Mountains are the mothers of river and in Kenya, no mountain generates more rivers than Aberdares/Nyandarua mountain range.

In this thread, we'll highlight how Gura river, the fastest river in Kenya rises from the peak of the Aberdares.

Aberdares receives significant rainfall and the surface run-off from atop the mountain quickly finds its way to V-shaped valleys on the slopes of the mountain where rivers start.

One such river is Gura whose valley is found to the North East of Mt. Kinangop.

The deep, V-shaped valleys act like funnels that collect the rain which falls on the mountain.

Gura river valley plunges suddenly from the mountain top creating some of the biggest water falls in Kenya like Karuru falls (pictured) and Gura falls.

Paolo Parrazi.

Gura river plunges dramatically down the valley forming spectacular waterfalls before cascading further down the mountain at great speed.

From an elevation of 3000m at the start of the valley, Gura descends rapidly for 30km to exit the Aberdares forest near Munyange (1900m).

This rapid descent of 1100m in altitude over a relatively short distance of 30km has given Gura river the title of fastest river in Kenya and one of the fastest on the continent.

Some refer to it as the 'Usain Bolt of Rivers' https://nation.africa/kenya/life-and-style/dn2/gura-the-usain-bolt-of-rivers--59800

Gura river flows through Nyeri and joins up with the main tributary of Tana river, Sagana river, near Karatina.

While relatively short, (approximately 70km) Gura is a fascinating river that showcases the features of a river upstream including waterfalls, rapids and deep valleys