Limuru

Limuru is a town in central Kenya. Current 2004 population is about 4800.It's the birthplace of famous African writer, Ngugi wa Thiongo.

Limuru is a town located on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley about 30 miles North-West from Nairobi the capital city of Kenya. Limuru residents rely mostly on farming and a shoe factory for employment. Early in the British colonial period (from the 1890s) Europeans settled in the area due to its proximity to Nairobi, the railway, its fertile land and pleasant weather. The tea plantations established around Limuru from 1903 onwards were the foundation of Kenya's largest export industry, which produces some of the world's highest quality tea. Limuru has a railway station on the Uganda Railway. The "Brackenhurst International Conference Centre", owned by Baptist mission, is located in Limuru. The Nest Children's Home - specializing in the care of children of imprisoned mothers - is located in Limuru. Limuru town grew with the railway, the tea industry (especially with major expansion from the 1920s), and the Bata shoe factory and head office.

The native language of Limuru is Kikuyu, with Swahili and English widely spoken.

Limuru is part of the Kiambu District.

Most of the area of Limuru is now what was previously known as "the white highlands", a rich agricultural land just south of the equator. The term "white highlands" derived from the British and other Europeans who realised the productive potential of this area and settled in large numbers with the support of the colonial government, establishing coffee and tea plantations, cereal farms and ranches. Altitude of the town is about 3000 meters. Limuru has a temperature of 28 °C (75 °F) year round.