List of cities and towns in Kenya by population

Kenya has five incorporated cities including the capital and largest city, Nairobi, the second-largest city of Mombasa, and the third-largest city, Kisumu. The fourth city to be awarded the status was Nakuru, which was upgraded from a municipality on 1 December 2021. The fifth was Eldoret, which was elevated on 15th August, 2024. Apart from these five cities, there are numerous municipalities and towns with significant urban populations.

Top 100 list

The list:

	Capital city
	City
	Municipality
	Others

The municipalities of Ruiru, Kikuyu,Thika, Mavoko, and Ngong which feature on the top 10 list of the most populated towns in Kenya also fall within the Nairobi Metropolitan region. Data for the largest urban centers in Kenya was provided under the Kenya Population Census of 2019.^[1]

№	City/ Town	Status	Population	County	Ref
1.	Nairobi	Capital	4,828,000	Nairobi	[2]
2.	Mombasa	City	1,208,333	Mombasa	[3]
3.	Nakuru	City	570,674	Nakuru	[3]
4.	Ruiru	Municipality (Ruiru + Githurai)	490,120	Kiambu	[3]
5.	Eldoret	City	475,716	Uasin Gishu	[3]
6.	Kisumu	City	397,957	Kisumu	[3]
7.	Kikuyu	Municipality	323,881	Kiambu	[3]
8.	Ngong	Municipality (Ngong + O/Rongai)	279,757	Kajiado	[3]
9.	Mavoko	Municipality (Mlolongo + Athi River + Syokimau + Katani + Githunguri)	258,498	Machakos	[4]
10.	Thika	Municipality	251,407	Kiambu/Murang'a	[3]
11.	Naivasha	Municipality	198,444	Nakuru	[3]
12.	Karuri	Municipality (Ruaka + Ndenderu)	194,342	Kiambu	[3]
13.	Kitale	Municipality	162,560	Trans Nzoia	[4]
14.	Juja	Municipality	156,041	Kiambu	[4]
15.	Kitengela	Municipality (Kitengela + Kisaju)	154,643	Kajiado	[4]
16.	Kiambu	Municipality	155,896	Kiambu	[4]
17.	Malindi	Municipality	119,859	Kilifi	[4]
18.	Mandera	Municipality	114,718	Mandera	[4]
19.	Kisii	Municipality	112,417	Kisii/Nyamira	[4]
20.	Kakamega	Municipality	107,227	Kakamega	[4]
21.	Mtwapa	Municipality	90,677	Kilifi	[4]
22.	Wajir	Municipality	90,116	Wajir	[4]
23.	Lodwar	Municipality	82,970	Turkana	[4]
24.	Limuru	Municipality	81,316	Kiambu	[4]
25.	Meru	Municipality	80,191	Meru	[4]
26.	Nyeri	Municipality	80,081	Nyeri	[4]
27.	Isiolo	Municipality	78,650	Isiolo	[4]
28.	Ukunda	Municipality (Diani Municipality)	77,686	Kwale	[4]
29.	Kiserian	Town Council	76,903	Kajiado	[4]
30.	Kilifi	Municipality	74,270	Kilifi	[4]
31.	Nanyuki	Municipality	72,813	Laikipia/Nyeri	[4]
32.	Busia	Municipality	71,886	Busia	[4]
33.	Migori	Municipality	71,668	Migori	[4]
34.	Bungoma	Municipality	68,031	Bungoma	[4]
35.	Narok	Municipality	65,430	Narok	[4]
36.	Embu	Municipality	64,979	Embu	[4]
37.	Machakos	Municipality	63,767	Machakos	[4]
38.	El Wak	Municipality	60,732	Mandera	[4]
39.	Gilgil	Municipality	60,711	Nakuru	[4]
40.	Kimilili	Municipality	56,050	Bungoma	[4]
41.	Kericho	Municipality	53,804	Kericho	[4]
42.	Voi	Municipality	53,353	Taita-Taveta	[4]
43.	Wanguru	Municipality	51,722	Kirinyaga	[4]
44.	Habaswein	Town Council	49,599	Wajir	[4]
45.	Turi	Municipality	48,356	Nakuru	[4]
46.	Moyale	Other Centre	47,850	Marsabit	[4]
