Laikipia County | |
---|---|
Country | Kenya |
Formed | 4 March 2013 |
Capital | Rumuruti |
Government | |
• Governor | Joshua Irungu |
Area | |
• Total | 8,696.1 km2 (3,357.6 sq mi) |
Population (2019) | |
• Total | 518,560 [1] |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Website | laikipia |
Laikipia County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, located on the Equator in the former Rift Valley Province of the country. Laikipia is a cosmopolitan county and is listed as county number 31. The county has two major urban centres: Nanyuki to the southeast, and Nyahururu to the southwest. Its county government headquarters town is Rumuruti. [2]
The county lies between latitudes 0° 18" South and 0° 51" North and between longitudes 36° 11" and 37° 24' East. It borders Samburu County to the north, Isiolo County to the north east, Meru County to the east, Nyeri County to the south east, Nyandarua County to the south, Nakuru County to the south west and Baringo County to the west. [3]
Economic activities in the county consist mainly of tourism and agriculture, chiefly grain crops, ranching and greenhouse horticulture.
The county encompasses the high, dry Laikipia Plateau, and has a cool, temperate climate with both rainy and dry seasons. [4]
Laikipia County has a total population of 518,560, of whom 259,440 are males, 259,102 females and 18 intersex persons. There are 149,271 household with an average household size of 3.4 persons per household and a population density of 54 people per square kilometre. [5]
Religion in Laikipia County [6]
Religion (2019 Census) | Number |
---|---|
Catholicism | 147,752 |
Protestant | 152,699 |
Evangelical Churches | 108,701 |
African Instituted Churches | 35,236 |
Orthodox | 1,648 |
Other Christian | 27,854 |
Islam | 8,475 |
Hindu | 205 |
Traditionists | 7,127 |
Other | 7,238 |
No religion/atheism | 15,695 |
Don't know | 1,221 |
Not stated | 28 |
There are five sub-counties, fifteen county assembly wards, and 52 locations. [7]
Source [8]
Source [9]
Joshua Irungu is the current governor,[ when? ] serving his second and final term as governor. He returned after governor Ndiritu Muriithi defeated him in the 2017 general elections. [10] [11] He is deputised by Reuben Kamuri, the current Deputy Governor, after Irungu did not run a second time with his previous deputy governor Gitonga Kabugi. John Kinyua Nderitu is the senator. He has been in office since 2017, replacing the first senator, Godfrey Gitahi Kariuki. [12] [13] Jane Kagiri was elected women representative for the county in 2022.
For Laikipia County, the County Executive Committee comprises:
Number | |
---|---|
Governor | 1 |
Deputy Governor | 1 |
County Secretary | 1 |
CEC Members | 6 |
Total | 9 |
Source [14]
There are 600 ECD centres, 304 primary schools and 99 secondary schools. The county has also four teachers' training colleges, nine youth polytechnics, 94 adult training institutions and two universities. [17] [18]
There are a total of 175 health facilities in the county, with three county referral hospitals, 10 sub-county hospitals, 21 health centers and 141 dispensaries. The county has 1024 health personnel of different cadre. [19] The HIV prevalence rate stands at 3.2 per cent. [20]
The county is covered by 1112.2 km of road network. Of this, 77.0 km is covered by earth surface, 705.5 km is murram surface and 319.7 km is covered by bitumen. [21] [22]
There are 19 post offices with 2,299 installed letter boxes, 2,079 rented letter boxes and 220 vacant letter boxes. [8]
Urban areas | |||
Authority | Type | Population* | |
---|---|---|---|
Nanyuki | Municipality | 56,421 | |
Nyahururu | Municipality | 58,943 | |
Rumuruti | Town | 37,810 | |
Kinamba | County | 2,658 | |
Total | - | 155,832 | |
* Laikipia CIDP 2015 projections. Source: |
Administrative divisions | |||
Division | Population* | Urban pop.* | Headquarters |
---|---|---|---|
Central | 77,478 | 28,489 | Nanyuki |
Lamuria | 38,517 | 0 | Lamuria |
Mukogondo | 13,176 | 624 | Dol Dol |
Ngarua | 65,545 | 2,813 | Kinamba |
Nyahururu | 37,412 | 22,459 | Nyahururu |
Olmoran | 11,069 | 0 | |
Rumuruti | 78,894 | 4,061 | Rumuruti |
Total | 322,187 | 58,466 | - |
* 1999 census. Sources: , , |
The county has three constituencies:
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1979 | 134,524 | — |
1989 | 218,957 | +62.8% |
1999 | 322,187 | +47.1% |
2009 | 399,227 | +23.9% |
2019 | 518,560 | +29.9% |
source: [23] |
Nyahururu is a town in Kenya, lying north east of Nakuru. The town derives its name from the Maasai word e-naiwurruwurr, meaning waterfall and/or windy or place of storms. It is located in Laikipia County. Despite this, Nyahururu formerly functioned as the administrative capital of Nyandarua District, before it became a county, until the headquarters was shifted to Ol Kalou. There have been calls for a reversal. The town has an urban population of 36,450. The town still continues to be a central economic power of the immediate former district of Nyandarua. For that reason, the town has strong economic ties to the two counties.
