While widely recognized in political discourse, it is not an official administrative unit under the 2010 Constitution, which recognizes only the national government and the 47 Counties of Kenya. As of early 2026, the inclusion of Kiambu in this bloc has become a subject of political debate. A movement led by some Kiambu leaders has sought to distance the county from the "Mount Kenya" label.[6]
Demographics
Mt Kenya Region – Historical Population
Year
Population (in 'Millions)
Growth Rate
2020
8.808
–
2021
8.938
1.47%
2022
9.070
1.48%
2023
9.200
1.43%
2024
9.332
1.43%
2025
9.464
1.41%
2030
10.110
1.34%
As of 2025 the population of Mt Kenya region is 9.46 Million which is a 1.41% increase from 2024. Kiambu County is the most populous County with 2.7 Million people, Followed by Meru County 1.6 Million people, while , Tharaka-Nithi and Kirinyaga had the least population growth with 0.95% and 0.91% respectively.
Population in Mt Kenya region by County
Population in Mt Kenya (2020–2030) (in thousands)
County
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2030 (projection)
Mt Kenya Region
8,808
8,938
9,070
9,200
9,332
9,464
10,110
1
Kiambu
2,501
2,552
2,602
2,653
2,704
2,754
3,006
2
Meru
1,565
1,586
1,606
1,626
1,646
1,666
1,765
3
Murang'a
1,077
1,088
1,100
1,112
1,124
1,136
1,194
4
Nyeri
810
818
827
835
844
853
895
5
Kirinyaga
657
670
683
696
708
721
783
6
Tharaka-Nithi
403
408
412
416
421
425
446
7
Embu
629
635
642
648
655
662
692
8
Laikipia
529
539
550
561
572
583
639
9
Nyandarua
637
642
648
653
658
664
690
Religion
Nyeri Cathedral Church, Nyeri County
Christianity is the dominant religion in Mt Kenya with 97% adherent's, Protestantism was the largest denomination with around 37% being Protestants with Meru County and Tharaka-Nithi County having the more than 40% Protestants, Catholicism followed with around 24% adherents Evangelism 22%, African Instituted Churches represented 8% of the Population. Islam was a minority religion with only 0.68% of the population being Islamic. 1.37% were Irreligious with Laikipia County and Nakuru County having the most Irreligious people [7]
The median age of mount Kenya region is 24.5 which is the highest in the country. Nyeri County and Kirinyaga County have the highest median age of 27 years, Followed by Embu County and Murang'a County with 25 years. Laikipia County and Nyandarua County have the least median age with a median age of 21 years. Central Mount Kenya region and East Mount Kenya region had the highest median age while Western and Northern Mount Kenya region had the least median age.
The Mount Kenya region has long been inhabited by a diverse mix of ethnolinguistic groups for centuries.
The Mount Kenya region has served as a cultural crossroads for centuries, with Cushitic-speaking groups (such as the ancestors of the Dahalo and the now-extinct Yaaku and Taita Cushites), Nilotic-speaking peoples (ancestors of the Kalenjin and Omotik)[8][9] and later the Bantu groups arriving in waves from the 3rd century CE onwards.[10] This resulted in a complex, intermingled history of migration, interaction, and assimilation, as these communities—including the Kikuyu, Meru, and Embu who established agricultural and trading systems while interacting with earlier hunter-gatherer groups like the Gumba and Athi. The extensive intermingling is evident in modern demographics, with groups like the Kikuyu showing significant genetic and cultural influence from both Cushitic and Nilotic ancestors.[11]
Today the Mount Kenya area is home to predominantly the Kenyan Highland Bantu communities and some Nilotic groups such as the Maasai people, an Eastern Nilotic group, have historically interacted with these Bantu groups, particularly in the lower, drier slopes and surrounding plains, such as in Laikipia.[12] The Gikuyu (Kikuyu), Embu, and Meru are Bantu-speaking peoples who settled in Kenya's central highlands following migrations from the northeast. While their oral tradition and beliefs trace spiritual roots to Mount Kenya (Kirinyaga), the mountain serves as a central landmark in a broader traditional cosmology.[13] Significant settlement occurred between the 17th and 19th centuries, during which these groups adopted social structures like age set systems through interaction with Nilotic and Cushitic neighbors.[14][15][13] Governance was maintained through these age-sets and councils such as the Njuri Ncheke and Kiama. Traditional livelihoods of farming and herding were supplemented by 19th-century trade in ivory and hides.
Colonial History
In the late 19th century Mount Kenya fell under British colonial control. Much of its fertile highland became part of the "White Highlands", displacing many local farmers to reserves.[16] African political consciousness rose, and by the 1930s the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru communities began organizing through groups like the Kikuyu Central Association and later the Kenya African Union. This culminated in the Mau Mau uprising (1952–1960), an armed anti-colonial rebellion largely led by Kikuyu (with many Embu and Meru supporters) who hid in the forests of Mount Kenya and Aberdares. Thousands of "oathed" insurgents took refuge on Mt. Kenya, attacking settler farms and colonial outposts. The colonial government's brutal Emergency (villagization, detention camps) took a heavy toll on the local population. Notable figures from the region included Dedan Kimathi (Kikuyu freedom fighter executed by the British), Wangari Maathai (later Nobel laureate environmentalist from Nyeri), and Jomo Kenyatta (a Kikuyu leader from Kiambu who was imprisoned during the Emergency but became Kenya's first president in 1964).
