Kasarani is a commercial and
residential
A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...
neighbourhood in
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 ...
. Kasarani is also used in reference to the city's
sub-county with the
same name, which spans through neighbourhoods in the northeastern areas of Nairobi. Located within the larger Kasarani area, the Kasarani enclave is approximately northeast of Nairobi's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
off
Thika Road
Thika Thika (pronounced ˆÎ¸ika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town is ...
.
Location
The Kasarani neighbourhood is located along the
Thika Road
Thika Thika (pronounced ˆÎ¸ika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town is ...
, approximately , by road, northeast of Nairobi's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
.
However, the greater
Kasarani area has other suburbs domiciled within it. The area shares common boundaries with what was Kasarani Division prior to 2013. Areas that are electorally placed in
Roysambu,
Ruaraka, part of
Kasarani
Kasarani is a commercial and residential neighbourhood in Nairobi. Kasarani is also used in reference to the city's sub-county with the same name, which spans through neighbourhoods in the northeastern areas of Nairobi. Located within the larg ...
, and part of
Emabakasi North constituencies are within the Kasarani Sub-county 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 ...
.
Naming
It is thought that the name Kasarani originated from a river that flows through the area which has the
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
* Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...
name "Gathara-ini" River.
Sports
Kasarani is home to the
Moi International Sports Centre
The Moi International Sports Centre (abbreviated as MISC) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kasarani, Kenya. It was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. The facilities include a 60,000 seat arena with a running track and a pitch u ...
(Alias.
Kasarani Stadium
The Moi International Sports Centre (abbreviated as MISC) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kasarani, Kenya. It was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. The facilities include a 60,000 seat arena with a running track and a pitch u ...
), named after former President
Daniel arap Moi
Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He was the country's longest-serving president. Moi previously served as the third vice ...
. The sports complex has a stadium, gymnasium, swimming pool and hotel. The stadium is used by the
Harambee Stars
The Kenya national football team represents Kenya in international football. It is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation, the governing body football in Kenya, and competes as a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) an ...
for international matches, and is the home stadium of
Mathare United
Mathare United Football Club is a professional association football club, based in Nairobi, Kenya. They currently compete in the Kenyan Premier League, the top tier of the Kenyan football league system, and won their first league title during the ...
and
Tusker F.C.
The Tusker Football Club is a professional football club based in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the second most successful club in Kenya with thirteen Kenyan league championships. They also have four Kenyan cup titles. In addition, it has won four East ...
of the
Kenyan Premier League
The Kenyan Premier League (KPL), officially known as the FKF Premier League and as the BetKing Premier League (BPL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Kenya. Standing at the top of the Kenyan ...
.
The indoor arena is used for volleyball, and is the home venue for the
Kenya women's national volleyball team.
Notable landmarks
Kasarani is home to the
USIU Africa and
Pan African Christian University campuses. Kasarani Technical and Vocational College in Kamulu,
Ruai
Ruai is a neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi. It is approximately east of the central business district. It is one of the areas located in the far east of Nairobi after Kamulu.
Location
Ruai is located approximately east of Nairobi's ...
. The Sportview Hotel and Safari Park Hotel are also here. The area also has the Garden City, and Thika Road malls shopping complexes off the
Thika Road
Thika Thika (pronounced ˆÎ¸ika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town is ...
highway.
Notable businesses
Kasarani is served by several shopping mails such as Mountain Mall, Thika Road Mall and Garden City. Kasarani Portal, an enterprise listing businesses in Kasarani is located in Seasons Estate.
See also
*
Githurai
Githurai is a composition of densely populated, urban, mixed-use settlements located at the border of Nairobi County and Kiambu County along the Thika superhighway. Githurai is divided into two; Githurai 45 (also known as Githurai Kimbo) and Githu ...
*
Kahawa
Kahawa is a suburb settlement spanning the Kiambu County and Nairobi County borders along Thika Road. It is administratively divided into four wards across the two counties: Kahawa and Kahawa West wards in Nairobi county and Kahawa Wendani and Kah ...
*
Dandora Dandora is a slum in Nairobi. It is part of the Embakasi division. Surrounding neighbourhoods include other slums such Kariobangi, Baba Dogo, Gitare Marigo and Korogocho. Dandora was established in 1977, with partial financing by the World Bank in ...
*
Ongata Rongai
Ongata Rongai (also known as Ronga in local slang) is a town located in Kajiado North, Kajiado County, Kenya. The town is situated south of the Nairobi CBD and East of the Ngong hills and within the greater Nairobi Metropolitan Region. It li ...
References
External links
Website of USIU Africa
{{nairobi, state=collapsed
Suburbs of Nairobi
Populated places in Kenya
Nairobi