| Official Name: | Tharaka Nithi County |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Flag Size: | 150px |
| Coordinates: | -0.3°N 38°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Kenya |
| Established Title: | Formed |
| Established Date: | 4 March 2013 |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Kathwana |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Muthomi Njuki |
| Area Total Km2: | 2,609 |
| Population Total: | 393,177 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | EAT |
| Utc Offset: | +3 |
Tharaka-Nithi County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya. It was created from Kenya's Eastern Province. The county has an area of 2609 km2 and as of the 2019 census a population of 393,177.[2]
Tharaka-Nithi County is home to the Chuka, Muthambi, Mwimbi and Tharaka subgroups of the Ameru community. The people of Tharaka-Nithi County are predominantly Christian, with Catholics, Presbyterians, and Methodists being the predominant religious communities.
The county consists of three constituencies: Maara, Chuka/Igambang'ombe, and Tharaka.
In 1992, Meru District was broken up into four new districts: Meru Central, Meru North, Meru South and Tharaka. Subsequently, Meru South, also known as Nithi, combined with Tharaka into the Tharaka-Nithi District. In 1998, the Tharaka-Nithi District was split into two districts, Nithi and Tharaka,[3] but a 2009 High Court decision declared that split unconstitutional and re-combined the two.[4] Subsequently, under the revised constitution of 2010, Tharaka-Nithi became a county.[5]
Like other counties surrounding Mount Kenya, the primary economic activity in Tharaka-Nithi County is farming. Farmers have planted tea and coffee in the higher areas of the county and sorghum, maize, green grams and millet in the low altitude areas. Dairy farming and fish farming are also carried out in the area.
Religion in Tharaka-Nithi County[6]
| Religion (2019 Census) | Number |
|---|---|
| Catholicism | 108,266 |
| 172,266 | |
| 70,043 | |
| 18,749 | |
| Orthodoxy | 2,656 |
| Other Christian | 9.114 |
| Islam | 724 |
| 9 | |
| Traditionism | 251 |
| Other | 4,082 |
| No religion or atheism | 4.461 |
| Don't know | 615 |
| Not stated | 67 |