The government transferred them out becuase they needed space to expand the industrial region. The name Matopeni is an Akiwahili word which means "in mud." The people living in this area are categorically economically poor. The area has poor infrastructure. Like any other communities of people living in slum areas outside Nairobi, the village is made up of people from various tribes in Kenya such as the Luyha, Gikuyu, Luos, etc.