Kirinyaga County

Kirinyaga County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya, located south of Mount 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
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.go.ke

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]

Etymology

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.

History

Kirinyaga District was established in 1963 from the western part of Embu District.[2] Kerugoya was the district's administrative headquarters. In 2007, Kirinyaga District was divided into four new districts:

  • Kirinyaga Central with its administrative centre in Kerugoya
  • Kirinyaga East with its administrative centre in Kianyaga
  • Kirinyaga South with its administrative centre in Wanguru
  • Kirinyaga West with its administrative centre in Baricho
Rice threshing in Mwea

Administration

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.[2]

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]

Subdivisions

Kirinyaga District is divided as follows:

Local authorities (councils)
Authority Type Population* Urban pop.*
Kerugoya/KutusMunicipality39,44114,056
Sagana/KagioTown22,4753,031
KirinyagaCounty395,18913,103
Total-457,10530,190
* 1999 census. Source:
Administrative divisions
Division Population* Urban pop.* Headquarters
Central74,06812,585Kerugoya
Gichugu121,7381,988Kianyaga
Mwea125,9627,625Wanguru
Ndia135,3372,960Baricho
Total457,10525,158-
* 1999 census. Sources: ,

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]

Religion

Religion in Kirinyaga County [6]

Religion (2019 Census) Number
Catholicism179,316
Protestant240,6000
Evangelical Churches122,301
African instituted Churches34.072
Orthodox2,304
Other Cristian14,564
Islam2,425
Hindu169
Traditionists233
Other3,314
No ReligionAtheists5,580
Don't Know721
Not Stated31

Central Kenya Region

Urbanisation
Urbanisation in Central Kenya
County
Urbanisation in Central Kenya (Per cent)
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

Poverty level
Wealth/Poverty Level in Central Kenya
County
Poverty Level in Central Kenya (Per cent)
Kirinyaga County
20.2
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 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.[7]

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.[7]

Villages and settlements

References
  1. "Kenya Census 2009" – via Scribd.
  2. "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. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  4. Kejitan, Vincent. "Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru successfully defends her seat". The Standard. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  5. KENYA: Administrative Division population statistics
  6. "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics" (PDF). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. "Mwea Irrigation Scheme". National Irrigation Board. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.

0°30′S 37°17′E

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