Kilifi County | |
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![]() | |
![]() Location in Kenya | |
Country | Kenya |
Formed | 4 March 2013 |
Capital | Kilifi |
Government | |
• Governor | Gideon Mung'aro |
Area | |
• Total | 12,245.9 km2 (4,728.2 sq mi) |
Population (2019) | |
• Total | 1,440,958 |
• Density | 120/km2 (300/sq mi) |
GDP (PPP) | |
• GDP | ![]() |
• Per Capita | ![]() |
GDP (NOMINAL) | |
• GDP | ![]() |
• Per Capita | ![]() |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Website | www |
Kilifi County is a County Located in the Kenyan coast. It was formed in 2010 as a result of a merger of Kilifi District and Malindi District, Kenya. Its capital is Kilifi and its largest town is Malindi . [2] The county had a population of 1,453,787 people following the 2019 census and covers an area of 12,245.90 km2 (4,728.17 sq mi). [3] [4]
The county is located north and northeast of Mombasa. Kilifi has fewer tourists than Mombasa County, however there is some tourism in Kikambala, Watamu, Malindi and Kilifi. The county is known for the Ruins of Gedi, which includes mosques [5] and tombs [6] dating from the 11th to the 17th century.
Tourism and fishing in Kilifi County are the major economic activities due to its proximity to the Indian Ocean. The major tourist attractions in Kilifi County are the Ruins of Gedi, [7] Watamu Marine National Park, [8] the Malindi Museum, [9] the Rabai Museum, [10] Matungu Beach, and the Kaya forest. [11] It also contains the Mnarani ruins that date back to between the 14th and 17th century. [12]
Kilifi was in 2025 listed by the New York Times among 'Top 52 Places to visit in 2025'. [2]
The county has a strong industrial sector with the Mabati Rolling Mill and the Athi River Cement Factory contributing heavily to the region's economy in employment provision and income generation. [13]
Opportunities exist in agriculture, particularly dairy and crop farming thanks to fertile soil and good weather. The county had a successful cashew nut milling industry. [14] Maize and cassava are the main subsistence crops and the main cash crops grown in the county include coconuts, cashew nuts, sisal, citrus fruits, mangoes and pineapples .
Kilifi county has a total population of 1,453,787, of which 704,089 are males, 749,673 are females and 25 are intersex persons. There are 298,472 households, with 4.4 persons per household on average, and a population density of 116 people per square kilometre. [15] [16] The major communities living in Kilifi County include Mijikenda, [17] Swahili,[ citation needed ] Bajuni, [18] Indians, Arabs and Europeans.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1979 | 430,986 | — |
1989 | 591,903 | +37.3% |
1999 | 825,855 | +39.5% |
2009 | 1,109,735 | +34.4% |
2019 | 1,440,958 | +29.8% |
source: [19] |
Kilifi County has a Christian majority, with 68% of residents professing Christianity. 18% of residents are Muslim and 10% are atheist.
Kilifi county has 7 sub-counties and 35 county assembly wards. [21]
The county has 7 Constituencies: [22]
Constituency | Population (2009 census) | Area (km2) | Number of wards | Wards |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kilifi North | 207,587 | 405 | 7 | Tezo, Sokoni, Kibarani, Dabaso, Matsangoni, Watamu, Mnarani |
Kilifi South | 171,607 | 401 | 5 | Junju, Mwarakaya, Shimo la Tewa, Chasimba, Mtepeni |
Kaloleni | 139,302 | 651 | 4 | Mariakani, Kayafungo, Kaloleni, Mwana Mwinga |
Rabai | 113,622 | 241 | 4 | Mwawesa, Ruruma, Kambe-Ribe, Rabai/Kisurutuni |
Ganze | 137,664 | 2,942 | 4 | Ganze, Bamba, Jaribuni, Sokoke |
Malindi | 162,712 | 627 | 5 | Jilore, Kakuyuni, Ganda, Malindi Town, Shella |
Magarini | 177,241 | 6,979 | 6 | Maarafa, Magarini, Gongoni, Adu, Garashi, Sabaki |
Total | 1,109,735 | 12,245.90 | 35 |
Bahari Constituency, which was formed in 1988, was disbanded in 2013 and superseded by two new constituencies, Kilifi North Constituency and Kilifi South Constituency.
