Namanga is a town divided by the

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

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

border. It is in

Longido District Longido is one of the six districts in the Arusha Region of Tanzania. The District covers an area of . It is bordered to the east by the Ngorongoro District, to the south west by the Monduli District and Southeast by the Arusha Rural District a ...

, Tanzania and

Kajiado County Kajiado County is a county in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. As of 2019, Kajiado county spanned an area of 21,292.7 km2, with a recorded population of 1,117,840. The county borders Nairobi and to its south it borders the Tanzan ...

, Kenya. It is around 110 kilometers from

Arusha Arusha City is a Tanzanian city and the regional capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District Council (2012 census). Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern bran ...

, Tanzania. Namanga's economy has been heavily dependent on tourism since 2004 as tourists visiting the nearby

Amboseli National Park Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is a national park in Kajiado South Constituency in Kajiado County, Kenya. The park is in size at the core of an ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The local ...

passed through the town from Nairobi (183 kilometers to the north). The town is surrounded by hills on both sides. Mount Kilimanjaro can be viewed from Namanga town which makes it a scenic place by tourists who lodge in Namanga on their way to either Tanzania or Amboseli. The nearby

Ol Doinyo Orok The Ol Donyo Orok mountain (in maasai language), also called Namanga Hills, is situated in southern Kenya next to the Tanzanian border in the Namanga Division. The mountain has a stretched triangular shape, almost like an arrow pointing north. T ...

mountain, also known as Namanga Hills is located northwest of Namanga town. Namanga's latitude is S 2°32'39.8" and longitude E 36°47'20.2". The town has an urban population of approximately 10,000 while the rural population is approximately 5,500.

Economic development

The economy of Namanga has been on the rise as it ceased to depend only on tourism. The town is currently dependent both on tourism and on import and export from both Kenya and Tanzania. With the opening of the East African Community borders, the town will benefit from market of both countries which according to the statistical bureau of Kenya will trigger a population growth of the town to an approximate of 30,000. With the recent investment by the financial institutions and the completion of the great north road, the town has grown economical especially in its infrastructure. This development has increased transport activities from the area as it triggered more importation of commodities from Tanzania to Kenya as it is assumed to be cheaper.

Population diversity

Namanga is a cosmopolitan town. Its population includes several tribes from all part of the country. Its main population is from the

Maasai Maasai may refer to: * Maasai people *Maasai language * Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) * Massai Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...

community who occupy most of the parts in Namanga. 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 ...

communities are second in majority. This was catalyzed by the intermarriage between the Maasai and the Kikuyu. The rest of the population is occupied by other ethnicity groups which include the

Kamba Kamba may refer to: *Kamba people The Kamba or Akamba (sometimes called Wakamba) people are a Bantu ethnic group who predominantly live in the area of Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and north to Embu, in the southern part of the f ...

, the Cushites who are

Somalis The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...

, Borana and many other more communities.1999 census
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References

External links

Directions to Namanga
{{Kenya-geo-stub Arusha Region Populated places in Kajiado County Kenya–Tanzania border crossings Divided cities