47.	Homa Bay	Municipality	44,949	Homa Bay	[4]
48.	Kenol	Other Centre	44,086	Muranga	[4]
49.	Masalani	Town Council	43,642	Garissa	[4]
50.	Muranga	Municipality	43,314	Muranga	[4]
51.	Webuye	Municipality	42,642	Bungoma	[4]
52.	Njoro	Town Council	42,173	Nakuru	[4]
53.	Kapsabet	Municipality	41,997	Nandi	[4]
54.	Mumias	Municipal	41,942	Kakamega	[4]
55.	Kerugoya-Kutus	Municipality	39,188	Kirinyaga	[4]
56.	Nyahururu	Municipality	37,650	Laikipia/Nyandarua	[4]
57.	Marsabit	Municipality	36,289	Marsabit	[4]
58.	Rhamu	Town Council	35,644	Mandera	[4]
59.	Siaya	Municipality	33,153	Siaya	[4]
60.	Mariakani	Municipality	31,715	Kwale/Kilifi	[4]
60.	Maralal	Municipality	31,350	Samburu	[4]
61.	Mairo-Inya	Municipality	30,527	Nyandarua	[4]
62.	Kitui	Municipality	29,062	Kitui	[4]
63.	Makutano	Town Council	28,469	West Pokot	[4]
64.	Elburgon	Town Council	28,359	Nakuru	[4]
65.	Watamu	Town Council	27,857	Kilifi
66.	Lamu	Municipality	25,385	Lamu	[4]
67.	Kajiado	Municipality	24,678	Kajiado	[4]
68.	Nyamira	Municipality	24,483	Nyamira	[4]
69.	Isebania	Town Council	23,891	Migori	[4]
70.	Karatina	Municipality	23,552	Nyeri	[4]
71.	Kakuma	Town Council	22,984	Turkana	[4]
72.	Lafey	Town Council	22,882	Mandera	[4]
73.	Bondo	Municipality	22,712	Siaya	[4]
74.	Kabarnet	Municipality	22,474	Baringo	[4]
75.	Chuka	Municipality	22,388	Tharaka-Nithi	[4]
76.	Kehancha	Municipality	22,194	Migori	[4]
77.	Maua	Municipality	22,121	Meru	[4]
78.	Taveta	Town Council	22,018	Taita-Taveta	[4]
79.	Takaba	Town Council	114,718	Mandera	[4]
80.	Eldama Ravine	Town Council	21,385	Baringo	[4]
81.	Hola	Municipality	20,912	Tana River	[4]
82.	Mai Mahiu	Other Centre	20,823	Nakuru	[3]
83.	Rongo	Municipality	20,688	Migori	[4]
84.	Oyugis	Municipality	19,947	Homabay	[4]
85.	Wote	Municipality	19,725	Makueni	[4]
86.	Emali	Municipality	62,404	Makueni/Kajiado	[4]
87.	Garbatula	Other Centre	17,443	Isiolo	[4]
88.	Mbale	Other Centre	17,404	Vihiga	[4]
89.	Mwingi	Municipality	17,025	Kitui	[4]
90.	Awendo	Municipality	16,815	Migori	[4]
91.	Kiminini	Town Council	16,560	Trans Nzoia	[4]
92.	Moi's Bridge	Other Centre	16,355	Uasin Gishu/Trans Nzoia	[4]
93.	Mazeras	Other Centre	16,254	Kwale/Kilifi	[4]
94.	Malaba	Municipality	15,581	Busia	[4]
95.	Makindu	Town Council	15,038	Makueni	[4]
96.	Banissa	Other Centre	14,974	Mandera	[4]
97.	Msambweni	Other Centre	14,951	Kwale	[4]
98.	Namanga	Other Centre	14,922	Kajiado	[4]
99.	Mbita	Municipality	14,916	Homa Bay	[4]
100.	Isinya	Other Centre	14,429	Kajiado	[4]

Distribution

County	Number of Cities/ Towns (Top 100)
Kiambu	7
Kajiado	5
Bungoma, Kericho, Kilifi, Kisumu, Machakos, Nakuru, Kisii	4
Busia, Homa Bay, Kajiado, Kakamega, Laikipia, Migori, Taita-Taveta	3
Embu, Kitui, Meru, Murang'a, Nyamira, Siaya, Turkana, Trans-Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Vihiga	2
Baringo, Bomet, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Garissa, Isiolo, Kirinyaga, Kwale, Mandera, Marsabit, Nandi, Narok, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Samburu, Tharaka-Nithi, Wajir, West Pokot.	1