Drive from Kitui to Meru

I come from Kitui and I have relatives and friends in the Meru region of Kenya. It is natural, therefore, that I have had occasion to use the roads that connect the towns of Kitui and Meru.

Our journey starts at Kitui Town which we will consider to be the kilometre 0 of our journey. One travels towards the junction with Garissa Road (i.e. the Thika-Mwingi-Garissa highway), going past markets and trading centres such as Kabati, Katutu, and Kathiani (not to be confused with Kathiiani in Machakos County).

At the Garissa Road junction you will turn left, travel for 4 kilometres, and encounter Kanyonyooni Market, which is 52 kilometres from Kitui Town. Here (to your right) is found the junction leading towards Embu Town.

35 kilometres along this road you come upon the Kindaruma Dam and the Kindaruma Hydroelectric Power Station that is built there. Apart from the dam (which you drive on top of) the other notable feature here is a number of notices warning passers-by not to take any photographs of the area. I don’t know why that is, but the best thing is to comply and move on to the little town of Kiritiri, 15 kilometres ahead.

The main economic activity in the Kiritiri area appears to be trade in miraa (khat) or muguka, or both. You get to see many Toyota Probox and Toyota Succeed vehicles parked around. It is these cars that are used to distribute the stimulant produce from here to various places. When driving from Kitui you will meet these vehicles being driven recklessly as they head to market destinations like Masii, Kitui, Mutomo, Ikutha, and so on.

3 kilometres from Kiritiri is the junction to Siakago Town, branching off to the right. As you travel straight ahead past the Siakago junction you come to the big town of Embu. This former provincial headquarters of the now-defunct Eastern Province of Kenya is now the administrative headquarters for Embu County. At Embu Town is a major junction, with the road to the left leading to Mwea and the Thika-Nyeri highway, and the road to the right leading towards Meru.

26 Kilometres after Embu is the little town of Runyenjes, which is part of Embu County. 

 A part of Runyenjes Town.

17 kilometres after Runyenjes is the bustling town of Chuka, one of the main urban centres of Tharaka-Nithi County. At Chuka you will find a major public service vehicle (PSV) terminus as well as the Chuka University. 

8 kilometres from Chuka you come upon the dreaded valley of the Nithi Bridge. The gorge, through which the road goes, is fairly steep, and will not fail to impress those who pass by there for the first time. Many people experience a little anxiety when driving through the valley; losing control and going over the bridge would definitely spell doom. 

After the Nithi crossing one goes past the market centre of Katharaka before getting to Chogoria, 9 kilometres from the Nithi Bridge. Chogoria is a busy town characterised by institutions such as the large Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) Chogoria Hospital, Chogoria Boys High School, and Chogoria Girls High School. The town also has a number of hotels, financial institutions, and a PSV terminus.

26 kilometres from Chogoria is the busy market town of Nkubu. Here, too, you will find a number of hotels and restaurants, financial service providers, and plenty of vegetable vendors, especially along the highway.

 

A guest house at Nkubu.

12 kilometres from Nkubu, and 230 kilometres from Kitui, is the big town of Meru. Located in a well-watered and agriculturally productive highland area, Meru Town serves as the administrative headquarters for Meru County. As opportunity arises we will discuss what goes on in Meru.

-The End-

Matuu

Matuu is a town in Machakos County, located about 120 kilometres from Nairobi and about 64 kilometres from Thika, on the Thika-Mwingi-Garissa Highway. Matuu Town is part of Yatta Division and Yatta Constituency in Machakos County.

From Thika Town, some of the towns and landmarks that one goes through to get to Matuu include:

• The Kilimambogo junction, leading to Tala Town, Kangundo Town, Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park, and the 14 Falls recreation site. The Kilimambogo junction is located about 20 kilometres from Thika.

• Ngoliba Market, found about 32 kilometres from Thika. Ngoliba is located in the pineapple-growing area east of Thika. 

• The massive National Youth Service (NYS) Yatta Field Station, located about 37 kilometres from Thika.

• The Kithimani Town junction, found 48 kilometres from Thika. The road from this junction leads through the Mwala area of Machakos to Makutano junction on the Machakos-Kitui road. The said road attracted plenty of political and media attention a few years ago when the entire length of 33 kilometres was tarmacked in 3 months by the County Government of Machakos at half the conventional cost.

Kithimani is a small town that serves as a government administrative centre, and has law courts, among other national government departments. ‘Kithimani’ is a Kamba word meaning ‘at the well’. It is not clear what well was being referred to when so-naming the town. The closest thing to a well that I have seen in the area is the Yatta Canal, about 5 kilometres from Kithimani, as you move towards Matuu.

The 48 kilometre canal, which supplies much of the water used in Matuu and the surrounding areas, was constructed by the British colonial government using the labour of Mau Mau prisoners of war in the 1950s. The furrow gets its water from Thika River, and runs across the Yatta region to join the Mwita Syano River, on the boundary of Machakos and Kitui counties.

• Sofia Town, found about 57 kilometres from Thika, and 7 kilometres from Matuu.

Although one may not realise it, Matuu Town is located on the Yatta Plateau, which runs from the region of Mwea down to Tsavo East National Park. This partly explains the black ‘cotton’ soils found in the area, akin to those at the Katangi Town area, which is also on the Yatta Plateau, further south. When driving on the Thika-Mwingi highway (also known as Garissa Road) one gets onto the Yatta Plateau somewhere between the little town of Sofia and Matuu.

Matuu Town has experienced rapid growth in the last 10 or so years. From a vast wilderness that only had one shop at Kenya's independence in 1963, it is now one of the largest urban centres in Machakos County. It is complete with hotels, petrol stations, schools, hospitals, churches, supermarkets, wholesale depots, hardware shops, a police station, a market, and a bustling bus terminus.

Matuu is predominantly inhabited by people of the Kamba ethnic community. Many of the inhabitants of Matuu came from surrounding areas of Ukambani such as Kangundo, and acquired land here.

From Matuu one can catch public transport buses and matatus to Nairobi, Thika, Mwingi, Kitui, Mwala, Katangi, Masinga, and Ekalakala, among other places. I remember taking a Nyayo Bus (now defunct) from Nairobi to Matuu in 1990, while still in high school, and paying a child fare of 15 Kenya Shillings. The adult fare then was 28 Kenya Shillings. Times have surely changed.

Construction of buildings in Matuu Town is done using building stone which is plentiful in the area, thanks to the nearby Kyasioni Quarries. Incidentally, kyasioni (pronounced 'chasioni') means 'quarry' in the Kamba language. 

One of the main streets of Matuu Town

A section of Matuu Town

Beyond Matuu is found Mwingi Town, about 47 kilometres along Garissa Road. Kitui Town is located about 66 kilometres from Matuu, but on the road leading to Kibwezi, which branches off from Garissa Road at a junction known as Kalandini, in the Kanyonyooni area, 18 kilometres from Matuu.

-The End-