Geographic Location and Size
Kimende town is the administrative headquarter of Lari Sub-County which is located in the Western part of Kiambu County.
The town lies between Latitudes 36°37'50.21"E and 36°37'51.63"E, and Longitudes °58'53.10"S and 0°59'2.69"S at an elevation of about 2,450 metres above sea level.
It is found only 50Km North West of Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, 100Km Southeast of Nakuru Town (a Rift Valley regional hub), and 500Km from Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa all along the A104 Nairobi-Malaba International Trunk Highway to Uganda.
The town is a slow-growing administrative and economic township despite its close proximity to Nairobi City and having a rich surrounding agricultural hinterland.
It is also a “dormitory” town within the larger Nairobi Metropolitan Region as some business people in Nairobi City reside in KimendeTown and make daily commutes to Nairobi for work.
Historical Development of the Town
During the 19th century Lari was a back-up grazing ground for the Maasai Community. Due to its cold nature, the area used to be green throughout the year.
The Maasai community used to frequently graze in the lands during the dry seasons at the base of the Rift Valley.
Kimende developed as an administrative town for Lari district, as it served as an administrative town for the British during the Mau-mau war.
Lari Massacre
Lari Massacre is also referred to as ‘The Night of the Long Knives’. The event happened in March 1953 where Mau Mau combatants attacked and killed about 100 colonial administration loyalists in this area.
Among those Killed were Chief Luka and 97 other loyalists who were murdered on 26 March 1953. Among the victims were 13 of Chief Luka’s immediate family members. What followed was more bloodshed as the British administrators hunted Mau Mau in the area.
Kereita Forest in Kimende, bears the distinction of being the site of mass graves where over 5000 victims of revenge attacks on the local population by the British colonial administration were buried. That is how Kimende town came to be.
Zip lining at Kereita forest
Kimende town is the administrative headquarter of Lari Sub-County which is located in the Western part of Kiambu County.
The town lies between Latitudes 36°37'50.21"E and 36°37'51.63"E, and Longitudes °58'53.10"S and 0°59'2.69"S at an elevation of about 2,450 metres above sea level.
It is found only 50Km North West of Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, 100Km Southeast of Nakuru Town (a Rift Valley regional hub), and 500Km from Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa all along the A104 Nairobi-Malaba International Trunk Highway to Uganda.
The town is a slow-growing administrative and economic township despite its close proximity to Nairobi City and having a rich surrounding agricultural hinterland.
It is also a “dormitory” town within the larger Nairobi Metropolitan Region as some business people in Nairobi City reside in KimendeTown and make daily commutes to Nairobi for work.
Historical Development of the Town
During the 19th century Lari was a back-up grazing ground for the Maasai Community. Due to its cold nature, the area used to be green throughout the year.
The Maasai community used to frequently graze in the lands during the dry seasons at the base of the Rift Valley.
Kimende developed as an administrative town for Lari district, as it served as an administrative town for the British during the Mau-mau war.
Lari Massacre
Lari Massacre is also referred to as ‘The Night of the Long Knives’. The event happened in March 1953 where Mau Mau combatants attacked and killed about 100 colonial administration loyalists in this area.
Among those Killed were Chief Luka and 97 other loyalists who were murdered on 26 March 1953. Among the victims were 13 of Chief Luka’s immediate family members. What followed was more bloodshed as the British administrators hunted Mau Mau in the area.
Kereita Forest in Kimende, bears the distinction of being the site of mass graves where over 5000 victims of revenge attacks on the local population by the British colonial administration were buried. That is how Kimende town came to be.
