Kikuyu represent the largest immigrant community in the Rift Valley, having migrated to Nakuru and surrounding areas in large numbers after independence, when the government divided white farms and sold them to wealthy African buyers. Most early Kikuyu purchasers were businesspeople, politicians, and civil servants with capital to buy commercial farms.
Kikuyu settlement of the Rift Valley was a natural economic expansion for a community densely concentrated in the central highlands. Kikuyu farmers brought intensive agricultural techniques, market knowledge, and capital to the Rift Valley, developing prosperous mixed farms combining dairy, coffee, and horticulture. Over time, family members, friends, and others seeking economic opportunity followed, creating substantial Kikuyu residential communities in Nakuru, Naivasha, and surrounding areas.
Kikuyu settler presence generated persistent tension with Kalenjin communities, who viewed the Rift Valley as theirs and resented what they perceived as external economic dominance. The two communities' divergent historical claims to the land could not be reconciled. During the Molo clashes and the 2007-2008 violence, Kikuyu settlers became targets, with their farms burned, homes destroyed, and lives lost. The violence effectively reversed the post-independence settlement pattern, with many Kikuyu fleeing to the central highlands.
See Also
Nakuru Timeline Lake Nakuru Lake Naivasha Kalenjin Nakuru City Hell's Gate