Its capital town was also now named Murang'a (also formerly Fort Hall).
It is inhabited mainly by and is considered the home of the Kikuyu, the largest community in Kenya.
When missionaries first came to Kenya, they were prevented from settling on the coast by the Portuguese, who had taken the coastal area, strategic for trade, from Arab powers in the 16th century.
The missionaries were forced to venture into Kenya's rugged interior, and Murang'a was one of the first places they settled.
When the British set up the East African Protectorate in 1895, their first administrative post, Fort Smith, was located in Kabete.