Athi River (town)

Last updated

Athi River
Mavoko
Athi River town.jpg
Photo of Athi River
Kenya adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Athi River
Location in Kenya
Coordinates: 1°27′S36°59′E / 1.450°S 36.983°E / -1.450; 36.983
CountryFlag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
County Machakos County
Area
[1]
  Total693 km2 (268 sq mi)
Population
 (2019) [2]
  Total81,302
  Density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+3 (EAT)
Climate Cwb
Website mavokomunicipal.or.ke

Athi River is a town outside Nairobi, Kenya in Machakos County. The town is named after the Athi River, which passes through. It is also known as Mavoko.

Contents

Athi River hosts the Mavoko Municipal Council and is the headquarters of Mavoko division, which is part of Machakos County. The town's population is 81,302 (2019 census), and it is still growing due to its proximity to the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi.

Metropolitan area

Athi River is part of the Greater Nairobi Metropolitan area.

History

Athi River, also known as Mavoko, was carved off the Nairobi County Council in 1963, when the latter was disbanded. Mavoko municipality has six wards (Athi River West, Katani, Kinanie/Mathani, Makadara, Muthwani and Sophia). All these wards belong to Mavoko constituency, which has a total of ten wards. The remaining four wards are within Masaku County Council. [3]

Industry

The town is relatively industrialised for Kenya. There are six cement factories located within the town: Bamburi Cement, Mombasa Cement, East Africa Portland Cement Company, Savannah Cement, National Cement and Athi River Mining.

The town is home to a chewing gum factory owned by the Wrigley Company.

There are also other notable companies within the town's outskirts such as Doshi Steel, Mabati Rolling Mills, Seed Co., Kapa Oil Refineries and Devki Steel.

Business

Athi River is ambient with sprouting businesses. Some of the most notable businesses include the Coloho Mall, Crystal Rivers Safaricom Mall, Trailink Logistics, and the Wattle Blossom Retreat Centre. Some of the factors influencing the rapid growth of businesses in the area include the increased real estate development in the region and the proximity to Nairobi City and mining companies.

Education

The Daystar University has a campus in the town.

Transport

Athi River has a railway station built in 1920 along the Uganda Railway, from Mombasa to Kisumu. There is also a new railway station on the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway.

Athi River is also linked to Nairobi via the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway (commonly known as Mombasa Road), a tarmacked dual carriageway, and to nearby Kitengela by Namanga Road, a tarmacked single carriageway. Residents of Athi River are served by Routes 110 and 120 to the Nairobi CBD.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nairobi</span> Capital and largest city of Kenya

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 had a population of 4,397,073 in the 2019 census. The city is commonly referred to as The Green City in the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitengela</span> Plain in Kenya, close to Nairobi

Kitengela is a municipality in the Kajiado County of Kenya, located 34 Kilometres south of the capital Nairobi, forming part of the greater Metropolitan Area. Kitengela begun as The Kitengela group ranch, made up of 18,292 ha and 214 registered members which was subdivided in 1988 in efforts by the Government to encourage private land ownership in pastoral systems, with the aim of intensifying and commercializing livestock production. After subdivision of the group ranch, land fragmentation and sales have continued at a steady and escalating pace. The human population within the Kitengela area has more than doubled in the last 10 years, from 6548 in 1989 to 17,347 in 1999 to 58,167 in 2009. There is also a town named Kitengela in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machakos</span> Municipality in Machakos County, Kenya

Machakos, also called Masaku, is a town in Machakos County, Kenya. Serving as the capital of the county, its urban population was 63,767 as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machakos County</span> County in Kenya

Machakos County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, which came into being because of the devolved system of governance occasioned by the 2010 constitution of Kenya. The country's first administrative headquarters are in Machakos Town, which is the largest town in the county. The county had a population of 1,421,932 as of 2019. The county borders Nairobi and Kiambu counties to the west, Embu to the north, Kitui to the east, Makueni to the south, Kajiado to the south west, and Muranga and Kirinyaga to the north west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local authorities of Kenya</span> Bodies controlling local governance in urban areas in Kenya

Local authorities in Kenya are the bodies controlling local governance in urban areas in Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migori</span>

Migori, also known as Suna-Migori, is a multi-ethnic municipal town which acts as the capital of Migori County, Kenya. The town is located 63 kilometers south of Kisii town and 22 km north of the Tanzanian border. The Migori Metropolitan area consists of Migori municipality and the adjacent smaller towns. The area has three constituencies, namely Suna East, Suna West and Uriri, with a total population of 393,012 according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics-sponsored national census of 2019. The neighboring town/constituency of Awendo has 96,872 and Kuria East (Sirare) has 117, 290. In 2010, The Star newspaper reported that the town (proper) had a population of approximately 100,000 people.

