North Imenti Constituency: Map, History, Wards, Registered Voters

North Imenti Constituency is home to Meru Town, the County headquarters and hosts many businesses, retail shops, schools and public offices. The constituency is traditionally occupied by Ameru people who are known to dominate several other areas in Meru County.

According to the 2019 census report, North Imenti is the third most populous constituency in Meru County with a population of over 177,567 people. South Imenti is the second most populous with 206,506  people, while Igembe Central leads with 221,412 people.

Historically, North Imenti has been one of the most important political seats in Meru County, having produced the man who was popularly referred to as the King of Meru – Jackson Harvester Angaine.

The area is a hub for agriculture, business and transportation. It hosts several administrative offices and corporate head offices, with a booming economy which is supported by its strategic location.

North Imenti MPs

M’Angaine, who was widely recognized as the ‘King of Meru’, dominated politics in the North Imenti and the larger Meru for a whole 3 decades. Right from the early days of the Kenya African Union (KAU), Angaine had a seat among the mighty men of the day – the likes of the late James Gichuru, Achieng Oneko and President Jomo Kenyatta, among other pioneer politicians.

Angaine was arrested in 1952 alongside Kenyatta for his role in the Mau Mau liberation struggle and moved from one detention camp to another. He thereafter ventured into Meru politics after gaining freedom, and was elected to the Legislative Council alongside the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Tom Mboya.

His close relations with Jomo Kenyatta are best described by his mobilization for funds to buy a Mercedes for the first President before his release from detention in 1961. This is believed to have earned Angaine a place among the President’s closest confidants, with his loyalty paying off when he was appointed the Minister for Lands and Settlement the entire duration of Kenyatta’s presidency.

Angaine served until 1979, when he lost his North Imenti seat to Nteere Mbogori. He again recaptured the seat in 1983 and served until 1992 when Daudi Mwiraria was elected on a Democratic Party (DP) ticket.

The Alliance High School alumnus was an accomplished economist and one of retired President Kibaki’s most trusted friends. Like Mr Kibaki, David Mwiraria was a graduate of Makerere University, where he studied for his Masters after attaining his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at the University of East Africa, Uganda.

Mwiraria is credited with instilling financial discipline in government, resulting in stabilizing fluctuating interest rates and turning around an economy that was recording negative growth.

Below is a sequential order of all the MPs in North Imenti Constituency from Independence to date (2022):

North Imenti Wards

Imenti North is made up of five electoral Wards – Municipality Ward, Nyaki East Ward, Nyaki West Ward, Ntima West Ward and Ntima East Ward.

Nyaki West Ward: Comprises Mwithumwiru, Murathankari, Ngiine, Kaithe, Kaaga, Chabuene, Runogone, Kirwiro, Kauthene, Munithu, Kienderu, Karingene, Kambiti, Kathithi, Runogone, Kithoka, Chugu, Gakurinr, Kiruai and Kibachia areas of North Imenti Constituency.

Nyaki East Ward: Comprises Nkabune, Mukongorone, Rwanyange, Thuura, Giaki, Karirwara, Mbeu, Mbirikene, Ciothirai, Gachua, Ndiine, Ndekero, Thuura, Ndurumo, Kathirune, Ciothirai, Kiburine, Thimangiri, Kirimaitune and Mukundu areas of North Imenti Constituency.

Ntima East Ward: Comprises Gakoromone, Gitimbine, Kathurine, Mwiteria, Kathurine, Gachanka, Lower Igoki, Muringo Mbugi and Mwirine areas of North Imenti Constituency.

Ntima West Ward: Comprises Mpuri, Kiamiruru, Nthimbiri, Kaing’inyo, Ng’onyi, Irinda, Gikumene, Giantune, Nchaure, Kiraria, Gachiege, Kianjuri, Gaukene and Kathurine areas of North Imenti Constituency.

North Imenti Registered Voters – 2022

The latest IEBC data released on 22nd June indicates that out of 772,089 registered voters in Meru County in 2022, 96,241 are from North Imenti Constituency, the second largest number among the 8 constituencies in Meru County, with South Imenti leading with 115,642 registered voters. Igembe Central follows closely with a total of 93,434 registered voters.

Municipality Ward had a total 21,454 registered voters and 41 polling stations in 2017, making it the most populated ward in North Imenti constituency. It is said that the North Imenti seat is won or lost here.

It is in Municipality Ward that you will find polling stations with more than 2,000 registered voters. Among them Mosque Road Hall (2,149 registered voters in 2017), Kinoru Primary (2,105 registered voters in 2017) Njuri Ncheke Street (2,975 registered voters in 2017) and Makutano Market (2,563 registered voters in 2017).

Following the 2022 mass voter registration and register cleanup exercise, Municipality still leads in North Imenti with 23,655 registered voters.

Nyaki West Ward follows closely with a total of 19,970 registered voters and and 40 polling stations (2017 IEBC tally). Kaaga Primary and Murathankari Primary are the most populated polling centers, with 1,744 and 1,556 registered voters according to the 2017 IEBC statistics.

Other Polling Stations with more than 1,000 registered voters include Gichunge Primary School (1,024), Kambiti Primary School (1,144) and Chugu Primary School (1,312). According to the latest IEBC statistics, the number of registered voters in Nyaki West Ward increased to 21,192 after the 2022 voter registration exercise.

Ntima West Ward had a total of 18,601 registered voters in 2017. The National Cereals and Produce polling center had the largest number, with 2,551 registered voters in 2017, followed closely by Gikumene Primary with 2,197 registered voters.

Irinda Primary and Nthimbiri Primary also recorded impressive figures, with 1,744 and 1,499 registered voters respectively. The number of registered voters in Ntima West as per the 2022 IEBC register stands at 19,161.

Nyaki East Ward had a total of 16,567 registered voters in 2017, with Nkabune Primary School and Gachua Primary School leading with 1,173 and 1,147 respectively. Other polling stations with more than 1,000 registered voters include Thuura High School (1,093) and Giaki Primary School (1,083). According to the latest IEBC statistics, there are 17,329 registered voters in Nyaki East Ward as at 22nd June 2022.

Ntima East Ward had a total of 12,855 registered voters according to the 2017 IEBC tally, with a total of 35 polling stations. Gakoromone Market led with 2,177 registered voters, with Meru Main Bus Stage coming second with 2,018 registered voters in the 2017 IEBC tally. The total number of registered voters in Ntima East increased to 14,904 in 2022.

Gitimbine Market and Miriga Mieru Society also recorded impressive figures, with 1,821 and 1,243 registered voters respectively. Mwirine Primary, Kathurine Coffee Factory, Mwiteria Primary and Kathurine Market recorded less than 500 registered voters.

Below is the 2017 and 2022 IEBC tally of the registered voters per ward in North Imenti Constituency:

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