Taveta is a town in the Taita-Taveta County,

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Location

Taveta town is wedged into a projection of Kenyan territory bordered on the north and west by

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. The town lies at the border with Tanzania, directly across from the town of Holili. This is approximately , by road, west of Voi, the nearest large town, on the Arusha–Holili–Taveta–Voi Road. This lies approximately , by road southeast of

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, the capital and largest city in Kenya. The coordinates of the town are:3°23'44.0"S, 37°40'34.0"E (Latitude:-3.395565; Longitude:37.676113). In addition to

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

, Taveta also enjoys proximity to Lake Chala, a volcanic freshwater lake of extraordinary depth.

First World War

In 1914, Taveta was the scene of the first military action in

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

between forces of the British and German empires. On 15 August, a German force of about 300

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

, led by Captain

Tom von Prince Tom von Prince (9 January 1866 – 4 November 1914) was a Germans, German military officer and plantation owner in German East Africa. He most notably, as a captain in the Schutztruppe, led the first action by German forces in East Africa during ...

, advanced across the border and seized the town of Taveta. The objective was both to strengthen the defence of

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; ) was a German colonial empire, German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Portugu ...

and to provide a base for attacks into British territory, especially on the

Uganda Railway The Uganda Railway was a metre-gauge railway system and former British state-owned railway company. The line linked the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. After a series of mergers and splits, the lin ...

. Corporal Murimu Mwiti, leading the small group of police that were defending Taveta, stood his ground and was killed by the advancing German forces. A German officer, Friedrich Broeker, was also shot before the British force retreated. Taveta remained in German hands until it was recaptured by the British in March 1916.

Overview

Taveta thrives as a point of commerce between

and

, with a twice-weekly open - air market especially large for a town of its size. The market is fueled in part by Taveta's rail connection through Voi with the

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

line, built during the era of

British Kenya British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. Large numbers of people walk across the border from

to buy and sell wares in Taveta; smuggled goods such as Tanzanian

rubies Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphi ...

and

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

are occasionally available there. Taveta Town is a fast-growing town. The Town Council of Taveta has acquired a former sisal plantation for town expansion. All government border offices are located some , west of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...

of the town, towards the border with Tanzania. The Holili/Taveta customs and immigration post is a One Stop Border Post. The current (2024) Member of Parliament for Taveta Constituency, which is largely the district and by extension the town, is Hon. John Okano Bwire. She is a third term Member of Parliament. At one time, Taveta has had several Members of Parliament from different tribes, namely Mwacharo Kubo a taita, Norman Lukindo a kamba, Jackson Mwalulu a kamba, Alex Dingiria, Othinel Mnene, Naomi Shaaban, all Tavetas, and even a Kenyan of Greek origin, Basil Criticos.

Population

, the urban center had a population of 22,018. The main ethnicities in Taveta are the Taveta and

Kamba Kamba may refer to: *Kamba African Rainforest Experiences, a collection of eco-luxury lodges in the Republic of Congo *Kamba people of Kenya *Bena-Kamba, a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo *Khampa, also spelled Kamba, Tibetan peop ...

tribes.

References

External links