Lari Constituency

The name Lari is derived from the Maasai language meaning "the place of green grass". During the 19th century Lari was a reserve grazing ground for the Maasai Community, with pasture available throughout the year. The Maasai would frequent the area, which is located at the foot of the Great Rift Valley to graze their cattle during the dry season.

Lari Constituency was created in 1966 after the first Kenyan Senate and House of representatives merged to form the National Assembly.[2] The constituency was established as a special seat for the then Kiambu Senator J M Koinange.[3] He was made the first Lari MP with no elections being held.

A vehicle on the Nairobi - Nakuru highway at Uplands Section. Lari is sometimes cold and foggy, with visibility limited to 10 meters.

Lari has a total area of 439.20 square Kilometers. The area is largely mountainous. Part of Lari lies on an escarpment of the Great Rift Valley between Gitithia and Kijabe locations. The highest point in the constituency is Rukuma, which is on the Nairobi-Nakuru Road, at an altitude of 1,400m.

Lari is largely forested, with Uplands Forest, Kireita Forest, Kinale forest, Kamae forest and parts of the large Kikuyu Escarpment Forest found in the area. The area is relatively cold because of its location on the windward side of the Aberdare Range. As a result, it receives a considerable amount of rainfall per year.

Nyambari Shopping Center. The Second most populous center in Lari Constituency.

In the national government Lari is a District with its administrative offices in Kimende Township. Its further divided into 22 locations.

Under the County Government of Kiambu, Lari a sub-county headed by a Sub-County administrator. Lari is further divided into 5 Wards: Lari/Kirenga, Kijabe, Kamburu-Kamuchege, Kinale and Nyanduma Wards. Kimende Township is a minor town in the area.

Majority residents of Lari practice agriculture as the main source of livelihood, with the area dominated by subsistence farming. Tea farming is largely practiced by residents of the eastern part of Lari. this areas include Kagwe, Kagaa, Gatamaiyu and Matimbei areas. Crops grown for sale include vegetables such as cabbage, coriander, spinach and kale (sukuma wiki). Vegetable farming in the constituency is largely favored by the large amounts of rainfall received throughout the year and the continuous cold seasons.

There are two major markets for vegetables in the constituency; Soko Mjinga Market and Nyambari Godown Sukuma Wiki Market. Both markets supply approximately 1,500 bags of kale per day to the major towns in Kenya. Lorries also ferry tonnes of cabbage from Kinale location daily to various towns in Kenya.

Lari also produces majority of the pears found in Kenya, with most of the crop grown in Nyambari, Gitithia, Githirioni, Kirenga, Kimende and Kambaa locations.

Many farmers in the area rear dairy cows. While the milk is produced mainly for personal consumption, the surplus is sold, usually to dairy cooperatives that have local offices in Lari. There are four milk processing plants in the area: Sundale Dairy Products in Uplands, Green Land Dairy in Nyambari, Kinale Milk processing Plant in Kinale, and Uplands Dairy and food processors [Pascha] in [Kagwe]

There are a number of industries engaged in processing primarily agricultural products locally produced in Lari, such as the Farmers Choice Bacon Factory in Uplands, and the dairy processing plants for the milk produced in the area. Additionally, the Carbacid Kenya Plant was established to mine naturally existing carbon dioxide in the area.

Lari is the home to a number of community-based organizations. The Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO), a voluntary community-based organization based in Kimende Township, is engaged in developing sustainable nature conservation programs in the Kikuyu Escarpment Forest. The Naitera Community Empowerment Programme is another community-based organization, based in Nyambari Town, that aims to preserve the community's cultural heritage including preservation and management of environment through active community participation. Naitera operates across the wider Kiambu County where it advocates for good public management and accountability through Civic education as an avenue of promoting democracy and good governance.

• The Mombasa - Kampala railway passes through the constituency. Lari has two railway substations; Uplands Substation and Matathia Substation.
• The Nairobi - Nakuru Highway (A104 road) cuts across the constituency starting from Nyambari Shopping Center connecting Kimende and exiting at Soko Mjinga Vegetable Market. Lari also has 3 other major roads Uplands - Githunguri road, Kimende - Kagwe - Githunguri road and Gichiengo - Kijabe road. Most roads are not tarmacked.
• Bathi Dam, located in Kijabe Ward is the major supplier of water within the constituency. The dam also supplies water to Nairobi.

The Kijabe Mission Hospital is the largest private health facility in the area, located in Kijabe Town. Lari Health Center is the largest government health institution in the constituency, located at Rukuma Shopping Center in Lari/Kirenga Ward

Lari has for a long time voted separately from other constituencies in Kiambu and Central Province. Since the start of multiparty democracy in 1992 Lari has never voted for a Member of Parliament from the same party as the siting president despite winning with the presidential vote in 2002 and 2007. However, in 2013 Kenya Elections Hon. Mburu Kahangara became the first Member of Parliament to be elected in Lari while belonging to the same party as the sitting president since 1992.