Meru South District

rdf:langString Meru South District

rdf:langString Meru South District was one of the unconstitutionally created districts of Kenya, located in that country's Eastern Province. In 1992, it was split from the large Meru District, along with Meru Central District, Meru North District, and Tharaka District. In September 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that its creation was unconstitutional, and that it belonged in Tharaka-Nithi District (county since 2010). The area of Meru South District is the home of the Ameru (Meru) tribe, which is sometimes described as being related to other tribes living around the Mount Kenya region: the Kikuyu and the Embu people. The Ameru are generally called "Bantu" people who have been native to the Mt. Kenya area for many, many years — well before colonization of Kenya by Great Britain in the 19th Century. The people oare now predominantly Christian — Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and other denominations, reflecting the work of missionaries — with also minorities of Indian descent, who are mainly Hindus, and African/Arab descent, who are Muslims. There are also some residents of European, predominantly British, ancestry.The Chuka people are the dominant sub-tribe in the area, occupying the upper more arable region while the Tharaka and people occupy the lower Igamba'ngombe division. The district headquarters was in Chuka. The district had one constituency: