eldoret-Nairobi highway passes through this city, linking Uasin Gishu County with Nairobi.


Rail

The Rift Valley Railways narrow gauge track runs through the city with a railway station located on the edge of the CBD. It connects to cities Nairobi and Mombasa to the east, and Kisumu and Eldoret to the west.


Tourism

Two kilometres south of the town of Nakuru is Lake Nakuru, one of the Rift Valley soda lakes, which forms part of the Lake Nakuru National Park. The park was declared a rhinoceros sanctuary in 1983 a Ramsar site in 1990, and as an
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
in 2009. The park is internationally known for its dense
flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...
population. It is an important feeding site for
great white pelican The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or simply white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow ...
s that nest in nearby
Lake Elmenteita Lake Elmenteita is a soda lake, in the Great Rift Valley, about 120 km northwest of Nairobi, Kenya. Geography Elmenteita is derived from the Maasai word , meaning "dust place", a reference to the dryness and dustiness of the area, esp ...
. The park is home to over 450 species of birds and 56 mammal species, including Rothschild's giraffes. Another point of interest includes Menengai Crater, a
dormant volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often ...
. Small fumaroles and steam vents can regularly be observed within the forested
caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
from above. The second largest surviving volcanic crater in the world, it plunges 483 metres down from the rim, and the summit is accessible by walking or driving 8 kilometres to Nyahururu. The wood-covered crater ground is a nature reserve. Nakuru's closest tourist destinations are Lake Bogoria and
Lake Baringo Lake Baringo is, after Lake Turkana, the most northern of the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes, with a surface area of and an elevation of . The lake is fed by several rivers: the Molo River, Molo, Perkerra River, Perkerra and Ol Arabel. It has no obvio ...
in
Baringo County Baringo County is one of the 47 Counties of Kenya, counties in Kenya. It is located in the former Rift Valley Province. Its headquarters and largest town is Kabarnet. The county is home to Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria and Lake Kamnarok. Geographi ...
. The
Hyrax Hill Hyrax Hill is a prehistoric site near Nakuru in the Rift Valley Province, Kenya, Rift Valley province of Kenya. It is a rocky spur roughly half a kilometer in length, with an elevation of 1,900 meters above sea level at its summit. The site was ...
prehistoric site, discovered by the Leakeys in 1926, is considered a major
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
and
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
site. The adjoining museum features finds from various nearby excavations.


Culture and contemporary life


Sports

Afraha Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Nakuru, Kenya. It is mainly used for football matches, and it is the home stadium of Nakuru AllStars — part of the Kenyan Premier League — and Ulinzi Stars of the Kenyan Premier League. The stadium holds 8,200 people and opened in 1948. It is two kilometres from Lake Nakuru National Park. In addition to being used for playing sports, Afraha Stadium hosted political meetings, including the GEMA promoted change The Constitution Series held in the 1970s. The former ruling party KANU also held many prominent meetings during the presidency of
Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...
. The Rift Valley Sports Club lies in the centre of the city. The club was started in 1907 by European settlers who had settled in Nakuru in the early 1900s. A motor racing track, Nakuru Park (not to be confused with the Langa Langa circuit near Gilgil), operated in the Lake View Estate area from 1956 until the mid 1980s.


Demographics and surrounding towns

Nakuru is host to a diverse populace from across Kenya making it fit the description of a cosmopolitan city. The city consists predominantly of ethnic communities such as the
Kikuyu people The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group native to Central Province (Kenya), Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making t ...
, Kalenjin,
Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to: * Luhya people * Luhya language {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...
, Gusii, Luo, and people of Indian descent. Moreover, some settler families still live in the area today. However, the majority, about 70% of Nakuru's population is the Kikuyu community with the Kalenjin coming in second place. According to the 2019 Kenya Population Census, Nakuru had the third-largest urban population in Kenya. The diverse populace of Nakuru makes it a hub for entrepreneurship. It also gives it a blend of cultures underpinning the city's culture of hospitality and cuisine. Surrounding towns include the residential town Lanet, approximately from Nakuru. Njoro lies from Nakuru and is a small agricultural town with a local university aimed at promoting agricultural development 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. ...
, namely Egerton University established in 1934.


Government

Nakuru is the headquarters of Nakuru
County A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
. The current governor is Susan Kihika, and the Member of Parliament for the town is David Gikaria. The senator for Nakuru is Tabitha Karanja.


Sister cities

Nakuru is a
sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...
of
East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...
, United States.


See also

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Nakuru * Railway stations in Kenya *
Nakuru County Nakuru County is a county in Kenya. It is county number 32 out of the 47 Kenyan counties. Nakuru County is a host to Kenya's Fourth City – Nakuru City. On 1 December 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded a City Charter status to Nakuru, ran ...
* Lake Nakuru National Park * Menengai Forest


References


Bibliography

* (Includes articles about Nakuru)


External links


Official website

Nakuru Municipal Council
{{Authority control Populated places in Nakuru County Provincial capitals in Kenya County capitals in Kenya