Karatina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karatina is a town in Nyeri County, Kenya which hosts a municipal council and serves as the headquarters of Mathira East subcounty. Karatina municipality had a total population of 6,852, all classified as urban in the 1999 census[1] It has six electoral wards, all in the Mathira Constituency; the remaining five wards of Mathira constituency represent Nyeri County Council.[2]
Karatina is on the Nairobi – Nyeri highway, 25 kilometres southeast of Nyeri town and south of Mount Kenya. It is at an elevation of 1,868 metres (6,129 ft).
History
Karatina has been a popular open air market before the colonial period, and after. One suggestion for the name source is that trade took place under a muratina tree, hence the name Karatina. During World War II a dried vegetable factory was built in Karatina, providing the people with dried fruits.[3] Other people (who?)think the town's name came from the English name 'quarantine' that locals pronounced as 'karantina'.
Health
There are two major hospitals in Karatina, the government-funded Karatina General Hospital and the private Jamii Hospital. In addition, PCEA TumuTumu Hospital is a few miles west of Karatina.
