Karatina is a town in Central Province, Kenya. It hosts a municipal council and the headquarters of Mathira East district. Karatina municipality has a total population of 6,852, all classified as urban (1999 census[1]). Karatina municipality has six electoral wards, all falling in the Mathira Constituency. The remaining five wards of Mathira constituency represent Nyeri County Council[2].
Karatina is on the Nairobi – Nyeri highway, 20 kilometres southeast of Nyeri town and south of Mount Kenya. Karatina is at an elevation of 1868 metres. Karatina is famous for its fresh fruit and vegetable market which operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with Saturdays being the busiest day.
Karatina also boasts a university college that is part of Moi University. the college is located 14 kilometers from the Nairobi-Nyeri highway on the slopes of Mount Kenya. There are two major hospitals in Karatina, the government funded Karatina General Hospital and Jamii Hospital. In addition, PCEA TumuTumu Hospital[1] is a few miles west of Karatina.
Contents |
The name Karatina is a diminutive term for Muratina - the name of a squash/courgette tree. The town was founded before the British Colonization of Kenya by Gikuyu women who used to trade their crafts and food under a courgette (muratina) tree. Women would direct each other on where to sell or buy merchandise under the Karatina.
Mathira means harvest for me. Women from the area would be heard in the market sending each other to harvest something from their farms. The British would hear "Mathira (this and that)" and they thought that was the name of the place.
Like many areas around Mount Kenya, Karatina was a hot-bed of the Mau Mau independence struggle. Many Karatina residents have real-life memories and have passed on the history of the sufferings meted upon the society during the independence struggle. Being close to the Mount Kenya, the Mau Mau fighters would leave the forests and come to find food in the villages created by the colonialists and many residents will vividly tell of the tricks they used to feed the Mau Mau. Most of the elderly men from this locality were in detention during the Mau Mau reprisals as the authorities feared they would rebel.
Dedan Kimathi, the Mau Mau leader, came from Aguthi, less than fifteen miles from Karatina. To best understand the resistance to colonial rule, find out directly from Karatina people. Watch the "End of the Empire" documentary. Read Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya," by Caroline Elkins[3] Regardless, Karatina had its own share of Colonial collaborators. The sons of colonial chiefs were the beneficiaries of the first independence Kenya Government as was so in the rest of the country.
The town lies on a plateau directly below the southern side of Mount Kenya. It is fed by radially flowing streams running from Mount Kenya towards the lower slopes of the mountain that are marked by the river Tana, the longest river in Kenya. There are many beautiful inter-locking spurs, rapids and caves in the streams in this area. The sky-line is intercepted by hills and steep slopes.
River Tana originates from Mount Kenya and meanders through several districts in Central and Eastern emptying its waters into the Indian Ocean. Its waters have been harnessed for the Kindaruma Hydro-Electricity Power Station downstream. Its waters hosts numerous tropical marine fauna and varied ecosystem ending in a delta at the coast.
You are likely to see some of the most beautiful small scale tea, coffee, dairy and horticultural farms around Karatina. The area has some of the best view points of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges.
Nyeri Town and the cemetery of Scout movement; the Tree Tops and Arks Game Viewing are all less than half an hour to the west of Karatina. Mount Kenya Safari Club is less than fifty miles from Karatina. Karatina is only one and half hours away from Nairobi City.
Basically, a farming community with one of the most educated population across the gender population in the country. It has generally some of the stable well established community built primary and Secondary schools. Tumu Tumu and Bishop Gatimu Girls Schools that are well reputed in the country. All Boys High Schools including the most reputed were all community developed through the Harambee movement. Harambee means pull-together resources.
PCEA and Catholicism Christianity are the religious faiths but it is also the home of a very strong African Independent Church. Anticoch Independent Baptist Churches also have a great presence with their Headquarters in Karatina.
Languages spoken are predominantly Kikuyu, Swahili and English. Even in the most rural areas any of these languages will work because the average person on the farm has been at least to primary (elementary) school.
Commuters use car, bicycle, motorbike and foot even though there is a rail service from the City and Nanyuki Town. It is a slopey area with some areas at almost 80 degrees gradient.
This was the largest open market in Africa South of the Sahara i.e. in sub-Saharan Africa. The market has been brought down and is currently being renovated.
In April 2009 over 20 people died at Mathira Massacre between the mungiki sect and local residents in Karatina[4].
Karatina University College which was established and launched in 2007 is located 15km North of Karatina Town and boasts the spectacular view of the snow capped peaks of Mount Kenya. The serene, cool and green environment makes it conducive for academic work.
Karatina University College offers a range of market driven degree, diploma and certificate programmes. Its runs daytime as well as evening classes in Karatina Town. It is a constituent college of Moi University.
Karatina University College as currently constituted, replaced KTDA Kagochi Training Institute which was first built in the early 1960s to train tea farmers and managers. The institute was upgraded in 1998-2001 by construction of modern infrastructure aimed at training senior KTDA staff.