Kiambu County Explained

Kiambu County should not be confused with Kiambu.

Official Name:Kiambu County
Subdivision Type:County
Coordinates:-1.1667°N 86°W
Subdivision Type1:Sovereign state
Subdivision Name1: Kenya
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Central Province
Established Title:Established
Established Date:4 March 2013
(by 2010 Constitution of Kenya)
Established Title1:Preceded by
Established Date1:Central Province
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Kiambu
Seat1 Type:Seat of Government
Seat1:Thika Town
Leader Title:Governor
Leader Name:Kimani Wamatangi
Leader Title1:Constituencies/ Sub-counties
Leader Name2:12
Leader Title2:Judiciary
Leader Name3:Kiambu High Court
Blank Name Sec1:Senator
Blank Info Sec1:Karungo Wa Thang'wa
Blank1 Name Sec1:Woman Member of National Assembly
Blank1 Info Sec1:Ann wa muratha
Blank2 Name Sec1:County Assembly
Blank2 Info Sec1:County Assembly of Kiambu
Blank3 Name Sec1:Speaker
Blank3 Info Sec1:Charles Murungaru Thiong'o.
Parts Type:Wards
Parts:60[1]
Area Total Km2:2,449.2
Population As Of:2019 census
Population Total:2,417,735
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:East Africa Time
Utc Offset1:+3

Kiambu County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya. Its capital is Kiambu and its largest town is Thika town.[2] Kiambu County is the second most populous county in Kenya after Nairobi County. Kiambu County borders Nairobi and Kajiado Counties to the South, Machakos to the East, Murang'a to the North and North East, Nyandarua to the North West, and Nakuru to the West. It has a population of 2,417,735.[3] [4]

The county is 40% rural and 60% urban owing to Nairobi's consistent growth Northwards. The Kikuyu are the dominant tribe in the county. Kiambu is also an economic and political powerhouse in Kenya due to its sprawling population and relatively urban and educated populace. The county features the second most universities only behind Nairobi.

Climate

The county has an average annual rainfall of 1200mm and a mean temperature of 26C with temperatures as low as -7C in the upper highlands areas of Limuru. The long rains start in mid-March and run to May, and the cold season runs from July to August.[5]

Demographics

According to the 2019 census, there is a total population of 2,417,735 in the county: 1,187,146 males, 1,230,454 females, and 135 intersex persons. There are 796,241 households with an average household size of 3.0 persons per household and a population density of 952 people/km2.[6]

Distribution of Population by Sex and Sub-County[7] !Sub-County!Male!Female!Intersex!Total
Gatundu North54,18955,6783109,870
Gatundu South60,38461,7145122,103
Githunguri82,03783,1878165,232
Juja148,446152,48022300,948
Kabete97,794101,84514199,653
Kiambaa115,690120,69515236,400
Kiambu69,66176,22517145,903
Kikuyu90,91996,1985187,122
Lari67,06168,2384135,303
Limuru79,63279,682159,314
Ruiru180,947190,14420371,111
Thika East19,68819,264438,956
Thika West120,698125,10418245,820
Total1,187,1461,230,4541352,417,735

Religion

Religion in Kiambu County [8]

Religion (2019 Census)Number
Catholicism588,975
882,779
525,366
187,238
Orthodox17,670
Other Cristian120,492
Islam21,311
1,311
Traditionists3,117
Other119,515
No ReligionAtheists30,770
Don't Know3,854
Not Stated436

Administrative and political units

Political units

Politically, the county is divided into 12 constituencies, 60 county assembly wards, 97 locations and 257 sub-locations.

Electoral constituencies

Political leadership

Kimani Wa Matangi is the governor of Kiambu County following his election win on a UDA Ticket and successful swearing-in after the 2022 General election. He is deputised by H.E. Rosemary Kirika who hails from Gatundu-North subcounty.

Although the capital is Kiambu town, the Executive conducts business from Thika town. Due to its large Agikuyu dominated populace, Kiambu tends to deliver large votes during presidential elections. In the 2017 presidential election Uhuru Kenyatta, the Jubilee party frontrunner received 912,607 votes in the county, which is the most votes ever received from a single county in Kenya's election history, actually this accounted for nearly sixty percent of Kenyatta's margin of victory in the election. The current Kenya Kwanza government has its most members of Parliament from the county.

County Executive Committee[9] !!Number
Governor1
Deputy Governor1
County Secretary1
CEC Members10
Total13

Legislature

The legislature of Kiambu County is a unicameral County Assembly. It comprises 60 elected Members of County Assembly (MCA) from the 60 wards of the county and 27 nominated members. The members hold office for a five-year term each, renewable during the general election. The speaker and deputy speaker of the assembly are elected by the MCAs. The County Assembly is located at Kiambu town.