Gideon Mung'aro is the current governor of Kilifi County, having served since August 2022. [23] Stewart Madzayo has represented Kilifi County in the Senate since 2017. [24] [25] Gertrude Mbeyu Mwanyanje is the woman representative elected in 2017. [26]
Number | |
---|---|
The Governor | 1 |
The Deputy Governor | 1 |
The County Secretary | 1 |
The CEC Members | 10 |
Total | 13 |
Source [27]
Kilifi County has 1071 ECD centres, 757 primary schools, 178 secondary schools, 13 youth polytechnics, and 280 adult education centres. [28]
Category | Public | Private | Total | Enrolment |
---|---|---|---|---|
ECD Centres | 602 | 469 | 1071 | 104,362 |
Primary schools | 526 | 231 | 757 | 310,007 |
Secondary schools | 132 | 46 | 178 | 47,010 |
Youth Polytechnics | 13 | 0 | 13 | |
Adult Education Centres | 280 | 0 | 280 |
There are a total of 235 health facilities in the county with one county referral hospital. [30]
Government | *FBO | Private | NGO | TOTAL | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hospitals | 5 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
Health centres | 13 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
Dispensaries | 70 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 87 |
Clinics | 1 | 0 | 109 | 4 | 113 |
The county is covered by a network of 3,678.6 km of roads. Of this, 2,230.9 km is surfaced by earth, 1,091.5 km is surfaced by murram and 356.2 km is covered by bitumen. [30]
The county's main highways are Mombasa Malindi highway and Kaloleni Mavueni.
There are 7 post offices, with 6,800 installed letter boxes, 6,120 rented letter boxes and 680 vacant letter boxes. [32]
Malindi is a town on Malindi Bay at the mouth of the Sabaki River, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It is 120 kilometres northeast of Mombasa. The population of Malindi was 119,859 as of the 2019 census. It is the largest urban centre in Kilifi County.
The Coast Province was one of Kenya's eight provinces. It covered the entire 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.
Kilifi is a town on the coast of Kenya, 56 kilometres (35 mi) northeast of Mombasa by road. The town lies on the Kilifi Creek and sits on the estuary of the Goshi River. Kilifi is the capital of Kilifi County and had a population of 122,899 during the 2009 census.
Watamu is a small town located approximately 105 km north of Mombasa and about 15 km south of Malindi on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It lies on a small headland, between the Blue Lagoon and Watamu Bay. Its main economic activities are tourism and fishing. The town had a population of around 30,000 in 2020 and it is part of Kilifi County.
Lamu County is a county in Kenya located along the North Coast of the country and is one of the six Coastal Counties in Kenya. Its capital is the town of Lamu. It borders Tana River County to the southwest, Garissa County to the north, Somalia to the northeast, and the Indian Ocean to the South. It is the Smallest County in Kenya by population.
Mombasa County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya and has its capital in Mombasa City. In terms of economy it is second most developed after Nairobi city. Initially Mombasa was one of the districts of Kenya until 2013 when it was reconstituted as a county, on the same boundaries. It is the smallest county in Kenya, covering an area of 229.7 km2 excluding 65 km2 of water mass. The county is situated in the south eastern part of the former Coast Province, bordering Kilifi County to the north, Kwale County to the south west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Administratively, the county is divided into seven divisions, eighteen locations and thirty sub-locations.
Gede is a village on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya, lying in Kilifi County, south of Malindi and north of Watamu. The Ruins of Gedi are located there. Although not thought to be mentioned in historic sources, extensive ruins of a former port have been dated to the thirteenth century or earlier, including a tomb with a date corresponding to 1399, until at least the seventeenth century. Later, the port was abandoned and not rediscovered until the 1920s.
