Kakamega County is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya. It borders Vihiga County to the South, Siaya County to the West, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties to the North and Nandi, and Uasin Gishu counties to the East. It's capital and largest town is Kakamega town. The County has a population of 1,867,579, and an area of 3,033.8 km2.
Kakamega County | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Location in Kenya | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| Formed | 4 March 2013 |
| Capital | Kakamega |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Fernandes Barasa |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,033.8 km2 (1,171.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2019) | |
• Total | 1,867,579[1] |
| GDP (PPP) | |
| • GDP |  $6.436 billion (11th)(2022)[2] |
| • Per capita | $3,272 (2022) (32nd) |
| GDP (NOMINAL) | |
| • GDP | $2.363 billion (2022) (11th) |
| • Per capita | $2,046 (2022) (32nd) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Website | kakamega.go.ke |
Physical and topical features
editKakamega County has an altitude ranging from 1,240 metres to 2,000 metres above sea level. The southern part of the county is hilly and made of granites which raises it 1950m above sea level. The Nandi Escarpment is a key feature on the eastern border of the county with steep cliffs rising from 1700m to 2000m. The county is also endowed with a number of hills like Misango, Imanga, Eregi, Butieri, Sikhokhochole, Mawe Tatu, Lirhanda, Kiming’ini hills among others.[3][4]
Climatic conditions
editRainfall is uniformly distributed throughout the year with March and July receiving highest whereas December and February the least.
The county has annual rainfall that range from 1280.1 mm to 2214.1 mm per year. The temperature range is 18 °C to 29 °C with the hottest months being are January, February, March and on the others side July and August being the coldest.[3][5]
Demographics
editAs per 2019 census Kakamega county had a total population of 1,867,579 people, of which 897,133 are males, 970,406 being females and 40 intersex persons. There are 433,207 households with an average size of 4.3 persons per household and a population density of 618 people per square kilometre.
| Sub-county | Male | Female | Intersex | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butere | 73,634 | 80,463 | 3 | 154,100 |
| Kakamega Central | 92,774 | 95,432 | 6 | 188,212 |
| Kakamega East | 80,553 | 86,784 | 4 | 167,641 |
| Kakamega North | 115,511 | 122,814 | 5 | 238,330 |
| Kakamega South | 53219 | 58,524 | 111,743 | |
| Khwisero | 53,670 | 59,803 | 3 | 113,476 |
| Likuyani | 73,710 | 78,341 | 4 | 152,055 |
| Lugari | 59,135 | 63,593 | 122,728 | |
| Matete | 31,749 | 34,423 | 66,172 | |
| Matungu | 78,793 | 88,143 | 4 | 166,940 |
| Mumias East | 55,895 | 60,953 | 3 | 116,851 |
| Mumias West | 54,915 | 60,438 | 1 | 115,354 |
| Navakholo | 73,275 | 80,695 | 7 | 153,977 |
| Total | 897,133 | 970,406 | 40 | 1,867,579 |
Religion
editReligion in Kakamega County [6]
| Religion (2019 Census) | Number |
|---|---|
| Catholicism | 306,477 |
| Protestant | 598,611 |
| Evangelical Churches | 566,271 |
| African Instituted Churches | 216,915 |
| Orthodox | 6,837 |
| Other Christian | 46,594 |
| Islam | 88,412 |
| Hindu | 578 |
| Traditionists | 3,002 |
| Other | 17,491 |
| No ReligionAtheists | 8,575 |
| Don't Know | 1,277 |
| Not Stated | 292 |
Administrative and political units
editAdministrative units
editAdministration wise, the county is divided into twelve sub counties, sixty county assembly wards, eighty three locations, two hundred and fifty sub-locations, one hundred and eighty seven Village Units and four hundred Community Administrative Areas. Politically, it comprises twelve constituencies and sixty wards.[7][8]
Constituencies
editThe county has twelve constituencies (2013):[7]
- Lugari Constituency
- Likuyani Constituency
- Malava Constituency
- Lurambi Constituency
- Navakholo Constituency
- Mumias West Constituency
- Mumias East Constituency
- Matungu Constituency
- Butere Constituency
- Khwisero Constituency
- Shinyalu Constituency
- Ikolomani Constituency
The Mumias Constituency was divided into Mumias West and Mumias East.
