Makueni County

The Land Of Baobabs

A Summa Digest of Makueni County

The arid Makueni County 8,034 km2 in area remains untravelled, the good and rare surprises it has in store for the intrepid an experiment yet to determine. 87 km from Nairobi by way of the A109 Nairobi-Mombasa Road you reach Salama, the northern gateway town into Makueni County. Long and tapering, it stretches east of A109 Road for 205 km through Salama, Sultan Hamud, Emali, Kibwezi and Mtito Andei towns to Tsavo Gate into Tsavo East National Park. Makueni County borders Kitui (East), Taita-Taveta (South), Kajiado (West) and Machakos (North).

Makueni County is famously dubbed “Land of Baobabs” thanks to its abundance of these iconic, ancient trees. The baobab is a distinctive feature of the county’s landscape, particularly in the lower, drier regions. Keen motorists who decide to explore Makueni from Machakos – it is 141 km from Machakos to Makindu through Wote – now travel on tarmac all the way in a land guarded by these mighty trees, through some of the unfamiliar and off-the-cuff scenery of Ukambani. Makueni is lightly populated, the entire county, about five times the size of Nairobi County, is inhabited by less that a fifth of its population – just one million inhabitants, with a density of 125 people per km2. Their sustenance is typically small scale farming.

Away from the primary A109 Road fairly good linkages are one of the pertinent features of Makueni. The Nairobi-Uganda Railway has three stations in Makueni County: at Emali, at Kibwezi and at Mtito Andei. The A109 Mombasa-Nairobi Road virtually straddles its entire length from the northwest to southeast as the key line of communication, and which gives it a vantage position to exploit tourism. Major towns serve as trading centers along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. Or if you are in a hurry, you can fly on a chartered plane from Mombasa or Nairobi to Makindu.

Here too, the mighty baobabs have been used for generations as meeting points, sacred sites, and even burial markers by the native Akamba community. Among these, Kilima Kiu Baobab – a massive tree near Wote, is believed to be over 200 years old. The other main impression on the visitor is how poised the landscape is. Travelling southerly from Nairobi city, the scenery has switchbacks of shrubland, picturesque hills, rocky plains, and the more open country near Mtito Andei town. Makueni County is widely known for cohosting three of Kenya’s treasured game havens: Tsavo West and Tsavo East National Parks, and Chyulu Hills National Park.​

Many travelers stop to take photos of these majestic trees near Mtito Andei and Kibwezi. On the western side of the county there is an explosion of impressive hills. The scenic hillscapes, major and minor scarps for which Makueni is famous for are predominantly found in the western region. Generally speaking, the land rises from 600 ms in the south close to Tsavos, to almost 1,900 ms at the uplands of Mbooni and Kilungu Hills in the northern area close to Machakos County. The Yatta Plateau, world’s longest lava flow, is located in the southeast of the county.

Extending from the northern boundary to the south-eastern corner of the area, the Yatta Plateau contrasts sharply with the surrounding plains. It extends for many miles both to the north and south of the area, forming a salient landmark for a distance of about 210 km, from 01 Doinyo Sabuk in the Thika area to the Galana valley east of Tsavo. While Yatta Plateau is a major geological feature in Kenya, it’s not mentioned in the traditional Akamba legends of origin The Akamba creation myth, involving the god Mulungu, does not specifically tie into Yatta Plateau. The myth centers around the creation of the first man and woman, their placement on Nzaui rock, and subsequent events leading to the dispersal of the Kamba people. 

Generally great for roadtrips, the landscape of Makueni County is marked by a monotony of the undulating plains set at 900 ms, decorously broken only by batteries of inselberg and the tops of hills such as Makueni, Katambua, Kianga, Thabu, Poi, Mandoi and Mubau. The form of these hills varies, though generally they are narrow rounded stumps and occasionally flat-topped. A fine example of such a remnant occurs on Nzaui where, about half-way up the eastern flank, has a well-defined shelf occurs. The eastern area of Makueni County is gently sloping but as one moves westwards, the angle of slope increases as a result of the hills.

Salient Features of Makueni County

  • County Number 17
  • Area – 8034 km2
  • Altitude – 3734 ft
  • Major Towns – Kibwezi, Emali, Mtito Andei
  • Borders – Kajiado, Taita Taveta, Kitui, Machakos

Flanked by the A109 Nairobi-Mombasa Road on its eastern flank, Makueni County is part of the Lower Eastern Kenya region. Major towns like Mtito Andei and Emali serve as trade hubs along the A109, the former being the traditional halfway stop and rest. Other towns enroute are; Sultan Hamud and Kibwezi. Home to Akamba people, it is so commonly referred to Ukambani – alongside Kitui and Machakos.

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Explore Destinations in Makueni County

A Guide to Makueni County



A Summa Digest of Makueni

About Makueni Way Back When

50 Destinations in Makueni County, arranged as one would visit these - north, east, west then south - with aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:

Mbooni Hills, Konza Technopolis, Kilima Kiu Manor, Mulima Dam, ACK Resort Salama, Makongo View Point, Katithini, Wote Green Public Park, Thwake Dam, R. Kaiti Bridge, Kampi ya Mawe, Kusyombunguo Hotel, Nzueni Hill, Nzaui Heritage Trail, Nzaui Rock, Mii Project, Makueni Cultural Center, AIC Kalamba, Kalamba Fruit Factory, Virgin Mary Rock, Emali Hills, Emali Trig, Ka Kindui Falls, Dare Devil's Rock, Kyanzizi Falls, Ilovoto Falls, Kyale Catholic Church, The Kenze Gorges, Kilungu Hills, Hunter's Lodge, Makindu Handicrafts, Makindu Sikh Temple, Mbiu Nzau Hills, Kambua Resort, Kivungoni Springs, Kibwezi Forest, Umani Springs, Chyulu Hills National Park, Kisula Caves, Tsavo West National Park, Tsavo East National Park, Yatta Plateau, Ngai Ndethya National Reserve, Kilalinda Conservancy, Tsavo Safari Camp, P. Cameron Camp, Patterson's Safari Camp 

Know More About Makueni County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - with the aid of strip maps, Airports, Climate & National Monuments

What’s The Lay Of The Land In C.17?

Makueni County’s terrain is generally low-lying, falling to 600 ms near Tsavo at the southern region. It lies within the arid and semi arid zones.

What’s The Air Like In Makueni?

Climate about Makueni varies based on altitude – with the north being cooler – 20oC to 24oC, while the south, more so during the dryer months, between May and October, experience generous heat.

Know More About Makueni County…