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Nakuru, sometimes referred to as Nakuru City, is the capital city of Nakuru County, Kenya. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570,674. The city lies along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway, from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. In December 2021, Nakuru City became the fourth urban area in Kenya to be assigned the status of "city".
By virtue of being within Nakuru County, the city is variously considered to be part of either the Mount Kenya region or the Great Rift Valley region, although neither region is an official administrative nor governmental subdivision of Kenya. Nakuru City is the largest urban area (by population) of both the Mount Kenya region and the Great Rift Valley region.
The city was incepted on 28 January 1904 when a local area one mile away from the railway station's main entrance was proclaimed to be a township by the British authorities. (1980). 9780237505608, Evans Bros. ISBN 9780237505608 The name of the town was derived from the Maasai language-speaking people of Kenya.
During the colonial era, the British established Nakuru as part of the White Highlands and it became a municipality in 1952.
After the founding of the Republic of Kenya, the first and second presidents of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi respectively, had their semi-official residences. The city had been known for Kenyan politics and was home to politicians such as Kariuki Chotara, Kihika Kimani, Mirugi Kariuki, and Koigi Wamwere.
During the 2007 post-election violence, dozens of buildings in Nakuru were burnt to the ground.
On 3 June 2021, Nakuru was no longer a municipality after the Kenyan Senate voted that its status was adequate enough to be a city. Following the Senate of Kenya's approval in June, the President of the Republic of Kenya Charter Nakuru on 1 December 2021. It is the fourth urban centre in Kenya to be declared a city after Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu.
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The city of Nakuru is situated in Nakuru County, Kenya. It lies 1,850 metres above sea level.
Nakuru County holds four of the Rift Valley lakes, Lake Solai, Lake Nakuru, Lake Elementaita, and Lake Naivasha.
Some manufacturing industries include the production of soaps, motorcycles, batteries, and gardening equipment.
Nakuru is one of Kenya's largest hubs for retail supermarket chains with The Nakumatt, Naivas Limited, Tuskys, and Gilanis being founded.
The city is also a centre for various retail businesses that provide goods and services to the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. A large public market lies to the west of the town on the main thoroughfare to the capital, Nairobi.
Nakuru contains numerous public and private secondary schools. Public schools include Nakuru Boys High School and Nakuru Girls High School (formerly Nakuru High School), Menengai High School, and Nakuru Day Secondary School. There is a public library run by the Kenya National Library Service.
Nakuru is also home to Kabarak Airstrip, located away from the city centre.
Another point of interest includes Menengai Crater, a dormant volcano. Small and steam vents can regularly be observed within the forested caldera from above. The second largest surviving volcanic crater in the world, it plunges 483 metres down from the rim, and the summit is accessible by walking or driving 8 kilometres to Nyahururu. The wood-covered crater ground is a nature reserve.
Nakuru's closest tourist destinations are Lake Bogoria and Lake Baringo in Baringo County.
The Hyrax Hill prehistoric site, discovered by the Leakeys in 1926, is considered a major Neolithic and Iron Age site. The adjoining museum features finds from various nearby excavations.
The Rift Valley Sports Club lies in the centre of the city. The club was started in 1907 by European settlers who had settled in Nakuru in the early 1900s.
A motor racing track, Nakuru Park (not to be confused with the Langa Langa circuit near Gilgil), operated in the Lake View Estate area from 1956 until the mid 1980s.
The diverse populace of Nakuru makes it a hub for entrepreneurship. It also gives it a blend of cultures underpinning the city's culture of hospitality and cuisine.
Surrounding towns include the residential town Lanet, approximately from Nakuru. Njoro lies from Nakuru and is a small agricultural town with a local university aimed at promoting agricultural development in Kenya, namely Egerton University established in 1934.
Alicen Chelaite was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Nakuru from 1996 to 1998.
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