Kirinyaga County

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Kirinyaga County
County
Coat of arms of Kirinyaga County
Coat of arms
Location in Kenya
Location in Kenya
Country Kenya
Formed4 March 2013 (2013-03-04)
CapitalKerugoya
Government
 • GovernorAnne Waiguru
Area
 • Total1,478.1 km2 (570.7 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total610,411[1]
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)
WebsiteKirinyaga County Government Website

Kirinyaga County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya. Its capital is Kerugoya and its largest town is Wanguru.[2] In 2019, the county had a population of 610,411[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 metres above sea level; its highest point is the summit of Mount Kenya.[3]

Rice threshing in

History[]

Kirinyaga District was created in 1963 out of the western part of Embu District.[2] Kerugoya town was the district headquarters. The district commissioner was based in this town. In 2007, Kirinyaga District was divided into four new districts:

  • with its administrative centre at Kerugoya
  • with its administrative centre at Kianyaga
  • with its administrative centre at Wanguru
  • with its administrative centre at .

Administration[]

Since April 2013, the County Government of Kirinyaga administers all of Kirinyaga County. Formerly, The County Council of Kirinyaga administered all of Kirinyaga County, except the area that was administered by the Municipal Council of Kerugoya /Kutus and the Town council of Sagana-Kagio.[2]

In April 2020, attempts by Deputy President William Ruto's allies to impeach Kiriyaga Governor Anne Waiguru as part of a wider Jubilee Party confrontation between Ruto and President Uhuru Kenyatta were reported by Africa Confidential.[4]

Subdivisions[]

Kirinyaga District is divided as follows:

Local authorities (councils)
Authority Type Population* Urban pop.*
Kerugoya/Kutus Municipality 39,441 14,056
Sagana/Kagio Town 22,475 3,031
Kirinyaga County 395,189 13,103
Total - 457,105 30,190
* 1999 census. Source: [1]
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 -
* 1999 census. Sources: [2], [3],

Electoral constituencies[]

The county has four constituencies:

Population[]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1979 291,431—    
1989 391,516+34.3%
1999 457,105+16.8%
2009 528,054+15.5%
2019 610,411+15.6%
source:[5]

Central Kenya Region[]

Urbanisation[]

Urbanisation in Central Kenya
County
Urbanisation in Central Kenya (Percent)
Kiambu County
60.8
Nyeri County
24.5
Nyandarua County
18.5
Muranga County
16.3
Kirinyaga County
15.8
 Kenya Average
32.3

Urbanisation by County in Central Kenya

Source: OpenDataKenya

Wealth/Poverty Level[]

Wealth/Poverty Level in Central Kenya
County
Poverty Level in Central Kenya (Percent)
Kirinyaga County
25.2
Muranga County
28.5
Kiambu County
28.9
Nyeri County
32.7
Nyandarua County
46.6
 Kenya Average
45.9

Poverty level by County

Source: OpenDataKenya Worldbank

Economy[]

Animal husbandry in Kirinyaga County

Like most counties in the Mt. Kenya region, agriculture is the main economic activity in Kirinyaga County. The county is best known for rice production at the Mwea Irrigation Scheme. Coffee and tea are also grown in the cooler areas of Ndia, Gichugu, and Kirinyaga Central constituencies. Other crops grown in the area include maize, beans, tomatoes, French beans and other horticultural crops. Due to scarcity of land and high population, most agriculture is done in small scale. There is also fishing at Sagana along the River Sagana. The business sector is also growing very fast. This has seen the growth of Markets such as Kagio Market. Kagio market serves Murang'a and Kirinyaga counties traders. In 2013 Kirinyaga was ranked the second Richest County.[6]

Villages and settlements[]

Gathambi Ndiriti Kandegwa Muragara,

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Kenya Census 2009 - Kenya (25K views)" – via Scribd.
  2. ^ a b c "County Council of Kirinyaga Website". Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Kirinyaga County Integrated Development plan 2018-2022". Maarifa Centre. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  4. ^ Africa Confidential, "Duelling Impeachments," 16 April 2020.
  5. ^ KENYA: Administrative Division population statistics
  6. ^ "MWEA IRRIGATION SCHEME". NATIONAL IRRIGATION BOARD. NATIONAL IRRIGATION BOARD. Retrieved 18 May 2019.

Coordinates: 0°30′S 37°17′E / 0.500°S 37.283°E / -0.500; 37.283

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