Thika is 40km away from Nairobi and is situated o the Thika River. It is a market town in Central Province, Kenya. It has a population of 88,265 that is growing rapidly.
Thika’s elevation is 1531 meters in altitude. The town is head-quarter in the Thika district. It is the heart of pineapple country.
Thika was previously a center for the light industry. However, the focus has shifted to the Athi River. This decline in the textile industry has been a cause of the decay of local firms like Thika Cloth Mills, which is a fabric manufacturer that competes with Egyptian and Chinese manufacturers.
Thika, the name has two explanations. It is said that the name is derived from the Kikuyu word Guthika which means ‘to bury’. According to another explanation it is derived from the Maasai word Sika, meaning ‘rubbing something off an edge’. The place is mainly inhabited by the Akamba tribe.
Later on, outsiders began to settle here. Europeans primarily came to set up farms as opposed to Asians who were trying to set up shops.
It is not a very known tourist spot, rather it is famous for its literary reference in Elspeth Huxley’s book The Flame Trees of Thika (which was later adapted by BBC), about colonial life in Kenya.
Thika is a very flourishing town in terms of education. It has many eminent schools and colleges like the following:
- Gatumaini Primary School
- Mugumini Primary School
- Chania High School
- Equator High School
- Thika Advanced Institute of Science & Technology
Thika offers you a number of good hotels such as the following:
- Panaf Safari Park Hotel & Casino
- Blue Posts Hotel
- Grand Regency Hotel
- Hotel Greton
- Hotel Esperia
You can explore beautiful places in Thika like:
- Nairobi National Park
- Ngong hills
- Chaina Falls
- Thika Fall
- Fourteen falls
- Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park
Check also:
- /kenya/destination/nyeri.html
- /kenya/destination/kericho.html
- /kenya/destination/malindi.html
- /kenya/destination/lamu.html
- /where-is/thika.htm
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