ARM Cement Limited, formerly Athi River Mining Limited, but commonly referred to as ARM is a mining and manufacturing company in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. The company is headquartered in Nairobi and its stock is listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange.

Konza is a small town in Machakos County, Kenya. It is located 70 kilometres (43 mi) south-east of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. Machakos town, the county capital, is located 35 kilometres northeast of Konza.

Railway stations in Kenya include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nairobi–Mombasa Road</span> Road in Kenya

Mombasa Road, also known as the Nairobi–Mombasa Road, or Mombasa–Nairobi Road or A109 Road (Kenya) is the main road between Nairobi, Kenya's capital and largest city and Mombasa, the country's largest port city. The road is a component of the Northern Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamulu</span> Neighbourhood in Nairobi

Kamulu is a neighbourhood in Nairobi City County, Kenya located 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Nairobi City Central Business District (CBD). It borders Joska, Matungulu to the east, Mwalimu Farm, Ruiru to the north, Njiru to the west, Ngelani City to the south and Mihang'o to the south west.

Kangundo is a town in Machakos County, Kenya. Kangundo is part of the extensive 4 county metropolitan area of Nairobi. It is classified as a twin sister to the town of Tala due to their close proximity.

Makindu is a town in Makueni County, Kenya.

Syokimau is a residential area in the west of Machakos County, Kenya, just south of Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sub-Counties of Kenya</span>

Sub-counties are the decentralised units through which county governments of Kenya will provide functions and services. Except for the parts which fall under urban areas, sub-counties will coincide with the constituencies created under article 89 of the Constitution of Kenya. Sub-counties will be headed by a sub-county administrator, appointed by a County Public Service Board.

The real estate sector in Kenya has seen a boom that began somewhere in the mid to late 2000s because the property market is responding to increased demand.

Utawala is a neighbourhood located along the border of Nairobi and Machakos counties. It is approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) southeast of the central business district of Nairobi.

National Cement Company Limited (NCCL), also National Cement Company Kenya Limited, is a cement manufacturer in Kenya. It is a subsidiary of the Devki Group of Companies, an industrial and manufacturing conglomerate, with headquarters in Kenya and operating subsidiaries in Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mombasa Cement Limited</span> Kenyan manufacturing company

Mombasa Cement Limited (MCL) is an industrial company in Kenya specializing in the manufacture of construction materials. The company maintains its headquarters in the city of Mombasa and has offices and warehouses in Nairobi, with manufacturing plants in Athi River in Machakos County and in Vipingo, in Kilifi County. According to its website, as of May 2022, MCL had installed production capacity of 3.3 million metric tonnes of cement annually. The privately owned business markets its products under the NYUMBA brand.

Imara Daima is a middle class neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi. It is approximately 8.2 kilometres (5.1 mi) south of the central business district of Nairobi. Located along the Nairobi expressway and Mombasa Road, the neighbourhood is well connected to transport infrastructure, it has a railway stop that connects to the city center, machakos county and other neighbourhoods. Imara Daima prides itself in having two magnificent malls Southfield mall and The Imaara mall - which is arguably the most beautiful mall in the whole country. Imara Daima is divided into 8 middle-class boroughs I.e Imara Daima Estate, Muimara Estate, Villa Franca Estate, Sunrise Estate, Imara Daima phase 2, AA Estate, Mastermind & Maziwa Area.

References

  1. "Boundry | Mavoko Municipal Council". Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  2. "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume II: Distribution of Population by Administrative Units". Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  3. Electoral Commission of Kenya: Registration centres by electoral area and constituency Archived 28 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine