Map - Thika

Thika Thika (pronounced [ˈθika]) is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town is administratively in Kiambu County, the greater area comprises residential areas such as Bendor estate, Maporomoko, Thika Greens, Thika Golden Pearl, Bahati Ridge, and Thika Sports Club, among others that are within Murang'a County. As of the 2019 National Census, Thika had a population of 279,429, which is growing rapidly, as is the greater Nairobi area. Its elevation is approximately 1,631 metres (5,351 ft). Thika is home to the Chania Falls, Fourteen Falls on the Athi River and the Thika Falls. Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park lies to the southeast. The town has a railway station with limited passenger service as only cargo trains operate, although there are plans to extend the proposed light rail system to Thika. The town was the headquarters of the Thika West district following the split of the larger Thika district (created in 1994) into five districts: Thika East and Thika West, Ruiru, Gatundu and Gatanga. It was the seat of the South Central regional commissioner (deputy Provincial Commissioner) for Central Province appointed by then president Mwai Kibaki in 2009, who was in charge of the larger Kiambu, Thika and Murang'a districts. However, under Kenya's new constitution, which recognizes only the 47 districts before 1992 as semi-autonomous counties, Thika town falls under Kiambu County, while some residential areas of Thika are in Murang'a county. Although Kiambu Town is expected to be the new county headquarters, Thika Town remains the main commercial centre and the seat of the Thika Sub-county of Kiambu County.

The Flame Trees of Thika (Memories of an African Childhood) is a book by Elspeth Huxley, later adapted for television by Euston Films for Thames Television. It describes the life of English and Scottish settlers in the "White Highlands" during Edwardian times.

There are two explanations for the origin of the name Thika;

* 1) The first one comes from the Kikuyu word Guthika, meaning "to bury". During a great drought, the Maasai people ventured outside their normal territories, looking for water for their huge herds of cattle. Two rivers pass through Kikuyu land, the Thika and the Chania, providing sustenance for the agricultural Kikuyu. With both tribes desperate for survival, they fought a bloody battle that left few survivors. A mound near Blue Posts Hotel supposedly marks where the slain warriors were buried. Thika was also a memorial burial site for soldiers who fought in World War II.

* 2) The other theory claims it was derived from the Maasai word Sika meaning "rubbing something off an edge".

In addition, the area was inhabited by the Akamba tribe and hence was a border region between three communities.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Europeans and Asians settled in Thika, establishing schools, farms, health care and businesses in the region. A monument in the shape of a pillar was erected by the British in the early 1900s in the central business district of Thika, commemorating the founding of Thika as a town. The government gazette gave the town its status in 1924. After that, it was elevated to a municipality when Kenya gained independence in 1963, and Douglas Mundia chose the first mayor in 1968.

The town has historical sites like the Mugumo Gardens, which is named for the giant fig tree where the legendary ancient seer Mugo wa Kibiro prophesied. Believers claim that all of his prophecies have come to pass. According to legend, the tree's fall would symbolise the fall of British rule in Kenya. The British government reinforced the tree to prevent it from falling, but it split into two parts and fell in two stages in 1963. This land is said to have belonged to the first president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.