About Embu Way Back When Brief History of Embu County Embu has a long history that predates colonial rule. The region was inhabited by the Embu people, who are part of the larger Bantu-speaking communities. The community engaged in agriculture, with crops like millet, sorghum, and later, coffee becoming essential to their way of life. Beyond the forest boundary of Mount Kenya to the east, south and west lived the Meru, Tharaka and Kikuyu, all speakers of Bantu language, mutually understood with varying ease and whose histories, cultures and customs have been intertwined since their settlement here. These societies, and the Embu in particular, were small, acephalous societies, with only transient and situational leadership and the colonial regime with the associated missionary work would seriously disrupt their social orders. Several decades prior to establishment of administrative posts in Embu, Zanzibari traders had been visiting Embu in search primarily of ivory and occasionally of slaves. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the arrival of British rule in Kenya. The Embu people, like many other ethnic groups, experienced changes in their way of life, including the introduction of cash crops and, rather more importantly, in sheer disruption of their olden ways of life, changes in land ownership. These intimations from the outer world were followed in 1906 by the more enduring arrival of a massive colonial expedition, led by Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen – a strategist and a silent laughing masterful man – overwhelming Embu resistance. In short order, administrative stations were established, bringing to an abrupt end the ancestral, native social, political and economic orders. At the onset, the Aembu community and their counterparts around Mount Kenya had forcefully resisted colonial rule, the Tharaka and Kikuyu in particular putting up a more forceful resistance. In 1919 a punitive expedition was send to the Aembu kin, the Tharaka community, and many of them were killed, while the rest fled to the bush. In that accord, up until the 1940s, Embu's politics remained largely loyalist. The threat of losing massive chunks of their land to European settlers, as their Kikuyu neighbours had done, encouraged loyalist politics. Their Local Native Council was well in charge of labour to state farms in Embu. After the 1940s, however, there was increased collaboration with the Kikuyu and Meru to oppose colonial rule. Embu County was one of the first districts in central Kenya to undergo native land registration with title deeds being awarded as early as 1961. Christian missionaries also played a significant role in the region, establishing missions that influenced both education and religious practices among the Embu people. Kenya gained independence from British rule in 1963. The post-independence period marked a time of rapid political and social changes. The then Embu District became part of Eastern Province; later transitioning into the present-day administrative structure. Situated at the base of Mount Kenya, Embu County offers a rich tapestry of cultural heritage, natural beauty, and adventure activities, making it a rewarding destination for travelers seeking an authentic experience in the central highland of Kenya. Engage with the Aembu and Mbeere people, who inhabit the region, and learn about their traditional way of life, like farming practices, music, and dance. You Are Here: Embu County Where to Next? Explore Destinations in Embu County A Guide to Embu County A Summa Digest of Embu About Embu Way Back When 32 Destinations in Embu County , arranged as one would visit these - south, west, east then south - with the aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart: Mwea Rice Plains , Ndaraca ya Ngai , Embu Art Centre , Izaak Walton Inn , Iveche Falls , Karunina Falls , Njukiri Forest , Camp Ndunda Falls , Mount Kenya Riverside Retreat , Embu Golf Range , Murinduko Hill Forest , Karue Hill , Kirimiri Forest , Nthenge Njeru Falls , Nthungu Falls , Nthenge Njeru Hiking Trail , Irangi Forest Station , Mzima Fishing Camp , Kaagari-Gaturi Irrigation , Thuci River Lodge , Mbeere Terraces , Kiang’ombe Forest , Mumoni Hill , Kianjiru Hill , Mwea National Reserve , Kamburu Dam , Riakanau Beach, Masinga Dam , Masinga Dam Resort , Gitaru Dam , Kindaruma Dam , Kiambere Dam Know More About Embu County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - with aid of strip maps, Airports, Climate & National Monuments What's The Lay Of The Land In C.14? Embu is exemplified by its sharply defined uplands, lowland and slopes from the north, northwest towards the east and southeast, with a few isolated hills such as Kiambere and Kiang’ombe. What's The Air Like In Embu? Embu has a typical highland profile, on the windward side of Mount Kenya, with cold and wet upper zones to hot and dry lower zones in Tana River Basin. Temperatures range betwixt 20 o  and 30 o C. Know More About Embu County…

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