| Official Name: | Kirinyaga County |
| Flag Size: | 120px |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Kenya |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Kutus |
| Established Title: | Formed |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Anne Waiguru |
| Timezone: | EAT |
| Utc Offset: | +3 |
| Area Total Km2: | 1,478.1 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Total: | 610,411[1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
Kirinyaga County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya, located south of Mount Kenya. Its capital is Kutus and its largest town is Wanguru.[2] In 2019, the county had a population of 610,411 people[1] and an area of 1,478.1 km2. The county is bordered to the east and south by Embu County, to the south by a tiny part of Machakos County, to the southwest by Murang'a County and to the northwest by Nyeri County.
Kirinyaga County lies between 1158 and 5199 meters above sea level; its highest point is the summit of Mount Kenya.[3]
Kirinyaga County's governor is Anne Waiguru, who was elected to her first term in 2017, succeeding Joseph Ndathi. She was re-elected in 2022.[4]
The name Kirinyaga is derived from the name of the mountain now called Mount Kenya. When the German explorer Johann Ludwig Krapf came across the mountain, his guide, Kamba trader Chief Kivoi, told Krapf that the mountain was called Kii Nyaa, the Kamba translation of the Kikuyu's Kiri Nyaga. Krapf would then record this as Kenya, a name which would be applied to the mountain and later the country.
Kirinyaga District was established in 1963 from the western part of Embu District. Kerugoya was the district's administrative headquarters. After it became a county, Kutus was made the county Headquarters. In 2007, Kirinyaga District was divided into four new districts:
Since April 2013, the County Government of Kirinyaga has administered all of Kirinyaga County. Formerly, the County Council of Kirinyaga administered the county excluding the area that was administered by the Municipal Council of Kerugoya/Kutus and the Town Council of Sagana-Kagio.
Kirinyaga County's governor is Anne Waiguru, who was elected to her first term in 2017, succeeding Joseph Ndathi. She was re-elected in 2022.
Kirinyaga District is divided as follows:
| Local authorities (councils) | ||||
| Authority | Type | Population* | Urban pop.* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality | 39,441 | 14,056 | ||
| Town | 22,475 | 3,031 | ||
| Kirinyaga | County | 395,189 | 13,103 | |
| Total | - | 457,105 | 30,190 | |
| Administrative divisions | ||||
| Division | Population* | Urban pop.* | Headquarters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | 74,068 | 12,585 | Kerugoya | |
| Gichugu | 121,738 | 1,988 | Kianyaga | |
| Mwea | 125,962 | 7,625 | Wanguru | |
| Ndia | 135,337 | 2,960 | Baricho | |
| Total | 457,105 | 25,158 | - | |
The county has four constituencies:
Religion in Kirinyaga County [5]
| Religion (2019 Census) | Number |
|---|---|
| Catholicism | 179,316 |
| 240,600 | |
| 122,301 | |
| 34.072 | |
| Orthodox | 2,304 |
| Other Cristian | 14,564 |
| Islam | 2,425 |
| 169 | |
| Traditionists | 233 |
| Other | 3,314 |
| No Religion/Atheists | 5,580 |
| Don't Know | 721 |
| Not Stated | 31 |
Source: OpenDataKenya
Source: OpenDataKenya Worldbank
Like most counties in the Mount Kenya region, agriculture is the main economic activity in Kirinyaga County. The county is best known for rice production from the Mwea Irrigation Scheme, which is watered by canal from the Thiba River. Coffee and tea are also grown in the cooler areas of the county. Other crops grown in the area include maize, beans, tomatoes, French beans, and other horticultural crops. Due to the scarcity of land and high population, most agriculture is done on a small scale. There is also fishing in Sagana along the Sagana River.
Kirinyaga County's business sector is growing quickly. Another significant economic feature is tourism. In 2013 Kirinyaga was ranked the second richest county in Kenya.[6]