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-