Kitui

Kitui is a town in Kenya, 180 kilometres east of Nairobi and 105 kilometres east of Machakos. Due to political reforms, Kitui is now the headquarters of Kitui County, which covers a larger area than the former Kitui District did. As a consequence, the city has become a natural meeting point for politicians and businessmen therefore, most of the hotels are expanding. In addition, travellers have noted that Kitui is a suitable resting place on the way from Mount Kenya to Mombasa.

The name Kitui means ‘a place where iron goods are made’. The Kamba iron-smiths who settled in the county many years before the colonial period are the ones who named the area Kitui. [2]

There are many traditional Kamba dancers in the Kitui area

Kitui had a population of 155,896 in 2009[1] making it the 12th largest urban centre in Kenya in terms of population. It is the largest urban centre in the county followed by Mwingi. A large majority of the residents belong to the Kamba, a Bantu people. The Kamba of Kenya speak the Bantu Kamba language (Kikamba) as a mother tongue.