Nakuru County Council is a defunct local authority in Kenya. It was one of the largest county councils in the country. It is home to a population of around 1.6 million, living on some 5,000 square kilometres in the central part of the country. The Nakuru area has a rich history, with human settlements dating back more than 3,000 years. The population is very diverse, with residents that have migratory background from different parts of the country. According to 2002 government statistics, on a population total of 1,312,555, the youth population up to age 25 years was 56%. The percentage of pre-primary and primary school going age residents was 31%, and the County’s total labour force population (age 15-64) was 54%. The population growth rate is 3.4%.
The rural population is estimated to be 65%, with the remaining 35% living in towns and villages of 2,000 inhabitants and over. The County has nine towns with a population of over 2,000 people. There are about 400,000 households, 25% of which are female headed. The number of disabled is 3% and the absolute poverty in the rural areas is 45% and in the urban areas 41%.
History
Nakuru County is the home of pre-historic mankind since a million years. Some 3,500 years ago at five kilometers from what is now Nakuru Town, was a village of about 1,000 people and semi-permanent homes. In the colonial days, the area attracted white settlers who successfully began to exploit its agricultural potential. Nakuru was linked to the Uganda railway and became a centre of trade and industrial activity.
The County Council of Nakuru was established in 1974 as one of the Local authorities of Kenya charged with the responsibility of providing social services to its residents. The administrative set-up follows an organization of local authorities suitable for a developing country like Kenya, with 50 elected Councillors representing 50 wards and 19 nominated Councillors. The Council Chairman is Councillor John Murigu Kamau and the Vice Chairman is Councillor Wilfred Kipyegon R. Kirui (following 2009 elections). The County has in its jurisdiction sizeable towns, including Gilgil where a strategic telecommunication equipment factory is situated, and Subukia in the valley between Nakuru and Nyeri towns. One of the largest volcanic craters in the world is located here: Menengai Crater with a diameter of 12km.
Local authorities in Kenya are the bodies controlling local governance in urban areas in Kenya.
At the time of Independence in 1963, it was realized that building a County Hall with offices was essential for a more economic and effective control of the new administrative and technical organization. It was estimated that the new County Hall would cost £50,000, inclusive of the Council Chamber. Plans were approved and realized, and the County Hall was officially opened on 23 October 1967 by the First President of Kenya, His Excellency Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. The County Council of the Central Rift comprised two administrative districts, namely Nakuru and Baringo Districts. The Council had under its administration the Area Councils of Naivasha, Nakuru, Molo, Londiani, North Baringo and South Baringo. This vast area covered seven thousand square miles with a population of about four hundred thousand people of different ethnic groups and diverse ways of life. This was under the regional (Majimbo) system of government.
Naivasha is a market town in Nakuru County, Kenya, lying 47 miles north west of Nairobi.
Nakuru is the fourth-largest city in Kenya after Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. It is the capital of Nakuru County and former capital of the Rift Valley Province. It had 307,990 inhabitants within its town limits by 2009, making it the largest urban centre in the Kenyan mid-west with Eldoret in Uasin Gishu following closely behind. Nakuru lies about 1,850 m above sea level.
Molo is a town in Nakuru County. It is served by a branch of Kenya Railways, formerly the Uganda Railway, East African Railways Corporation until 1977. Molo hosts a town council. The town has a population of 107,806.
The Council of the Central Rift was disbanded in 1974 and the County Council of Nakuru as we know it today was formed. This comprised only the Naivasha and Nakuru areas. The boundaries were established at Mau Summit, Olenguruone, Kiptunga, Tipis, Lengatua, Ole-Kurto, Maiela, Milili, Suswa, Kijabe (bordering Kiambu), Keriton Hill (bordering Nyandarua), National Youth Service Karunga Hill (Gilgil), Gitare Centre, Kariandusi, Kasambara, Ngorika, Dundori Centre, Equator (next to Laikipia), Mbogoine, Lower Solai, Kisanana, Mogotio (Molo River boundary), Makutano, and Ndoinet.
Suswa is a shield volcano in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. It is located between Narok and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
Kijabe is a town in Kenya. Its name is Maasai for "Place of the Wind". It stands on the edge of the Great Rift Valley at an altitude of 2200m, some 50 kilometres north-west of Nairobi. Kijabe is located in the sub-county of Lari, Kiambu County. Kijabe has a population 17,334. Kijabe has a railway station along the Uganda Railway. The town is located between Limuru and Naivasha. It is an alcohol and cigarettes free town.
Kiambu is a town in Kiambu County, Kenya within the Nairobi Metropolitan Region. It has an urban population of 88,869. It is the capital of the Kiambu County, which bounds the northern border of Nairobi. Other proximate towns are Ruiru, Gatundu (NE), Limuru (NW) and Kabete (SW).
