Karatina is a town in

Nyeri County Nyeri County is a county located in the central region of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Nyeri. It has a population of 759,164 and an area of 2361 km2. It is currently under the leadership of H.E. Governor Mutahi Kahiga. Other gove ...

, 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). It has six electoral wards, all in the

Mathira Constituency Mathira Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of six constituencies in Nyeri County. The constituency was established for the 1963 elections. Mathira is popularly known as Mathira ya Githomo (education). It has the most edu ...

; the remaining five wards of Mathira constituency represent Nyeri County Council.

Geography

Karatina is on the Nairobi – Nyeri highway, 25 kilometres southeast of Nyeri town and south 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 ...

. It is at an elevation of .

History

Karatina was a popular open air market before colonial period, barter trade took place under a muratina tree, hence the name Karatina. During World War II a dried vegetable factory was built in Karatina, providing the people with dried fruits. other people think the town's name came from the English name ' quarantine ' that locals pronounced as 'karantina'.

Health

There are two major hospitals in Karatina, the government-funded Karatina General Hospital and the private Jamii Hospital. In addition, PCEA TumuTumu Hospital is a few miles west of Karatina.

Economy

Karatina town hosts the largest open air market in Kenya and the People living in Karatina are known to be very active with most economic operations beginning at 4am and ending at 10pm. More than 90% are Kikuyus which form the largest tribe in Kenya. There are many auxiliary services and the town is rich in agricultural products are well. There is an ideal mix of urban and rural life. In 2017 one of the

Uchumi Supermarkets Uchumi Supermarkets, often referred to simply as Uchumi, is a Kenyan supermarket chain. The word means "economy" in Swahili. Overview Uchumi is headquartered in Kenya. , Uchumi is one of a number of Kenyan supermarket chains that serve Kenya, ...

branch got shut down in Karatina. In 2018, Maguna brand of supermarkets opened 2 Supermarkets within the town. The town also plays host to another supermarket; Maathai Supermarket. There is huge potential for agricultural based industries which is yet to be exploited. With the resumption of railway transport and the completion of Kenol-Marua super highway many investors are lining up to relocate to Karatina.

Schools and universities

*Kanyama Secondary School *

Karatina University Karatina University is a public university in the town of Karatina, in central Kenya. History Karatina University was founded in 2007 as a Moi University campus for central Kenya, called the Moi University Central Kenya Campus. Located about 1 ...

*Karatina DEB Primary School * Kirigu Primary School *Ruthagati High School Kirimara high school

References

{{Coord, -0.4817, 37.1251, display=title, region:KE-200_type:city Nyeri County Populated places in Central Province (Kenya)