32-501: Meru County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Eastern Province . It borders Isiolo County to the north, Tharaka-Nithi County to the South, Nyeri County to the southwest and Laikipia County to the west. Meru County has a population of 1.35 million people. It is home to the Meru people . The county headquarters are in Meru . The current governor of Meru County
64-788: A few. There are also technical schools, the Meru Technical Institute being the major one. There are also teacher training colleges, campuses of various universities including [[Mount Kenya University], Nairobi, among others. Its main universities are, Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST) and Kenya Methodist University, both of which have their main campus within and near Meru town. Some other institutions of higher learning in Meru town include: Meru County also has both public and private schools. However, some children are orphaned and vulnerable hence cannot access formal education. NGOs such as Ripples International campaigns for
96-429: A nice little golf course. 500 local girls were paid to cut the grass by plucking it out with their fingers. Next to the golf course stood a large, handsome log house, in which the door opened to reveal mud floors on which a large hat-stand stood gaunt and proud within a pool of water." As E.B. Horne was settling in Meru, Methodist leaders were seeking expansion. John B. Griffiths, a Welshman minister previously working at
128-405: A number of nominated members as is necessary to ensure that neither male nor female members constitute more than two-thirds of the assembly. There will also be six nominated members to represent marginalised groups (persons with disabilities, and the youth) and a county assembly speaker who will be an ex officio member of the assembly. Meru, Kenya Meru is a town in eastern Kenya . It
160-471: A separate election for the deputy governor but shall declare the running mate of the person who is elected county governor to have been elected as the deputy governor. Each county will be run by an executive committee, consisting of: Uniquely among democracies, Kenyan law requires governors to have a recognised university degree. The counties each have an assembly whose members are elected from single-member constituencies known as wards. There may also be
192-646: Is Kawira Mwangaza of the Kenya Kwanza coalition. Meru County is the 5th largest economy in Kenya with a GDP of $ 3.48B and $ 9.48B (PPP). Meru County is the leading county in agricultural production contributing 7.6% to Kenya's agricultural production. Agriculture is the main economic activity due to rich Volcanic soils in high altitude areas. Meru County is the leading County in Kenya by Horticultural production of Coffee, tea, French-beans and dairy products. Wholesale and retail trade also play an important role in
224-490: Is a total of 460 health facilities, 995 hospital beds and 73 cots in the county, staffed by 1325 health personnel. HIV prevalence rate was 2.9% in 2017, lower than the national rate of 5.9%. The county is covered by 1,260 km of road network. Of this, 767.5 km is covered by earth surface, 266.7 km is marram surface and 225.7 km of surface is covered by bitumen. During the rainy seasons, some sections of gravel and earth surface roads are impassable. The county
256-512: Is housed in Meru's first District Commissioner's Office, built by E. B. Horne. It preserves the historical and cultural artifacts of the Meru people . It is at Rutundu log cabins 20 Kilometre west of Meru City that Prince William proposed to the Duchess of Cambridge. The Meru side of Mt. Kenya National Park has tourist attractions of worth which include Vivvien Falls, Semwe Salt lick, Ithanguni , Lake Alice, Lake Ellis and Sacred Lake. Meru town
288-403: Is linked to Nairobi by a tarmac road named B6, from the south around the east side of Mount Kenya, via Embu, or from the northwest around the west and north side of Mount Kenya, via Nanyuki and Timau. An international airport is situated at Isiolo , 35 Kilometres away, via a new tarmac road through Ruiri. Within the town, the roads have seen a lot of improvement after the maintenance of urban roads
320-534: Is served by one airstrip; Gaitu airstrip in Meru Central. There are six post offices and four sub-post offices with 7,600 installed letter boxes, 5,937 rented letter boxes, and 1,663 vacant letter boxes with numerous registered stamp vendors in the county. The six post offices are located in Meru , Maua , Nkubu , Timau , Muthara and Laare . They offer mail services, parcel delivery and other services. Most private and public organizations have embraced ICT in
352-538: Is the Commercial capital of Northern and Eastern Kenya. It hosts a Central Bank of Kenya ’s Currency Centre serving the North Eastern Half of Kenya. Meru has 22 bank branches. Kenya's Banks, Equity, Postbank, Barclays, Standard Chartered Co-Operative, Diamond Trust, National Bank and Family Bank, CBA, Fina Bank, K-rep Bank, Eco-BAnk, CFC stanbic, NIC, Housing Finance, KCB, Bank of Baroda, have branches in
