Gilgil, Kenya

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The town of Gilgil, Kenya is north of Nairobi, between Naivasha and Nakuru (click map to enlarge)

Gilgil, Kenya is a town in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The town is located between Naivasha and Nakuru and along the Nairobi - Nakuru highway. Gilgil has a population of 18.805 (according to the 1999 census) [1]. Agriculture is the main local industry while Gilgil Telecommunications Industries is a notable employer.

Gilgil is also the center of the Gilgil Division in Nakuru District.

During the 1920s - 1940s, some members of the Happy Valley set lived in Gilgil. In the 1940s it also contained a British internment camp for Irgun and Lehi members.^[1]

Gilgil Telkom Industries is now closed down as it was sold by the government. The biggest employer in the town remains the Ministry of defense as the town hosts two major barracks, the Gilgil barracks located about 2 km on the old Nakuru road and the Kenyatta Barracks which is also located about 2 km along the main Gilgil Nyahururu road. There are a few industries within the outskirts of the town, namely the Gilgil Diatomite Industries which is located further to the west along the Gilgil Nakuru main road, the industry mines diatomite which is used for various industrial purposes. The other industry is the Ndume Farm Machineries, which manufactures farm equipment;the industry is famous for its maize milling machines and ploughs.