Muranga District

Muranga (also spelled Murang'a) is one of the districts of Kenya's central province. Its capital town is Muranga. It is inhabited mainly by and is considered the home of the Kikuyu, the largest tribe in Kenya. The district has a population of 348,304 (1999 census). It is divided into four divisions: Kiharu (Muranga township), Kahuro, Kangema (Muguru) and Mathioya.

History

When missionaries first came to Kenya, they were prevented from settling on the coast by the Portuguese, who had taken the coastal area, strategic for trade, from Arab powers in the 16th century. The missionaries were forced to venture into Kenya's rugged interior, and Muranga was the one of the first place they settled.

When the British set up the East African Protectorate in 1895, their first administrative post, Fort George, was located in Muranga.

One on the main highlights of Muranga's history, however, is that as the Mau Mau uprising was led by the Kikuyu tribe and the Kikuyu consider Muranga their homeland, Muranga is considered by some as the birthplace of the Kenyan independence movement.