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#1732780636244384-465: Is the headquarters of the Meru County , and the seventh largest urban centre in the country. Meru urban centre had a population of 80,191 residents during the 2019 census. The town is located at 0.047035 degrees north and 37.649803 degrees east, on the northeast slopes of Mount Kenya . The Kathita River passes adjacent to the town. The main administrative part of the town is on the north side of
416-618: The 2010 Constitution of Kenya as the new units of devolved government . They replaced the previous provincial system . The establishment and executive powers of the counties is provided in Chapter Eleven of the Constitution on devolved government, the Constitution's Fourth Schedule and any other legislation passed by the Senate of Kenya concerning counties. The counties are also single-member constituencies which elect members of
448-699: The Kathita River . While the south side of the river is where residential areas are situated. Meru Town is situated about 8 km north of the equator , at an altitude of approximately 1500 m, in an area of mixed forest and clearings, small towns, villages and rural farms . The town is predominantly populated by the Ameru people , a Bantu ethnic group. In addition there are other people having different and diverse religions, cultures and all walks of life who live, trade and work in this agricultural and commercial town. Meru town's first District Commissioner
480-587: The general elections in March 2013 . The counties' names are set out in the First Schedule of the Constitution. Under the new constitution, Kenya is now divided into 47 counties for administrative purposes. They are grouped below according to the former province they were separated from, with their areas and populations as of the 2009 and the 2019 census: Abbreviations County governments are responsible for county legislation (outlined in article 185 of
512-413: The Constitution of Kenya), executive functions (outlined in article 183), functions outlined in the fourth schedule of the constitution of Kenya, functions transferred from the national government through article 187 of the constitution of Kenya, functions agreed upon with other counties under article 189(2) of the constitution of Kenya, and establishment and staffing of a public service (under article 235 of
544-486: The Constitution of Kenya). The functions of governments assigned to counties by the fourth schedule of the Constitution of Kenya are: Counties are mandated by the 2010 constitution of Kenya to enact legislation and laws that ensures management and controls of fire fighting. The county governor and the deputy county governor are the chief executive and deputy chief executive of the county, respectively. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission shall not conduct
576-686: The Kenya coast, petitioned the colonial government to grant the entire Embu region to the Methodists as an exclusive religious sphere. The request was denied because the government considered it unsafe. Griffiths then applied a second time, requesting that the comparatively "peaceful" Meru district be regarded as the exclusive sphere of the United Methodist church. In December 1909 the government agreed. Griffiths's party arrived at "Fort Meru" in October 1909, to be met by E. B. Horne who allotted
608-727: The Meru County Council and requested to be allotted land. Their request was granted and they were allotted 50 acres of land where they established the Methodist Training Institute in 1958. This institute grew over the years and merged with two other colleges to become The Kenya Methodist University. Meru has a cool subtropical highland climate (Csb) with heavy rainfall from March to May and from October to December. It has little rainfall in January and February and from June to September. The town of Meru
640-512: The Methodists a plot of land at Ka-Aga. This was then a spirit forest, known to the Meru as the “place of curse removers [Aga]”, less than two miles north east of his new administrative headquarters. Griffiths's subsequent report of his expedition described Meru as a land of "hills, valleys, and innumerable streams." He found it "unlike any other area in Africa: Its hills are covered with ferns, hedges are thick with blackberry bushes, and in
672-609: The Senate, and special woman members to the National Assembly . As of 2022, there were 47 counties whose size and boundaries were based on 1992 districts . Following the re-organization of Kenya's national administration, counties were integrated into a new national administration with the national government posting a county commissioner to each county to serve as a collaborative link with national government. County governments were established in all 47 counties after
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#1732780636244704-492: The committee to enter it”. In January 1912, Griffiths and Reverend Frank Mimmack occupied the allotted site and begun construction of the first buildings. They were later joined by Rev. Reginald T. Worthington. This site in Kaaga has grown to be Meru's Education Centre, with a National School, A leading school for students with special needs, two provincial schools and two Primary schools. In 1956, The Methodist Mission approached
