The Thika River flows through Kiambu County in central

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

and is a tributary of Tana River. The River forms a psychological boundary between the counties of Murang'a and Kiambu. The Thika River is a significant source of hydroelectric power in Kenya and provides most of the water supply for

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 ...

, Kenya's capital and largest city. The name ''Thika'' originates either from the Kikuyu language or from the

Maasai language Maasai (previously spelled ''Masai'') or Maa (; autonym: ''ɔl Maa'') is an Eastern Nilotic language spoken in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania by the Maasai people, numbering about 800,000. It is closely related to the other Maa varieties ...

. It may relate to the Kikuyu word ''guthika'', which means ''to bury''. It also resembles the Maasai word ''sika'', which means ''to rub something away from an edge''.

Course

The Thika River originates in the Aberdare Range. It flows to the Tana River, which empties into the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. A landmark along the river's course is Thika Falls, near the town of

Thika Thika Thika (pronounced �θika 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 ...

. Thika Falls has a drop of about 25 meters in a wilderness area within walking distance of the Blue Post Hotel, which is one of the oldest hotels in Kenya.

Ecology

During the early twentieth century colonial big game hunters noted hippopotamus and crocodiles along the deeper sections of the river. Baboons and leopards inhabited the forest near Thika Falls. Antelopes and zebras lived in the open country upriver from the falls. Rhinoceros, lions, and hyenas also resided in the area. Most of the game today relocated either upriver to the Aberdares forest or downriver due to pressure from increased human settlement along the river.

Water source

Eighty percent of the water supply for Nairobi, Kenya's capital city, comes from the Thika River. Deforestation and overgrazing along the river's heavily populated course have caused soil erosion problems. Sediments have reduced river flow, reservoir size, and water quality. Water quality has also deteriorated due to pesticide runoff.

Hydroelectricity

The Thika is part of the Tana basin, which is the most extensively engineered of Kenya's major arid watersheds. Hydroelectric power from the Thika River supplies a significant portion of Kenya's electricity. The first proposal for exploiting the Thika River's hydroelectric potential was put forward shortly after World War I by

Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquis of Marconi (; 25 April 187420 July 1937) was an Italians, Italian inventor and electrical engineering, electrical engineer, known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based Wireless telegrap ...

as a means for supplying power for a planned radio communications station in Nairobi. Marconi's plan was not implemented, but in 1994 the

Thika Dam The Thika dam is a 63 m high, 458 m crest length earthfill dam on the Thika River near Ndakaini, 50 km north of Nairobi, Kenya. The reservoir has a storage capacity of 70 million cubic meters and serves for drinking water supply. ...

was constructed with a resulting

water reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

of 70 million cubic meters. The Thika River also contributes to the

Masinga Reservoir Masinga Hydroelectric Power Station, also Masinga Dam, is an embankment dam on the Tana River, the longest river in Kenya. It straddles the border of Embu and Machakos Counties in Eastern Province and is located about 106 km. (66 mi. ...

, which serves the Seven Forks Dams. Taken together, three-quarters of Kenya's electrical supply derives from these dams.

References

External links

Panoramic photograph of Thika Falls
{{Coord missing, Kenya Rivers of Kenya