Othaya is a Kenyan town about 120 kilometres north of Nairobi, the capital.
It had a population of 21,427, of which 4,108 are core urban (1999 census [1]); the majority of the residents are of the Kikuyu tribe.
It has been a traditionally agricultural area with coffee and tea as the main cash crops, with many residents being subsistence farmers.
Othaya is home to Chinga dam, the largest water reservoir in Nyeri County.
Othaya forms a town council, which has five wards: Kanyange, Kianganda, Nduye River, Nyamari and Thuti.