736-704: The county's economy. It's the Leading County that produces Miraa (Khat) for export and hence boosting the economic national grid. Meru town is the largest and main financial hub of Meru County. Mount Kenya (now politically divided between Meru and other counties) has been influenced by the climate of the coast, especially the eastern slopes of the mountain with altitude ranges from 300m to 5,199m above sea level. Many rivers have their streams originating from Mount Kenya and Nyambene streams. Tana and Ewaso Nyiro Rivers are used for domestic and agricultural use. When Kenya replaced its provinces with counties, Meru County
768-445: The day-to-day operations. Private entrepreneurs have continued to set up cyber cafes in major towns and trading centers due to high demand for internet services among others. Most of the areas in the county are covered by mobile phone network with the coverage being 95 per cent. Areas without mobile network coverage are mainly areas of Tigania bordering Isiolo County. Most of the community members rely on radio, television and newspapers as
800-618: The major sources of information. In 1992, Meru District was split into Meru Central District, Meru North District , Meru South District , and Tharaka District In 1998, Tharaka District was again split into Nithi District and Tharaka District. A High Court decision in September 2009 ruled that the split had been unconstitutional, and the first two of these were re-amalgamated into Meru District, which became Meru County in 2010. Counties of Kenya The Counties of Kenya ( Swahili : Kaunti za Kenya ) are geographical units created by
832-422: The streams watercress abounds . . . [and] mosquitoes are unknown. . . . We have been toiling for fifty years in the sweltering climate of the coast, contending with tremendous difficulties, bitter disappointments and deaths. We have been for years meditating upon seeking another and better country in which our men can live and labor and reap. SIR, HERE IT IS. THE FUTURE OF OUR EAST AFRICAN MISSION LIES HERE. I implore
864-526: The town while several micro-finance institutions are also available. Mwalimu Cooperative Savings & Credit Society Limited , (Mwalimu Sacco), the largest Sacco in Kenya, maintains a branch in Meru. The town is the business and agricultural centre for north-eastern Kenya. Meru town is an educational centre for the northeast of Kenya. There are many primary and secondary schools, including the Meru Primary, Meru School, Kaaga Girls, Kaaga Boys just to name
896-489: Was Peter Munya , elected in the 2013 election . In the 2017 election , Kiraitu Murungi defeated Munya to become the second governor. The third and current governor, Kawira Mwangaza , was elected in the 2022 election . Murungi was elected in 2013 to be the senator from Meru County. When he ran for governor, Franklin Linturi was elected to the Senate. Florence Kajuju was the county's first woman representative . She
928-645: Was Edward Butler Horne. The Meru nicknamed him Kangangi, meaning the little wanderer due to his short stature and the fact that he traveled around Meru a lot as he surveyed the District. This was at a time when the Meru community lived a fairly settled life in ridge-top communities. The city's foundation in its present location was as a result of the military limitations of E. B. Horne's original camp at Mwitari's (homestead). In 1912, according to Madeleine Laverne Platts, wife of W. A. F. Platts, Meru's first Assistant District Commissioner: "Short [E. B.] Horne had laid out
960-977: Was created out of the Eastern Province . It covers a total area of 7,006 km out of which 972.3 km is gazetted as forest. Annual rainfall ranges between 300 mm annually in the lower midlands to 2500 mm in the southeast. Long rains fall from mid-March to May and short rains are present from October to December. As of the 2019 census, the county has a total population of 987,653 of which 489,691 are males, 497,942 females and 20 intersex persons. There are 244,669 households with an average household size of 4.0 persons per household. Religion in Meru County Meru County has nine sub counties, thirty five divisions, one hundred and sixty one locations and three hundred and eighty six sub-locations. It has nine constituencies and forty five county assembly wards. The first governor of Meru County
992-494: Was defeated in 2017 by Kawira Mwangaza . The Meru County Executive Committee comprises: Source There are 1,437 ECD centres, 1,030 primary schools and 372 secondary schools. The county has also 7 tertiary institutions, 6 special schools 7,483 adult education centres and 7 university campuses. Meru University of Science and Technology and Meru National Polytechnic are the largest education centers in Meru County. There
Meru County - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-561: Was transferred to the Kenya Urban Roads Authority , which in turn set up its Upper Eastern Regional Headquarters in Meru. Meru town is a jumping-off place for Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves and Lewa Conservancy , all some distance north of Meru, with Samburu and Buffalo Springs via Isiolo, and Meru National Park , to the northeast of Meru, via Maua in the Nyambene Hills. The Meru Museum
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