Limuru is a town in central Kenya. Current 2004 population is about 4800. It was the birthplace of famous African writer,
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 the Baptist mission, is located in Limuru, as is the Nest Children's Home, which specializes in the care of children of imprisoned mothers. The town of Limuru 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 most people in Limuru is Kikuyu, with Swahili and English widely spoken.
Limuru serves as the capital of Limuru division which is part of Kiambu District. In addition, it is also the name of a parliament constituency.
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.
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