This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2006) |
Eastern Province Mkoa wa Mashariki | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 0°0′N38°0′E / 0.000°N 38.000°E | |
Country | Kenya |
No. of Counties: | 8 |
Capital | Embu |
Area | |
• Total | 140,698.6 km2 (54,324.0 sq mi) |
Population (2009) | |
• Total | 5,668,123 [1] |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
The Eastern Province (Swahili : Mashariki) of Kenya was one of 8 Provinces of Kenya. Its northern boundary ran along with that of Ethiopia; the North Eastern Province and Coast Province lay to the east and south; and the remainder of Kenya's provinces, including Central Province, ran along its western border. The provincial capital was Embu.
On 16 July 2009, the province was sub-divided into three sub-provinces, namely Lower Eastern with Machakos as headquarters, Central Eastern with Meru as headquarters, and Upper Eastern with Marsabit as headquarters; however, those changes never took effect due to the political wrangles in the Kenyan coalition government at the time. The sub-division of provinces was carried out in all seven provinces of Kenya, excluding Nairobi. As of March 2013 after the Kenyan general election, 2013, the Eastern Province was subdivided into eight counties, namely:
Code | County | Former province | Area (km2) | Population census 2009 | Capital |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | Marsabit | Eastern | 66,923.1 | 291,166 | Marsabit |
11 | Isiolo | Eastern | 25,336.1 | 143,294 | Isiolo |
12 | Meru | Eastern | 7,003 | 1,356,301 | Meru |
13 | Tharaka-Nithi | Eastern | 2,609.5 | 365,330 | Chuka |
14 | Embu | Eastern | 2,555.9 | 516,212 | Embu |
15 | Kitui | Eastern | 24,385.1 | 1,012,709 | Kitui |
16 | Machakos | Eastern | 5,952.9 | 1,098,584 | Machakos |
17 | Makueni | Eastern | 8,008.9 | 884,527 | Wote |
Totals | 140,698.6 | 5,668,123 | - |
The province was principally inhabited by the Meru, Kamba, Embu, and several pastoralist communities. In 1979, its population was 2.7 million; in 1999, 4,631,779 (according to the 1999 census) and in 2009 the province would have had a population of 5,668,123. [2] In terms of area, it was the second largest province at (140,698.6 km2) in Kenya.
Eastern Province of Kenya includes the Chalbi Desert, Mount Kenya, and the eastern half of Lake Turkana. The climate in the region is arid to semi-arid. Its most important permanent river is Ewaso Ng'iro.
The Kamba or Akamba people are a Bantu ethnic group who predominantly live in the area of Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and north to Embu, in the southern part of the former Eastern Province. This land is called Ukambani and constitutes Makueni County, Kitui County and Machakos County. They also form the second largest ethnic group in 8 counties including Nairobi and Mombasa counties.
The Central Province was a region in central Kenya until 2013, when Kenya's provinces were replaced by a system of counties. It covered an area of 11,449 km2 (4,420 sq mi) and was located to the north of Nairobi and west of Mount Kenya. The province had 4,383,743 inhabitants according to the 2009 census. The provincial headquarters was Nyeri.
The Coast Province was one of Kenya's eight provinces. It contained all of the country's coastline on the Indian Ocean. Its capital city was Mombasa. It was inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili peoples, among others. The province covered an area of 79,686.1 km2.
Embu is a town located approximately 125 kilometres (78 mi) northeast of Nairobi towards Mount Kenya. Embu served as the provincial capital of the former Eastern Province and currently serves as the headquarters of Embu County in Kenya. Located on the south-eastern foothills of Mount Kenya, the Municipality of Embu had a population of 204,979 in 2019 census. Embu is also the 8th Largest Municipality in Kenya. It is the commercial hub of the Central Eastern part of Kenya and provides an avenue for trade, tourism and highway transit between the national capital and the Northern Frontier.
Meru County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Eastern Province. It borders Isiolo County to the north, Tharaka-Nithi County to the South, Nyeri County to the southwest and Laikipia County to the west. Meru County has a population of 1.35 million people. It is home to the Meru people.
Kitui is a town and capital of Kitui County in Kenya, 185 kilometres east of Nairobi and 105 kilometres east of Machakos. it covers an area approximately 30,496.4 km squares and lies between latitudes 0°10 South and 3°0 South and longitudes 37°50 East and 39°0 East. It borders seven counties i.e. Machakos and Makueni counties to the west, Tana River County to the east and south-east, Taita Taveta County to the south, Embu to the north-west, and Tharaka-Nithi and Meru counties to the north. Kitui became the headquarters of Kitui County after the adoption of the new constitution and the devolved government.
