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.

Part of Lari lies on an escarpment of the Great Rift Valley between Gitithia and Kijabe locations.

Majority residents of Lari practice agriculture as the main source of livelihood, with the area dominated by subsistence farming.

Crops grown for sale include vegetables such as cabbage, coriander, spinach and kale (sukuma wiki).

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.

While the milk is produced mainly for personal consumption, the surplus is sold, usually to dairy cooperatives that have local offices in Lari.

Additionally, the Carbacid Kenya Plant was established to mine naturally existing carbon dioxide in the area.

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.

Lari Health Center is the largest government health institution in the constituency, located at Rukuma Shopping Center in Lari/Kirenga Ward The Lari section of the escarpment is the highest point of the Great Rift Valley along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.

The Zipline is a Six-line course for zip liners called The Colobus Monkey located in Kereita Forest is currently the second longest in Africa – 2.4 km long and 92m high.

Lari has for a long time voted separately from other constituencies in Kiambu and Central Province.

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.