Political leadership
editThe governor is Fernandes Barasa and is deputised by Ayub Savula.[9][10] He has been governor since 2022, following the end of Wycliffe Oparanya's second and final term in office. Boni Khalwale is the senator and joined office in 2022 after defeating Brian Lishenga.[11]Elsie Busihile Muhanda is the women representative and joined the office in 2017 after defeating Rachel Amamo who was the first elected women representative 2013–2017.[12][13]
For Kakamega County, the County Executive Committee comprises:-
| Number | |
|---|---|
| The Governor | 1 |
| The Deputy Governor | 1 |
| The County Secretary | 1 |
| The CEC Members | 10 |
| Total | 13 |
Source[14]
Education
editThere are 1631 ECD centres 1136 primary schools and 408 secondary schools. The county has also 4 teachers training colleges, 51 Youth Polytechnics, 3 technical training institutes, 6 university campuses and 1 university as at 2014.[15]
| Category | Public | Private | Total | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECD Centres | 876 | 855 | 1631 | 105,426 |
| Primary schools | 883 | 253 | 1136 | 557,107 |
| Secondary schools | 408 | 408 | 116,732 | |
| Youth Polytechnics | 47 | 4 | 51 | |
| Technical Training Institutes | 3 | 0 | 2381 | |
| University Campuses | 5 | 1 | 6 | 10,657 |
| Universities | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Adult Education Centres | 195 | 0 | 195 | 16,542 |
Health
editKakamega has one county referral hospital (Kakamega County General Teaching & Referral Hospital), 12 sub-county hospitals, 47 health centres, 123 dispensaries and 44 clinics. Both private and public health facilities hold a total bed capacity of 3,949 with public sector having 2,338 beds and private hospitals 197 beds and mission/NGO is 1,414 beds capacity.[3][16]
HIV prevalence in Kakamega County is 4.0% lower than the national one that is at 5.9%.[18]
| Government | *FBO | Private | NGO | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitals | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Health centres | 38 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Dispensaries | 95 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 123 |
| Clinics | 0 | 1 | 43 | 0 | 43 |
- FBO – Faith Based Organizations
Trade and commerce
editThere are 62 trading centres, 11,083 retail traders, 21 supermarkets, 203 wholesale traders and 1180 registered hotels.
Agriculture
editAgriculture is the backbone of the county, contributing to 65% of the county's GDP.[citation needed]
There are two main categories of crops: food crops and industrial crops, the rest being horticulture. Food crops include maize, sorghum, finger millet, rice, beans, peas, grams, cassava, potatoes, and arrowroots.[16]
Transport and communication
editThe county is covered by 4,451.3 km of road network. of this 1,308.90 km is covered by earth surface, 2,792.25 is covered by gravel, 939.32 km is murram surface and 307.5 km is covered by bitumen.[3]
There are 14 Post Offices with 8,400 installed letter boxes, 6,969 rented letter boxes and 1,431 vacant letter boxes.[16]
Services and urbanisation
edit| County | Stats for the County (Per cent)
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urbanisation | |||||||||
| Literacy | |||||||||
| Attending School (15-18 Yrs) | |||||||||
| Paved Roads | |||||||||
| Good Roads | |||||||||
| Electricity Access | |||||||||
| Poverty Rate | |||||||||
|
Stats for the County | |||||||||
Source: USAid Kenya
Villages and settlements
editReferences
edit- ^ "Kenya Census 2009". Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ "Kiambu GCP". Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d "COUNTY INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN (CIDP) 2018-2022 – County Government of Kakamega". Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Kakamega County". TurnUp Kenya. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Kakamega climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Kakamega weather averages – Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics" (PDF). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ a b "The Report of the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission (IIBRC): Delimitation of Constituencies and Recommendations on Local Authority Electoral Units and Administrative Boundaries for Districts and Other Units" (PDF). IEBC. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ interior_admin. "Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government". interior.go.ke. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Governors & Deputy Governors". cog.go.ke. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Wycliffe Oparanya". Mzalendo. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Members of the Senate | The Kenyan Parliament Website". parliament.go.ke. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Women Representatives | KEWOPA KENYA". Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Elsie Busihile Muhanda". Mzalendo. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "179. County executive committees – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Ministry of Education, Science & Technology – County Government of Kakamega". Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Kakamega County Statistical Abstract". Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ "Ministry of Education". education.go.ke. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Kakamega County Report on the HIV Implementing Partners Online Reporting Systems" (PDF). NACC. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Ministry of Health Services – County Government of Kakamega". Retrieved 28 May 2020.