Geography
The mountain's steep altitude gradient creates distinct ecological zones. Montane forests (Juniperus, Podocarpus, and bamboo) cover the slopes up to about 2,500–3,000 m, above which dense bamboo zone and heathland ("Afro-alpine" heather and giant Lobelia) extend to ~4,000 m, and moorland tussock-grass plains occur up to ~5,000 m. Twelve small glaciers and about 20 tarns (alpine lakes) remain on the highest peaks, though they are rapidly retreating due to climate change. The lower slopes are drained by rivers (tributaries of the River Tana and River Ewaso Nyiro) and feed several reservoirs. For example, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Laikipia County (north of Mount Kenya) and the Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve form part of the mountain's watershed system. These conservancies link the forested foothills of Mt. Kenya to the adjacent Laikipia plateau and Somalian/Maasai savanna ecosystem.[17]
Mount Kenya and its surroundings are protected as a national park and forest reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site for its outstanding natural beauty and biodiversity. The Mount Kenya National Park (managed by Kenya Wildlife Service) and the adjacent forest reserve (Kenya Forest Service) cover the highlands above ~2,000 m. They safeguard the mountain's unique flora and fauna (elephants, leopards, endemic rodents, alpine birds, etc.). Lower on the mountain are large tea and coffee farms (especially in Kiambu, Kirinyaga, and parts of Meru, Embu and Nyeri), as well as vast dairy pastures. As of the 2019 census, the ten Mt. Kenya counties ranged from very populous (Kiambu: 2,417,735 people; Nakuru: 2,162,202) to sparsely populated (Laikipia: 518,560). The table below summarizes 2019 population and area for each county in the region.
Counties of the Mt. Kenya Region (Ranked by Area)
Rank
County
Area (km2)
Population (2023 est.)
Population Density (per km2)
1
Laikipia
9,508
518,560
55
2
Meru
7,014
1,545,714
220
3
Nyeri
3,325
759,164
228
4
Nyandarua
3,286
638,289
194
5
Embu
2,821
608,599
216
6
Tharaka-Nithi
2,564
393,177
153
7
Kiambu
2,539
2,417,735
952
8
Murang’a
2,523
1,056,640
419
9
Kirinyaga
1,478
610,411
413
Total
35,058
8,548,289
Except for Kiambu, most of the region is predominantly rural. For example, Kiambu's urban population (1,706,785) far exceeds its rural (711,450), whereas Kirinyaga's rural residents (474,187) greatly outnumber its urban (136,224). Agriculture dominates the lower regions, with crops like tea (slopes of Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Tharaka Nithi) and coffee (Meru, Nyeri) as cash crops, plus maize, beans and horticulture. The region is also a dairy powerhouse (Meru alone produces ~200million liters/year of milk) and contains projects like the Mwea rice irrigation scheme (Kirinyaga).
Economy
Kenya Gross County Product 2026
Agriculture remains the backbone of the Mount Kenya economy, where fertile highlands produce tea, coffee, horticultural crops, and dairy on a large scale. With a regional Nominal GDP of $21.57 billion (estimated at KSh 2.78 trillion annually) in 2024, the region contributes approximately 18.6% to Kenya's national GDP ($116 billion). Kiambu is the largest economy contributing around ~29.49% to the regional GDP, Meru follows, contributing ~18.92% to GDP. In terms of GDP Per Capita, Nyeri and Embu leads with a GDP per Capita (Nominal) of $2,635 and $2,590 respectively.[18][2]
GDP PER CAPITA IN MOUNT KENYA REGION
Regional GDP in Mt Kenya GDP and GDP (PPP) (2024, USD billions)
Rank
County
GDP (Nominal)
GDP (PPP)
Per Capita (Nominal)
Per Capita (PPP)
Mt Kenya Region
2,310
6,900
1
Kiambu
6.36
18.99
2,351
7,016
2
Meru
4.08
12.18
2,476
7,389
3
Murang’a
2.29
6.84
2,041
6,090
4
Nyeri
2.22
6.63
2,635
7,862
5
Nyandarua
1.69
5.05
2,388
7,125
6
Embu
1.70
5.08
2,590
7,729
7
Kirinyaga
1.44
4.30
2,190
6,534
8
Laikipia
1.05
3.13
1,828
5,454
9
Tharaka-Nithi
0.74
2.21
1,751
5,225
Total
21.57
64.41
Average
Politics
2022 Presidential elections results in Mount Kenya region
The Mount Kenya region is a major political force in Kenya due to its large voting population and cohesive voting patterns. It has historically been a stronghold of Central Kenya leadership – producing presidents Jomo Kenyatta (Kiambu), Mwai Kibaki (Nyeri), and Uhuru Kenyatta (Kiambu/Murang’a) – and commanding a block of electoral votes. Traditionally, Mt. Kenya counties have voted largely as a bloc for parties favored by Kikuyu elites, although splits have occurred (e.g. Ford-Asili in the 1970s, NARC in 2002). In the post-2010 era, new political formations emerged: for example, Kirinyaga's Martha Karua ran for president (2013) and became an opposition figure, while Meru leaders like Peter Munya and Irungu Kang’ata have been influential in Jubilee and UDA administrations.[19]
In the 2022 elections, the region swung behind William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza coalition (UDA party) against the traditional Azimio alliance.Issues like county development funds, coffee pricing, and land rights on the mountain frequently dominate local politics.
As of early 2026, the inclusion of Kiambu in this bloc has become a subject of political debate. A movement led by some Kiambu leaders has sought to distance the county from the "Mount Kenya" label.[20]
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Kenya
$64.41 billion (2024) [2] 