Judiciary

The Kiambu High Court was established on 20 June 2016.[10] As of 2017, it consists of a one-judge bench. It is temporarily located at Thika waiting for a permanent building to be constructed at Kiambu, the capital.

County administration

The county has a county administrator who is appointed by the President of Kenya. He is not part of the county government but is a representative of the President to assist with matters of administration in the county with regards to the national government.[11]

Education

In Kiambu County, there are 1,515 ECD centers, 948 primary schools, 365 secondary schools, 33 youth polytechnics, 165 adult education centers, one technical training institution, one technical institute of technology. There are a number of universities:[12] Kenyatta University, St Paul's University, Presbyterian University of East Africa, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology[13] and four private universities, Gretsa University,[14] UMMA University,[15] Mount Kenya University[16] and Zetech University.

Education Institutions in Kiambu County 2014[17] !Category!Public!Private!Total!Enrolment
ECD Centres552963151599,061
Primary Schools476472948326,770
Secondary Schools27194365116,366
Youth Polytechnics33033
Technical Training Institutes101
Adult Education Centres16501656,128
Institutes of Technology101
Universities145

Health

Kiambu County has a total of 505 health facilities: 108 are public, 64 faith-based, and 333 private. Kiambu County has 2,652 health personnel of different cadre with a doctor/population ratio of 1:6,667, while the nurse population ratio is at 1:1,110. The immunization coverage is at 89%, close to the national target of 90%.[18]

According to 2016 estimates, HIV prevalence is at 5.6% (below the national 5.9%) and the county is ranked 6th in terms of HIV burden.[19]

Health Facilities by Ownership[20] [21] !!Government!FBO!Private!TOTAL
Hospitals8911100251
Health centres3320043
Dispensaries7221093
Clinics00147147
Total11940173332

Transport and communication

The county is covered by 2049km (1,273miles) of road networks. Of this, 459km (285miles) is covered by earth surface, 1075.8km (668.5miles) is murram surface, and 515km (320miles) is covered by bitumen.[22]

There are 19 Post Offices.

Trade and commerce

There are 302 trading centers, 118 markets, 364 retail supermarkets, 5,813 registered businesses, 5,807 licensed retail traders and 5,740 licensed wholesale traders.[23]

Tatu City is a special economic zone and an industrial park located in Ruiru sub-county. Apart from real estate, individuals and organizations have also invested in processing. Companies operating in Kiambu include: Farmers Choice Ltd, 25 Kenchic Co. Ltd, Brookside Dairies, Githunguri Dairies, Ndumberi Dairies, Limuru Milk and Palmside Dairies. Kiambu has the second largest economy in Kenya, largely due to its sprawling population and close proximity to the capital city. Kiambu also has the second most educated populace of any county in Kenya.

Thika sub-county has 58 industries, including Bidco Oil Industries, Devki Steel Mills, Broadway Bakeries and Kenblest, among others.[24]

Constituencies and sub-counties

The county has twelve constituencies and fourteen sub-counties.[25] [26] Of the twelve constituencies, Lari occupies the largest land mass at 439.21NaN1, while Kabete is the smallest by landmass as it occupies 60.31NaN1.

Kiambu County area: Constituencies size by land-mass[27] [28] ! Constituency !Area (km2)!No. of Wards!Electoral Wards
Lari439.25Kinale Ward, Kijabe Ward, Nyanduma Ward, Kamburu Ward, Lari/Kirenga Ward
Juja326.65Murera Ward, Theta Ward, Juja Ward, Witeithie Ward, Kalimoni Ward
Ruiru291.98Gitothua Ward, Biashara Ward, Gatongora Ward, Kahawa/Sukari Ward, Kahawa Wendani Ward, Kiuu Ward, Mwiki Ward, Mwihoko Ward
Gatundu North286.04Gituamba Ward, Githobokoni Ward, Chania Ward, Mang'u Ward
Limuru281.75Bibirioni Ward, Limuru Central Ward, Ndeiya Ward, Limuru East Ward, Ngecha Tigoni Ward
Kikuyu236.15Karai Ward, Nachu Ward, Sigona Ward, Kikuyu Ward, Kinoo Ward
Thika Town217.55Township Ward, Kamenu Ward, Hospital Ward, Gatuanyaga Ward
Gatundu South192.44Kiamwangi Ward, Kiganjo Ward, Ndarugo Ward, Ngenda Ward
Kiambu189.14Ting'ang'a Ward, Ndumberi Ward, Riabai Ward, Township Ward
Githunguri173.55Githunguri Ward, Githiga Ward, Ikinu Ward, Ngewa Ward, Komothai 3 Ward
Kiambaa83.25Cianda Ward, Karuri Ward, Ndenderu Ward, Muchatha Ward, Kihara Ward
Kabete60.35Gitaru Ward, Muguga Ward, Nyathuna Ward, Kabete Ward, Uthiru Ward
Total2,543.5233233

