Machakos Town Guide
Machakos TownMachakos Town is a town in Kenya, 64 kilometres southeast of Nairobi. It is the capital of the Machakos County in Eastern Province of Kenya. Machakos Kenya is a major rural centre, and also a satellite town due to its proximity to Nairobi. Its population is rapidly growing. People who live here are mostly the Akambas. Machakos is surrounded by hilly terrain, with a high number of family farms.
Machakos Town Climate
The climate in Machakos is mild, and generally warm and temperate. The summers have a good deal of rainfall, while the winters have very little. This location is classified as Cwb by Köppen and Geiger. The temperature has an average of 19.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 830 mm.
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Machakos Town History
Machakos Kenya was established in 1889, ten years before Nairobi. Machakos was the first administrative centre for the British colony, but they moved the capital of Kenya to Nairobi in 1899 since Machakos by-passed the Uganda Railway that was under construction. Machakos town and the district were named after Masaku, an Akamba chief.
Sudan-related peace talks were held in Machakos, resulting in the Machakos Protocol in July 20, 2002.
Machakos town open air market.
Fruits, vegetables and other food stuffs like maize mbemba, beans mboso, etc are sold here. Major market days are Mondays and Fridays. One can buy second hand clothes mutumba in the open air market, situated differently from the market marikiti.
Economic Activities in Machakos Town
Subsistence agriculture is mostly practiced with maize and drought-resistant crops such as sorghum and millet being grown due to the areas semi-arid state. However, the Town also plays host to the open air market concept with major market days where large amounts of produce are traded. Fruits, vegetables and other food stuffs like maize and beans are sold in these markets.
Places to Visit While in Machakos Town
Visit T-Tot Hotel
T-Tot Hotel
There’s no trip to Machakos that is complete without a visit to the T-Tot hotel. Made famous by the offering of scrumptious samosas and mandazi, it’s become a customary pit stop for travelers. However, the family split the business and now there are two T-Tots, right next to each other. They’ve all got great food
Hike on Kiima Kimwe
Kiima Kimwe
This hill is a great challenge for many hikers. I once climbed it, and it’s an experience I would wish to forget, due to the soreness of muscles experienced the day after. Standing at 6,087 ft. / 1,855 m, the hill is like a little mountain and offers a great view of the greater Machakos area, and Nairobi.
Paraglide
Paraglide
To paraglide, you need a few hillsides to take off from, and an open field to land on (or else you’ll land in a tree!) I had the best experience jumping off a hillside in Machakos with Xtrym Adventures, cementing my thrill and adventurous spirit in the need to jump off high places
Enjoy Machakos People’s Park
Machakos People’s Park
Not many counties have a public spaces, and Machakos made the news with the style and design of its park. In between the junction to Machakos and the town itself, the park offers great space and ambience for a wide range of activities. The outdoors amphitheater offers the chance to showcase festivals, while the vast spaces offer lots of playgrounds. I hear it’s one of the places to go out and have a picnic, I must check it out soon
How to get To Machakos town
Machakos town also has good road infrastructure and town planning. It also has a well planned bus termini at the heart of the town. There is a bus terminus in Nairobi popularly known as the Machakos Airport. It’s a busy place where Buses and Matatus depart for Machakos and Kitui.
Hotels in Machakos Town
- Kilima Safari Camp
- Anthena Hotel
- Greenpark Sundowner
- Villa Machakos Guest House & Conferencing
- Tea Tot Paradise Hotel
- Zeroes Resort
- Konza City Tranzit Hotel
- Orlando Guest Resort
- Tamasha Chakos Hotel
- The Kyaka Hotel
- Sandal Wood Hotel
- Albans Hotel
- Villa Machakos Guest House
Education Institutions in Machakos Town
Primary schools in Machakos Kenya include Machakos Primary, St. Mary’s Boys and girls, Muthini Primary, Township Muslim Primary School, St. Teresas primary, Machakos academy, one hill academy premese academy, lukenya academy, makutano academy, Mumbuni primary, baptist primary, ABC girls academy and Katoloni. High schools include Machakos Girls, Machakos School, St. Monica, St. Valentine girls, springvale boys Mumbuni High, Pope Paul VI Junior Seminary and Katoloni among others.
Colleges in Machakos Kenya
Tertiary education is still growing with new colleges like Machakos Teachers Training college, Machakos Institute of Technology copperbelt college, Century Park College and Scott Theological University. It is also home for computer schools, Kenya.
Century Park College is located at the far end of Makueni Road in Machakos and offers an extensive Early Childhood Education and Development, Information Technology, P1 Primary School Teacher, Catering and Hospitality, Business Management, Accounting, Guidance and Counseling, and Business Administration programs, including short-term management courses. CPC offers a cyber cafe and instruction from an illustrious and multicultural faculty, which currently includes two American teachers.
Machakos is one of the towns known to cater for the physically handicapped and impaired. Schools like the APDK for the physically handicapped, school for the deaf, school for the blind and the special unit for the mentally handicapped have gone a long way in providing education for these special children.
Financial Institutions in Machakos Town
Machakos Kenya has a number of financial institutions such a Barclays Bank, Equity, Standard chartered, K-rep, Co-operative Bank and Kenya commercial Bank at the CBD. It also has the larger administrative offices in lower Ukambani.
Culture and Sports in Machakos Town
Major spots venues include the Machakos Sports Club spread over a large lush area including a 9-hole golf course. There is the Kenyatta stadium that also has the machakos social hall. This is the main sports center in Machakos county. Garden hotel is the biggest hotel in the town but one can get a nice breakfast or lunch at T-Tot hotel or a drink at either ikuuni, bulls, buddies or new boma. Other hotels and Guest houses are lysak haven park, shanbad house or le technish.
Machakos County
Machakos County is a county of Kenya. Its capital is Machakos. Its largest town is Machakos, the country’s first administrative headquarters. The county had a population of 1,098,584 as of 2009. 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.
Office of the Governor
The office of the governor of Machakos was created on 27 March 2013. Alfred Mutua, the incumbent, is the inaugural holder of the office.