improvement after the maintenance of urban roads was transferred to the Kenya Urban Roads Authority, which in turn set up its Upper Eastern Regional Headquarters in Meru. Tourism and hospitality Meru town is a jumping-off place for Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves and Lewa Conservancy, all some distance north of Meru, with Samburu and Buffalo Springs via Isiolo, and Meru National Park, to the northeast of Meru, via Maua in the Nyambene Hills. The Meru Museum is housed in Meru's first District Commissioner's Office, built by E. B. Horne. It preserves the historical and cultural artifacts of the Meru people. It is at Rutundu log cabins 20 Kilometre west of Meru City that Prince William proposed to the Duchess of Cambridge. The Meru side of Mt. Kenya National Park has tourist attractions of worth which include Vivvien Falls, Semwe Salt lick, Ithanguni, Lake Alice, Lake Ellis and Sacred Lake. Meru has good hotels and restaurants. They include: The Alba Karimba Lodge The Elsa Paramount Hotel Blue Towers Hotel White Star Hotel Hotel Three Steers Meru Safari Hotel Royal Prince Restaurant Simba Wells Brown Rock Hotel La Vienna Restaurant Nevada Hotel West Wind hotel ShadeNet Hotel Gatimene Springs All Smiles Hotel Thiiri Centre Meru Slopes Meru Guest Villas Rangeland Hotels & Campsite – Buuri District Paradise Hill Gardens Heritage hotel (Nkubu) Aspire Catering and Events offers outside catering services in the region Chandy Leisure Gardens Commerce Meru town is the Commercial capital of Northern and Eastern Kenya. It hosts a Central Bank of Kenya’s Currency Centre serving the North Eastern Half of Kenya. Meru has 22 bank branches. Kenya's Banks, Equity, Postbank, Barclays, Standard Chartered Co-Operative, Diamond Trust, National Bank and Family Bank, CBA, Fina Bank, K-rep Bank, Eco-BAnk, CFC stanbic, NIC, Housing Finance, KCB, Bank of Baroda, have branches in the town while several micro-finance institutions are also available. Mwalimu Cooperative Savings & Credit Society Limited, (Mwalimu Sacco), the largest Sacco in Kenya, maintains a branch in Meru. The town is the business and agricultural centre for north-eastern Kenya. Education Meru town is an educational centre for the northeast of Kenya. There are many primary and secondary schools, including the Meru Primary, Meru School, Kaaga Girls, Kaaga Boys just to name a few. There are also technical schools, the Meru Technical Institute being the major one. There are also teacher training colleges, campuses of various universities including Egerton, Nairobi,