Laikipia County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, located on the Equator in the former Rift Valley Province. Laikipia is a cosmopolitan county and is listed as county number 31. The county has two major urban centres: Nanyuki to the southeast, and Nyahururu to the southwest. Its county government headquarters town is Rumuruti.[2]
Laikipia County | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location in Kenya | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| Formed | 4 March 2013 |
| Capital | Rumuruti |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Joshua Irungu |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,696.1 km2 (3,357.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2019) | |
• Total | 518,560[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Website | laikipia |
The county lies between latitudes 0° 18" South and 0° 51" North and between longitudes 36° 11" and 37° 24' East. It borders Samburu County to the north, Isiolo County to the north east, Meru County to the east, Nyeri County to the south east, Nyandarua County to the south, Nakuru County to the south west and Baringo County to the west.[3]
Economic activities in the county consists mainly of tourism and agriculture, chiefly grain crops, ranching and greenhouse horticulture.
The county encompasses the high, dry Laikipia Plateau, and has a cool, temperate climate with both rainy and dry seasons.[4]
Demographics
Laikipia County has a total population of 518,560, of whom 259,440 are males, 259,102 females and 18 intersex persons. There are 149,271 households with an average household size of 3.4 persons per household and a population density of 54 people per square kilometre.[5]
Religion
Religion in Laikipia County [6]
| Religion (2019 Census) | Number |
|---|---|
| Catholicism | 147,752 |
| Protestant | 152,699 |
| Evangelical Churches | 108,701 |
| African Instituted Churches | 35,236 |
| Orthodox | 1,648 |
| Other Christian | 27,854 |
| Islam | 8,475 |
| Hindu | 205 |
| Traditionists | 7,127 |
| Other | 7,238 |
| No religion/atheism | 15,695 |
| Don't know | 1,221 |
| Not stated | 28 |
Administrative and political units
Administrative units
There are five sub-counties, fifteen county assembly wards, and 52 locations.[7]
Sub-counties
- Laikipia Central
- Laikipia East
- Laikipia North
- Laikipia West
- Nyahururu
- Kirima (newly created)
Source[8]
Electoral constituencies
Source[9]
Political leadership
Joshua Irungu is the current governor,[when?] serving his second and final term as governor. He returned after governor Ndiritu Muriithi defeated him in the 2017 general elections.[10][11] He is deputised by Reuben Kamuri, the current Deputy Governor, after Irungu did not run a second time with his previous deputy governor Gitonga Kabugi. John Kinyua Nderitu is the senator. He has been in office since 2017, replacing the first senator, Godfrey Gitahi Kariuki.[12][13] Jane Kagiri was elected women representative for the county in 2022.
For Laikipia County, the County Executive Committee comprises:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Governor | 1 |
| Deputy Governor | 1 |
| County Secretary | 1 |
| CEC Members | 6 |
| Total | 9 |
Source[14]
Members of Parliament 2022-2027 (Laikipia County)
- Hon. Mwangi Kiunjuri Laikipia East Constituency of the Service Party
- Hon. Wachira Karani of United Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament Laikipia West Constituency
- Hon. Korere, Sarah Paulata[15] of Jubilee Party Member of Parliament Laikipia North Constituency.[16]
Education
There are 600 ECD centres, 304 primary schools and 99 secondary schools. The county has also four teachers' training colleges, nine youth polytechnics, 94 adult training institutions and two universities.[17][18]
Health
There are a total of 175 health facilities in the county, with three county referral hospitals, 10 sub-county hospitals, 21 health centers and 141 dispensaries. The county has 1024 health personnel of different cadre.[19] The HIV prevalence rate stands at 3.2 per cent.[20]
Transport and communication
The county is covered by 1112.2 km of road network. Of this, 77.0 km is covered by earth surface, 705.5 km is murram surface and 319.7 km is covered by bitumen.[21][22]
There are 19 post offices with 2,299 installed letter boxes, 2,079 rented letter boxes and 220 vacant letter boxes.[8]
Administrative divisions
The county has three constituencies:
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 134,524 | — |
| 1989 | 218,957 | +62.8% |
| 1999 | 322,187 | +47.1% |
| 2009 | 399,227 | +23.9% |
| 2019 | 518,560 | +29.9% |
| source:[23] | ||
See also
External links
References
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