Economy
Everywhere in Nakuru County is agricultural activity. Agriculture contributes 48% of income. Rural self-employment contributes 8%, wage employment 19%, urban self-employment 23% and other sectors 2%. The number of unemployed in 2002 was 294,195 (15%). Average farm size (small scale) is 2.5-acre (10,000m2) while average farm size (large scale) is 1,100-acre (4.5km2). The main food crops produced include maize, beans, Irish potatoes and wheat. The types of fruits and vegetables grown are tomatoes, peas, carrots, onions, French beans, citrus, peaches, apples, cabbages, strawberries, asparagus and leeks. Most of these are grown in Bahati, Njoro, Molo, Rongai, Olenguruone, Nakuru Municipality, Gilgil and Mbogo-ini Divisions. There are three canning factories: Kokoto, Njoro Canners and Kabazi Canners. Tea production is carried out in Olenguruone, Keringet and Bahati Divisions. The parastatal company Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA ) only takes tea from Olenguruone and Keringet. The processing of small-holder tea together with that from Nyayo Tea Zone is carried out in Kiptagich Tea Factory Company Ltd. In Bahati Division are three large scale tea dams Beres, Ceres and Kinoru. The rest of tea farming is under small-holders in Kengero, Maombi and Munanda. Other cash crops include flowers, wheat, barley and pyrethrum. Most of all the barley needed for beer production is grown around Molo and Mau Narok. It is processed in Molo Town, where Kenya Malting Ltd has a factory and depots. This company also runs an extension scheme for its farmers under contract. Pyrethrum is a natural insecticide and the County is one of the most important production areas in the world. Most wheats are varieties of Mexican origin, due to climatic similarities between Mexico and Kenya. The total acreage under food crops is 130,000. The total acreage under cash crops 23,000. The main storage facilities include the National Cereals Produce Boards’ stores and silos with a combined capacity of over 220,000 tonnes. Nakuru County has become one of the bread-baskets of the country.
Njoro is an agricultural town 18 km west south west of Nakuru, Kenya situated on the western rim of the Rift Valley. Njoro town was the headquarters of the former Njoro District, hived off Nakuru District. Since 2010, when Njoro District was eliminated, it has been part of the Nakuru County.
Rongai is a town in Nakuru County, Kenya. It lies 30 km west of Nakuru, along the A104 Road and the railway line between Nakuru and Uganda. It is about 10 kilometres north of Elburgon and 15 kilometres east of Molo. The town lies 1912 m (6272 ft) above sea level and has a population of 20878. Rongai is part of the Rongai Constituency.
Keringet is a settlement in Kenya's Rift Valley Province.
There is much economic activity in other sectors than agriculture. The County boasts 146 industrial plants and over 5,200 informal sector enterprises. Banks and financial institution include eight commercial banks with branches spread out across the County, as well as branches of seven nationwide micro-finance institutions. There are over 150 savings and credit co-operative organizations, popularly known as SACCOs, with a combined membership of 50,000 households.
One of the fastest growing activities is horticulture, especially flower farming. Kenya has proven to be a very competitive exporter of cut flowers. New farms continue to be established, each one of them easily providing direct employment to 250 to 1,000 people. The most common livestock kept in the large-scale commercial farms are dairy and beef cattle, goat and sheep, with milk, meat, hide and skin, wool and mutton as their main products. The diversity and success of agriculture in the County is underscored by the presence of even horse-breeding, at Suswa Farm in Njoro Division. The majority of the large commercial farms are found around Naivasha, Molo, Rongai, Bahati and Njoro Divisions. The dairy industry is also well developed. An increasing number of farmer households is entering the dairy business, knowing that this can bring financial stability. Many small-holders are organized in cooperative societies. Large dairy processing plants are nearby in Nakuru Town and even export-grade cheese is being made by several firms in the area.
Fishing is practiced in Lake Naivasha, a fresh-water lake of 145 km2. There are three landing beaches and over one hundred boats. Fishing is regulated to ensure sustainability. The population of fish farmers with fish ponds is around 100. These ponds are concentrated in Mbogoini, Bahati and Njoro Divisions. The main species of fish catch are Tilapia varieties, Oreochromis, salmoides and procambarus.
The County Council of Nakuru is among the first rural administrative areas in Kenya to embark on an Information and Communication Technology strategy. The County was a champion in the "ICT in Local Government" campaign (2009).
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There is a difference between Nakuru County and Nakuru County Council.
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Related Research Articles
Rift Valley Province of Kenya, bordering Uganda, was one of Kenya's eight provinces, before the Kenyan general election, 2013.
Rift Valley Province was the largest and one of the most economically important provinces in Kenya. It was dominated by the Kenya Rift Valley which passes through it and gives the province its name. According to the 2009 Census, the former province covered an area of 182,505.1 square kilometres and would have had a population of 10,006,805, making it the largest and most populous province in the country. The bulk of the provincial population inhabited a strip between former Nairobi and Nyanza Province. The capital was the town of Nakuru.
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Subukia Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of eleven constituencies in Nakuru County The constituency has three wards, all of which elect councillors for the Nakuru County Council. The constituency was formerly known as Nakuru North Constituency. Rongai Constituency was carved out of it before the 1988 elections, and the remaining part of Nakuru North constituency was renamed Subukia before the 1997 elections.Recently Bahati Constituency was also removed leaving Subukia Constituency with three wards which include Kabazi, Subukia and Waseges
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Kuresoi Constituency is one of the five constituencies that form Nakuru County, in the Rift valley province. Kenya. In the proposed Independent electoral and boundaries commission's report of 2012, Kuresoi district will be split into two constituencies; Kuresoi North and Kuresoi South. A large part of kuresoi is the East Mau forest,part of the largest water catchment in Kenya, Mau forest. Two major rivers, Mara River and Sondu Miriu have their sources in Kuresoi, Molo River which drains into Lake Baringo has one of its tributaries Ribeti starting in Kuresoi.