The Meru or Amîîrú are a Bantu ethnic group that inhabit the Meru region of Kenya. The region is situated on the fertile lands of the north and eastern slopes of Mount Kenya in the former Eastern Province.
Kamba, or Kikamba, is a Bantu language spoken by millions of Kamba people, primarily in Kenya, as well as thousands of people in Uganda, Tanzania, and elsewhere. In Kenya, Kamba is generally spoken in four counties: Machakos, Kitui, Makueni, and Kwale. The Machakos dialect is considered the standard variety and has been used in translation. The other major dialect is Kitui.
Embu County is a county of the Republic of Kenya. The capital of Embu County and the former Eastern province headquarters, Embu is a large and largely metropolitan area with a population of 608,599 persons. The county borders Kirinyaga to the west, Kitui to the east, Tharaka Nithi to the north and Machakos to the south. The county occupies an area of 2,821 km2. Its home to the Aembu and Mbeere
Machakos County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, which came into being because of the devolved system of governance occasioned by the 2010 constitution of Kenya. The country's first administrative headquarters are in Machakos Town, which is the largest town in the county. The county had a population of 1,421,932 as of 2019. The county borders Nairobi and Kiambu counties to the west, Embu to the north, Kitui to the east, Makueni to the south, Kajiado to the south west, and Muranga and Kirinyaga to the north west.
Marsabit County is a county in Kenya, covering a surface area of 66,923.1 square kilometres. Marsabit is the second largest county by size in Kenya after Turkana county which has an area of 71,597.8 km2. Its capital is Marsabit and its largest town is Moyale. According to the 2019 census, the county has a population of 459,785. It is bordered to the North by Ethiopia, to the West by Turkana County to the South by Samburu County and Isiolo County, and to the East by Wajir County.
Isiolo County is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its population is 268,002 and its capital and largest city is Isiolo. Isiolo County is to be the first county to be developed as part of the Kenya Vision 2030 program. Other upcoming urban centres are: Garbatulla, Modogashe, Kinna, Merti and Oldonyiro. The county is home to Sakuye and Borana tribes but also has a significant number of people from Turkana, Samburu, Gabra, Garre and Meru communities.
Mbeere District was a former administrative district in the Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Siakago. The district had a population of 170,950 and an area of 2,093 km2. The district was split from Embu District in 1996. In 2010, it was merged into Embu County.
Kirinyaga County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya, located south of Mount Kenya. Its capital is Kutus and its largest town is Wanguru. In 2019, the county had a population of 610,411 people and an area of 1,478.1 km2. The county is bordered to the east and south by Embu County, to the south by a tiny part of Machakos County, to the southwest by Murang'a County and to the northwest by Nyeri County.
Kitui County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui, and Mwingi is also another major urban centre. The county has a population of 1.2 million people and an area of 30,496 km2. It lies between latitudes 0°10 South and 3°0 South and longitudes 37°50 East and 39°0 East.
The Northern Frontier Province or Northern Province, or initially referred to as 'Northern Frontier District' (NFD) was one of the provinces of British Kenya. Originally, the Northern Frontier covered the northern region of East Africa Protectorate later succeeded by British Kenya, it later included half of the Jubaland Province that remained as part of Kenya when the other half was ceded to the Italian Empire.
Chuka is a town on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya, in Kenya about 65 km south Of Meru Town. It falls within Tharaka-Nithi County and the former Eastern Province. Between 1992 and 2009, Chuka was the capital of Tharaka-Nithi District. Tharaka Nithi District was further split into Meru South and Tharaka Districts with Chuka remaining the Capital of Meru South. Later, Meru South and Tharaka were amalgamated into Tharaka-Nithi County.
Sub-counties, also known as Districts, are the decentralised units through which government of Kenya provides functions and services. At national level, sub-counties take a more administrative function like security, statistical purposes, provision of government services, etc. Even though the sub-counties are divisions of counties, powers to create new national sub-counties lies with the national government. As of 2023, there are 314 sub-counties, compared to 290 constituencies. A deputy county commissioner is appointed by the state to lead each sub-county. The sub-counties are further divided into divisions, locations and sub-locations.
The list shows flags for the forty-seven counties of Kenya. Some counties adopted the flag of the defunct municipal or district governments. Other flags adopted in the year after the first county governments were elected which was between 4 March 2013 to the same date on 2014. As of 17 December 2014, not all county assemblies have passed the design of the county flags. It is expected that all counties will adopt their own flags soon.
The Anglican dioceses of Mount Kenya are the Anglican presence in east-central, north and north-east Kenya; they are part of the Anglican Church of Kenya. The remaining dioceses of the Church area in the areas of Mombasa, of Maseno, and of Nakuru.