Sub-counties

Sub-counties are mostly derived from constituency boundaries but two constituencies, Ruiru and Thika, have two sub-counties each.[29]

Population

Historical populations[31] !Year!Population!Variation
1979686,290 -
1989914,412 +33.2%
19991,389,723 +52.0%
20091,623,282 +16.8%
20192,417,735 +48.9%

Nairobi Metro

Part of southern areas of Kiambu County are within Greater Nairobi, which consists of four out of 47 counties in Kenya.[32] [33]

Stats

Nairobi Metro

Urbanisation

Source: OpenDataKenya

Wealth/Poverty Level

Source: OpenDataKenya Worldbank

Central Kenya Region

Urbanisation

Source: OpenDataKenya

Wealth/poverty level

Source: OpenDataKenya Worldbank

External links

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Political Units . County Government of Kiambu . 31 August 2021.
  2. Web site: Background of Kiambu County. County Assembly of Kiambu. en-gb. 25 May 2020.
  3. Web site: Kiambu County (Kenya). crwflags.com. 26 May 2020.
  4. Web site: Kiambu Position and Size. Kiambu County Government. en-US. 28 May 2020.
  5. Book: Kiambu County Integrated Development Plan CIDP 2018-2022. County Government of Kiambu. 2018. 3.
  6. Web site: 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Results. Munene. Evans. 4 November 2019. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. en-US. 28 May 2020.
  7. Book: 2019 Kenya Population and House Census: Population by County and Sub-county, Volume 1. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 2019. 9789966102096. 26, 35, 44.
  8. Web site: 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics . 2 May 2021 . Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. dmy .
  9. Web site: 179. County executive committees. Kenya Law Reform Commission. 28 May 2020.
  10. Web site: Kiambu gets High Court · Welcome :: Republic of Kenya - the Judiciary . 10 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171011071852/http://www.judiciary.go.ke/portal/blog/post/kiambu-gets-high-court . 11 October 2017 . dead .
  11. Web site: The County Government Act 2012. Constitution and Reform Education Consortium. 28 May 2020. 3 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603180616/http://crecokenya.org/new/index.php/resource-center/bills/174-the-county-government-act-2012. dead.
  12. Web site: Education, Gender, Culture & Social Services. 28 May 2020. Kiambu County Government. en-US.
  13. Web site: History. 26 January 2021. jkuat.ac.ke.
  14. Web site: Gretsa University – Quality Education For the Real World. 26 January 2021. en-US.
  15. Web site: Umma Profile. 26 January 2021. Umma University. en-gb. 1 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210201042153/https://www.umma.ac.ke/index.php/page/about-us-2. dead.
  16. Web site: Main Campus, Thika. 26 January 2021. mku.ac.ke. 26 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210126210707/https://mku.ac.ke/index.php/contacts-for-all-campuses/main-campus-thika. dead.
  17. Web site: Publications. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. en-US. 28 May 2020.
  18. Web site: CoG Reports - Kiambu County Integrated Development Plan CIDP 2018-2022. The Council of Governors. 28 May 2020.
  19. Web site: Kenya HIV County Profiles 2016. 2016. National AIDS Control Council. 28 May 2020.
  20. Web site: Health Services. Kiambu County Government. en-US. 28 May 2020.
  21. Web site: County Statistical Abstract Kiambu County 2015. 2015. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 28 May 2020.
  22. Web site: Kenya Rural Roads Authority. Kenya Rural Roads Authority. 28 May 2020.
  23. Web site: Trade, Tourism, Industries & Enterprise Development. Kiambu County Government. en-US. 28 May 2020.
  24. Web site: Kiambu County Integrated Development Plan CIDP 2018-2022. 2018. County Government of Kiambu. 28 May 2020.
  25. Web site: County Government of Kiambu – Home . https://web.archive.org/web/20130808010337/http://kiambu.go.ke/ . 8 August 2013 . dead . 20 June 2016 .
  26. Web site: County Wards . 10 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171011112938/http://www.kiambucountyassembly.go.ke/Kiambu/county-wards.html . 11 October 2017 . dead .
  27. Web site: Political Units .
  28. Web site: National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) - Home. www.nema.go.ke. 23 April 2024.
  29. Web site: The Kenya Gazette: Vol. CXXII —No. 9. 17 January 2020. The Kenya Gazette. 30 October 2022.
  30. Web site: The Kenya Gazette: Vol. CXXIV—No. 21. 31 January 2022. The Kenya Gazette. 30 October 2022.
  31. Web site: KENYA: Administrative Division population statistics. CityPopulation.de. 31 August 2021.
  32. http://196.200.27.243:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/111/Nairobi.pdf?sequence=3 Nairobi
  33. http://www.nairobimetro.go.ke/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=43&Itemid=90 Nairobi metro