Runyenjes is the second largest town in

Embu County Embu County is a county of Kenya. The capital of Embu County and the former Eastern province headquarters, Embu is a large and largely metropolitan area with a population of 608,599 persons. The county borders Kirinyaga to the west, Kitui to ...

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

. It is located about 150 km from Nairobi, and 75 km from Mount Kenya, at an altitude of 1500m.The population is estimated at 58,000 people, the majority of which are of the

Embu People The Embu are a Bantu people inhabiting Embu county in Kenya. They speak the Embu language as a mother tongue. To the south of Embu are to be found their cousins, the Mbeere people. In essence Embu county encompasses the ethnic Kî embu dialec ...

who speak

Kiembu Embu, also known as Kîembu, is a Bantu language of Kenya. It is spoken by the Embu people, also known as the Aembu (sg. Muembu). Speakers of the Embu language can also be found in neighboring districts/counties and in the diaspora. The languag ...

, a

Bantu language The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages. The t ...

, as well as Kiswahili and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, the two official languages in

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

. The area offers scenic views, with densely wooded hills, gentle valleys, flowing streams and rivers, waterfalls, as well as small-scale farms. Runyenjes Law Court Building

Etymology

Runyenjes derives its name from a popular Chief Runyenje of the colonial era who ruled from Thuci River to Sagana.

Geography

Runyenjes is located at an altitude of 1495.62 m (4906.89 ft) and lies on the windward side of Mt. Kenya. It is about 150 km from

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 ...

city and about 25 km from Embu town along the Nairobi-Meru-Isiolo road. The road from Runyenjes to Nairobi is tarmacked and well-maintained. A drive along this road from Runyenjes town towards

Embu Embu may refer to: Places ; in Brazil * Embu das Artes * Embu-Guaçu ; in Kenya * Embu, Kenya * Embu County Other * Embu people of Kenya *Embu language Embu, also known as Kîembu, is a Bantu language of Kenya. It is spoken by the Embu peopl ...

offers scenic views of the Karue and

Kirimiri {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Kîrîmîri Forest Is an area dominated by tree vegetation in the Mukuuri locality of Runyenjes, Embu, in the country of Kenya. It is recognised as an Ecologically Sensitive Site in Africa by t ...

hills, nearby waterfalls and, on a clear sky, a great view of Mt. Kenya. The section of this road from Runyenjes town to

Meru Meru may refer to: Geography Kenya * Meru, Kenya, a city in Meru County, Kenya ** Meru County, created by the merger of *** Meru Central District *** Meru North District *** Meru South District * Meru National Park, a Kenyan wildlife park Tanza ...

town via Chuka town is also quite scenic offering views ranging from densely wooded hills, gentle valleys, flowing streams and rivers, as well as, tea and coffee small-scale farms. According to Google maps, you can walk non-stop from Runyenjes town to the top of Mt. Kenya in approximately 18 hr 31 min, a distance of about 74 km. Towns surrounding or nearby Runyenjes include Kianjokoma,

Karurumo Karurumo is a settlement in Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = ...

Kigumo Kigumo is a village in Muranga County, Kenya. Kigumo is located 15 kilometres west of Maragua town and 30 kilometres south of Othaya. Kandara, a small town, is located 10 kilometres south of Kigumo. Kigumo village is located between two other vil ...

, Kathageri, Mukuuri,

Kanja Kanja is a small settlement in Embu County in Kenya's Eastern Province (Kenya), Eastern Province, at about 1,785 metres above sea level. It falls under the Runyenjes Constituency, one of four electoral constituencies in Embu County, and specifi ...

Mufu Mufu (), a secretariat,Spector, Stanley (1964). Li Hung-chang and the Huai Army. Seattle: University of Washington Press. LCCN 64-11052. p. 19 was a system for hiring able advisers, the muliao (), by the imperial Chinese provincial officials. It dat ...

, Rukuriri, Ena,

Gichiche Gichiche is a settlement in Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = ...

, Kathanjuri, Kyeni, Makutano, Kiaragana and Nthagaiya.

Demographics

The population of Runyenjes is estimated to be 58,000 people, majority of which are of the

heritage and speak

, a

, as well as Kiswahili and

, the two official languages in

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

Government

Runyenjes serves as constituency and municipality.

Religion

Similar to the rest of Embu county, most of the residents identify as Christians. There are several major Christian denominations churches located in or around the municipality, including but not limited to, the Anglican Church of Kenya, The Roman Catholic Church of Kenya, SDA Church and the Salvation Army Church. Well known church buildings include ACK St. Philips Rukuriri, St. Joseph Mukasa Catholic Church Mbiruri among many others.

References

{{coord, 0, 25, S, 37, 34, E, display=title, region:KE_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Embu County Populated places in Kenya