Nakuru County is a county in Kenya. It is county number 32 out of the 47 Kenyan counties. Nakuru County is a host to Kenya's Fourth City – Nakuru City. On 1 December 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded a City Charter status to Nakuru, ranking it with Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu as the cities in Kenya. With a population of 2,162,202, it is the third most populous county in Kenya after Nairobi County and Kiambu County, in that order. With an area of 7,496.5 km2, it is Kenya's 19th largest county in size. Until 21 August 2010, it formed part of Rift Valley Province.
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.
Kericho County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. The county seats between longitude 35°02' and 35°40' East and between the equator and latitude 0°23' South with an altitude of about 2002m above sea level. It borders Uasin Gishu County to the North West, Baringo County to the North-East, Nandi County to the North-West, Nakuru County to the East and Bomet County to the South, Kisumu County to the Northwest and Nyamira County to the West. It has a population of 901,777 and an area of 2,111 km². Its capital and largest town is Kericho.
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. Its capital and largest town is Kakamega. County has a population of 1,867,579, and an area of 3,033.8 km2.
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.
Kilifi County 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. Kilifi county is one of the five counties that make up the Kenyan Coast. The county has a population of 1,453,787 people following the 2019 census which covers an area of 12,245.90 km2 (4,728.17 sq mi).
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.
Nyamira County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya. Formally a district, Nyamira was hived off Kisii District in 1989, and it shares common boundaries with what was known as Nyamira District. The main cash crops grown are bananas and tea. The county has a population of 605,576. Its capital and largest town is Nyamira, with an urban population of around 41,668 The county is also referred to as North Kisii.
Nyandarua County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya, with its capital and largest town being Ol Kalou. Formerly, the capital was Nyahururu, which is now part of Laikipia County. Nyandarua County had a population of 596,268 in 2009 and 638,289 in 2019 and covers an area of 3,304 km2. The county is located on the northwestern part of the old Central Province, and contains the Aberdare Ranges.
Makueni County is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Wote.The largest town is Wote town followed by Emali town which is also an important market and stop over for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). Emali town is multicultural and adds diversity to Makueni county.The county has a population of 987,653. 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.
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.
Garissa County is a county in Kenya located in Eastern Kenya bordering Somalia to the East, Wajir County and Isiolo County to the North, Tana River County to the West, Lamu County to the South and the Indian ocean. Its capital and largest urban area is Garissa.
Mandera County is a county in northeastern Kenya, bordering Ethiopia to the north, Somali to the east, and Wajir to the south. It is predominantly home to the Somali community, with a population of 983,000 (2024), making it the 28th largest county in Kenya. Covering an area of approximately 25,797 square kilometers, Mandera County features natural landscapes, including the Dawa River and vast deserts. The primary economic activities include pastoralism and agriculture, with a focus on livestock. The capital and largest town is Mandera.
Ndiritu Muriithi is a Kenyan politician and former Governor of Laikipia County. He was elected in the August 2017 general elections as an Independent Candidate after he failed to clinch the Jubilee Alliance Party nominations ticket. He was elected as the second governor of Laikipia County through an independent ticket.
Kisii County is a county in the former Nyanza Province in southwestern Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kisii. The county has a population of 1,266,860 people. It borders Nyamira County to the North East, Narok County to the South, and Homa bay and Migori Counties to the West. The county covers an area of 1,318 km2.
Joshua Wakahora Irungu is a Kenyan politician and community development specialist. He was appointed to the position of Chairperson of Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) in February 2019. He is the first and third governor of the County of Laikipia first serving from 2013 to 2017, representing the Jubilee Coalition party TNA and securing a return running on a UDA ticket in 2022.
The Rumuruti Solar Power Station is a 40 MW (54,000 hp) solar power plant under development in Kenya.
John Nderitu is a Kenyan politician. He is the current senator for Laikipia County.
John Mwaniki is a politician and project management consultant, who served as the second Deputy Governor of Laikipia County, from 2017 to 2022, during the tenure of Ndiritu Muriithi. Prior to that he was the County secretary of the County Government of Laikipia from 2015 to 2016, during the first term of Governor Joshua Irungu, leaving the post after a protracted dispute with the then governor. While Deputy Governor he served as the chairperson of the Kenyan Deputy Governor's forum, being elected by his fellow deputy governors to the position in 2018