Kiambu County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya. Its capital is Kiambu and its largest town is Thika town.[3] 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.[4][5]
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 1,200 millimetres (47 in) and a mean temperature of 26 °C (79 °F) with temperatures as low as −7 °C (19 °F) in the upper highland areas of Limuru. The long rains start in mid-March to May, and the cold season from July to August.[6]
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.[7]
Distribution of Population by Sex and Sub-County[8]
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.
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.[1] 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.[11] 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.[12]
Education Institutions in Kiambu County 2014[13][18]
Category
Public
Private
Total
Enrolment
ECD Centres
552
963
1515
99,061
Primary Schools
476
472
948
326,770
Secondary Schools
271
94
365
116,366
Youth Polytechnics
33
0
33
Technical Training Institutes
1
0
1
Adult Education Centres
165
0
165
6,128
Institutes of Technology
1
0
1
Universities
1
4
5
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%.[19]
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.[20]
The county is covered by 2,049 kilometres (1,273 mi) of road networks. Of this, 459 kilometres (285 mi) is covered by earth surface, 1,075.8 kilometres (668.5 mi) is murram surface, and 515 kilometres (320 mi) is covered by bitumen.[23]
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.[22][24]
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 which hosts Thika Town (also known as Birmingham of Kenya, due to the many industries) has 58 industries, including Bidco Oil Industries, Devki Steel Mills, Broadway Bakeries and Kenblest, among others.[25]
Environment
Around 16% of Kiambu County, 40,000 hectares, is covered by forest. The trees are used for wood fuel as there is a high demand for both charcoal and firewood. Tree planting projects are in progress as the trees face increasing temperatures due to climate change.[26]
In 2021 a leading activist, Joannah Stutchbury was assassinated after protesting about developments in the forest.[27]
Constituencies and sub-counties
The county has twelve constituencies and fourteen sub-counties.[28][29] Of the twelve constituencies, Lari occupies the largest land mass at 439.2 km2 (169.6 sq mi), while Kabete is the smallest by landmass as it occupies 60.3 km2 (23.3 sq mi).
Kiambu County area: Constituencies size by land-mass[30][31]
