Witu, Kenya


Witu is a small market town in the Lamu County of Kenya, East Africa. Formerly it was the capital of the Witu Sultanate.

Location

It is west of the Witu Forest. It is on the Garsen–Witu–Lamu Highway between Mkunumbi, to the east, and Garsen, to the west. A secondary road leads south to Kipini on the coast. The coordinates of Witu, Kenya are: 2°23'20.0"S, 40°26'16.0"E. The average elevation of the town is about.

Population

As of September 2013, the population of the town was estimated at 5,380.

Wituland

Witu was the centre of an inland empire of approximately. It was inhabited by slaves fleeing the Zanzibar slave trade, and was thus a target of attacks from the Sultanate of Zanzibar, circa 1850.