Kariandusi

Kariandusi site museum lies on the eastern side of the Rift Valley, about 120km north-north-west of Nairobi; and about 2km to the east side of Lake Elementaita. Kariandusi site is an Acheulian pre-historic site gazetted as a national monument in 1954. It is regarded as a living site of hand axe man, discovered in 1928 by Dr Louis Leakey and he started excavations.

The site has several excavation pits displaying a scattered assortment of stone tools, many made from obsidian; the black volcanic rock found in lave flows. There are also specimens made of a local trachyte lava.

The site is characterised by the presence of heavy hand axes and cleavers. The opening of the commercial mining activities at the nearby diatomite deposits mines has continually unveiled more archaeological materials and made it possible for the dating of the site by use of pumice and other datable materials in the sediments. The site museum at Kariandusi displays excavated fossils and stone tools.

Kariandusi as an archaeological site provides information on the history of humankind biological and cultural evolution.