Nestled in the forest along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, some 50 miles from the capital is the village of Kairuni. From the highway, Kairuni looks like it has just a handful of families, but that is an illusion. Most houses are scattered throughout the forested area and therefore, its 600+ Amerindian and mixed-race residents are usually hidden from sight.
According to some of the older residents, the village was once called Elizabeth. Back then, they lived closer to the Demerara River which gave them easier access to Linden; there was no highway at that time. After the highway was built, the nearby creek was named Kairuni which led to the name of the village. People then moved closer to the highway, as they could now make trips to Linden by road.
The village has no paved roads; shortcuts are used by those going on foot and vehicles use the larger sandy tracks.