Kikuyu is one of the indigenous towns which grew from the settlement of the colonialist missionaries and the presence of a rail Station. Some of the residents of the area till to date still refer to the town as Shesheni a term coined from the word Station meaning the Railway Station. It is within the County of Kiambu and one of the regions registering fast growth. The town is located about 20 km (12 mi) northwest of central Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Kikuyu hosts a Sub-County Administration which is the administrative division in Kiambu County. In addition, the town also hosts a Magistrate court, Police Station, Sub county Commissioner, Constituency Office, Ministerial department offices like Agriculture, Immigrations and Registration of Persons, Health, Lands and Gender among others. It is about 20 minutes from Nairobi via a number of routes, including a dual carriage road, and it has a railway station on the Mombasa - Malaba Railway Line. With the recent construction and completion of the Southern Bypass that Connects Mombasa road to Nairobi Naivasha Highway at Gitaru Via Kikuyu, the town is poised for greater growth by the fact that its the only town that is on the Bypass. Transport to the capital and other places is available in form of matatus, minibuses and trains. Many institutions have developed in this town, including a major eye unit hospital, a Christian university, and many primary and secondary schools.