The Meru Museum

The Meru Museum is an art museum in Meru, Kenya. Its exhibitions are centered on the Meru people's cultural history and activities. The museum building, which served as the District Commissioner Office until 1916, is Meru's oldest stone structure. The Meru Museum agreed to restore the structure to a local museum in 1973.

The Meru Museum originally opened in 1974, after the National Museums of Kenya, Meru County, and Municipal Council finished modifications to the museum structure; the goal of creating this museum was to have a space dedicated to the local history of this region of Kenya.

The museum houses a number of historical artifacts from the Meru culture. Exhibits in the museum include prehistoric stone tools and taxidermied animals. The main museum exhibit is divided into three sections: one dedicated to the history of the Meru civilization, one to human evolution, and one to the natural history of the area of Kenya where the museum is located. Exhibits at the museum also focus on the evolution of various agricultural systems in Kenya.

The Meru Museum's cultural department contains various exhibits of traditional attire, equipment, and weaponry, including arrows, bows, grindstones, and spears. As one of the most beautiful historical sites in Kenya, the museum features a fish pond as well as exhibits on tiny mammals, birds, and reptiles native to this region of Kenya. The museum also has dinosaur exhibits. In addition, the museum displays a statue of Living Mugwe, the Meru people's leader. There is a garden within the museum where medicinal plants endemic to Kenya are kept and protected. There are about 23 plants in the garden, including Aloe secundiflora, Clausena anisata, Commiphora zimmermanii, Dioscorea minutiflora, and Warburgia ugandensis.

Location: Meru, Kenya