Athi River is a town outside Nairobi, Kenya in Machakos County. The town is named after the Athi River, which passes through. It is also known as Mavoko.
Malindi District was a former administrative district in the Coast Province of Kenya. Its capital was the coastal town of Malindi. When it was merged with Kilifi district to form Kilifi County in 2010, the district had a population of 544,303. Malindi Town is increasingly becoming known as Kenya’s "Little Italy". Italians own more than 2,500 properties, [usurped] and the number of Italian residents in Malindi town and its environs, estimated at over 3,000, is the largest European population compared to other European populations elsewhere in the country.
The Segeju are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group mostly based in Tanzania's Tanga Region and Kenya's Kwale County. Most Segeju reside in the small coastal strip between the Tanzanian city of Tanga and the Kenyan-Tanzanian border. However, some Segeju have migrated to urban areas in other parts of Tanzania or Kenya, in hopes of better employment opportunities and quality of life. Segeju migration to urban areas often results in severance of community ties, leading to a lack of transmission of important cultural traditions and language.
The National Museums of Kenya is a state corporation that manages museums, sites and monuments in Kenya. It carries out heritage research, and has expertise in subjects ranging from palaeontology, archeology, ethnography and biodiversity research and conservation. Its headquarters and the National Museum are located on Museum Hill, near Uhuru Highway between Central Business District and Westlands in Nairobi. The National Museum of Kenya was founded by the East Africa Natural History Society (E.A.N.H.S.) in 1910; the society's main goal has always been to conduct an ongoing critical scientific examination of the natural attributes of the East African habitat. The museum houses collections, and temporary and permanent exhibits. Today the National Museum of Kenya manages over 22 regional museums, many sites, and monuments across the country.
Swahili architecture is a term used to designate a whole range of diverse building traditions practiced or once practiced along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Africa. Rather than simple derivatives of Islamic architecture from the Arabic world, Swahili stone architecture is a distinct local product as a result of evolving social and religious traditions, environmental changes, and urban development.
Makueni County is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Wote. It's the largest town in the county. Emali town which is an important market and stop over for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), is another major town in the county. It is multicultural and adds diversity to Makueni County. The county had a population of 987,653 in the 2019 census. The county lies between Latitude 1° 35' and 2° 59' South and Longitude 37° 10' and 38° 30' East. It borders Machakos County to the North, Kitui County to the East, Taita Taveta County to the South and Kajiado County to the West and covers an area of 8,008.9 km2.
The Mombasa–Garissa Road, also B8 Road (Kenya) is a major highway in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. The road connects the port city of Mombasa to the inland city of Garissa. This road is composed of the Mombasa–Malindi Road and the Malindi–Garissa Road.
Mnarani is a settlement in Kenya's Kilifi County in the former Coast Province. It is located on the Kilifi Creek and just south of Kilifi town, which can be reached by crossing the Kilifi Bridge. Mnarani is one of the seven county assembly wards in Kilifi North sub-county.
Imperial Bank Limited commonly known as Imperial Bank, is a commercial bank in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. It is one of the forty-three commercial banks licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, the central bank and national banking regulator.
Kilifi Bridge is the longest bridge in Kenya with a total length of 420 metres. The superstructure is a prestressed continuous box girder carrying two lanes. The bridge has three spans. The construction of Kilifi Bridge was completed in 1991.
Sub-counties, formerly 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.
Kilifi District was an administrative district in the Coast Province of Kenya. Its capital was coastal town Kilifi. The district had a population of 281,552.
Kilifi North Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of seven constituencies in Kilifi County. It was part of the former Bahari Constituency which was split into two by the IEBC Act.` It is also the administrative headquarters for Kilifi county and home to the only university in the county, Pwani University. It has a population of 178,824 people according to the 2019 census report.