Karatina is a town in Nyeri County, Kenya which hosts a municipal council and serves as the headquarters of Mathira East subcounty.
Karatina municipality had a total population of 6,852, all classified as urban in the 1999 census[1] It has six electoral wards, all in the Mathira Constituency; the remaining five wards of Mathira constituency represent Nyeri County Council.
Karatina has been a popular open air market before the colonial period, and after.
One suggestion for the name source is that trade took place under a muratina tree, hence the name Karatina.
With the resumption of railway transport and the completion of Kenol-Marua super highway it is hoped that investors will relocate to Karatina.