The Central Province ( sw, Kati, ) was a region in central

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

until 2013, when Kenya's provinces were replaced by a system of counties. It covered an area of and was located to the north of

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

and west of

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is locat ...

(''see maps''). The province had 4,383,743 inhabitants according to the 2009 census. The provincial headquarters was Nyeri. Central Province was the ancestral home of the

Gikuyu people The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. The te ...

Climate

The climate of Central Province is generally cooler than that of the rest of Kenya, due to the region's higher altitude. Rainfall is fairly reliable, falling in two seasons, one from early March to May (the long rains) and a second during October and November (the short rains).

General information

Central Province is a key producer of coffee, one of Kenya's key exports. Much of Kenya's dairy industry is also based in this province. The provincial headquarters were in Nyeri. Central Province was divided into seven districts ( ''wilaya'at'') until 2007:Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and National Security

Counties

Districts after 2007

Several new districts (declared sub-counties in 2013) were created in 2007:

History

The province is inhabited by the Kikuyu speaking community almost exclusively. They are part of the Kenya Eastern Bantu. During Kenya's colonization by the British, much of the province was regarded as part of the '

White Highlands The White Highlands is an area in the central uplands of Kenya. It was traditionally the homeland of indigenous Central Kenyan communities up to the colonial period, when it became the centre of European settlement in Kenya, and between 1902 and 19 ...

', for the exclusive use of the European community. Therefore, it saw political activity from the local communities who felt that they had an ancestral right to the land. This tension culminated in the 1950s with the

Mau Mau rebellion The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', ...

; it saw the region placed under a state of emergency and the arrest of many prominent political leaders.

Climate

General information

Counties

Districts after 2007

History

Villages and settlements (A-J)

Villages and settlements (K)

Villages and settlements (L-Z)

References