Census 1948 - Population of Kenya by Tribe and District

The first census to be conducted in Kenya was in 1948 by the British and was part of the East African Population Census.^[1]

The official census results were published in 1953 in a document titled "African Population of Kenya Colony: Geographical and tribal studies."

Quick Facts

• The population of Kenya in 1948 was 5,032,120.
• The population of males in Kenya in 1948 was 2,483,832.
• The population of females in Kenya in 1948 was 2,548,288.
• The number of adult males over 15 years in 1948 was 1,256,148.
• The number of adult females over 13 years in 1948 was 1,432,695.
• The number of male children in 1948 was 1,227,684.
• The number of female children in 1948 was 1,115,593.

The East African Population Census of 1948 – Context

The East African Population Census of 1948 was the first formal census in Kenya. It was conducted at the height of British colonialism and, as such, is subject to certain limitations.

For instance, John Blacker observes that no "proper report of the 1948 census was ever published," and what we currently have is a bunch of tables showing the distribution of the population by sex, province, district, and tribe.^[2]

Blacker also observes that “we are not shown any definitive list of the tribal classification. The summary table of tribes for the country as a whole lists 19 categories, together with a residual of ‘All Others’, which comprises 693,110 persons or 13.2% of the total population.”

As a result, caution should be exercised while using and interpreting the statistics in this post.

The population of Kenya in 1948 by province and district

The 1948 census recorded Kenya’s population as 5,032,120. The total number of males in that year was 2,483,832, while the number of females was 2,548,288.

This figure excludes an estimated 219,000 people from the Northern Frontier Province – known today as North Eastern Province, and some parts of Rift Valley Province, such as Baringo District (East Suk) and Samburu. The 1948 census was not conducted in these regions.

Taken together, the total population, including the enumerated population and the estimates, put the population of Kenya in 1948 at 5,252,753.

Note worthy from the table above is the classification and distribution of districts in the country in that year.

In 1948, Central Province consisted of districts such as Nairobi, Thika, Kiambu, Fort Hall (Known today as Murang’a), Nyeri, Embu, Meru, Machakos, Kitui and Nanyuki.

Nyanza Province consisted of districts like North Nyanza, South Nyanza, Central Nyanza, and Kericho.

In 1948, Rift Valley Province had the following districts: Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo (excluding East Suk), Laikipia, and West Suk.

Coast Province had Mombasa District, Kwale, Kilifi, Malindi, Lamu, Tana River, and Teita. 

Masai District, while not a province, consisted of Narok and Kajiado districts.

The main tribes of Kenya's colony and protectorate

Kenya in 1948 was still as diverse as it is today, populated with people from different tribes. However, the 1948 census only focused on a small number of tribes, choosing to “other” smaller tribes.

In 1948, the largest tribe in Kenya was the Kikuyu, with a population of 1,026,341, or 19.5% of the country’s population.

The Luo were the second-largest tribe in Kenya, with a population of 697,551, or 13.3% of the country's population.

The third largest tribe was the Baluhya, with a population of 653,774 or 13.2% of the country's population in 1948.

In 1948, the Kamba had the fourth-largest population, with 611,725 people, or 11.6% of the population.

The Meru were 324,894 people in 1948, accounting for 6.2% of the Kenya population in that year.

The Kisii were 4.9% of the population in 1948 at 255,108 people.

The Nyika, comprising tribes from Kilifi and Vanga, had a population of 240,661 and accounted for 4.6% of the Kenyan population in 1948.

In 1948, the Embu accounted for 203,690 or 3.9% of the population, while the Kipsigis accounted for 159,692 or 3%. The Nandi accounted for 116,681 or 2.2% of the country's population.

Estimates suggest that Turkana accounted for 76,930 people, or 1.5% of the country’s population, in 1948. The Kamasia accounted for 66,850 people, or 1.3% of the country's population. Finally, the Teita accounted for 56,912 people or 1.1% of the country’s population.

Other tribes were 13.2% of the country’s population with 693,110 people.

Main tribes in Kenya by gender

In 1948, the total number of males in Kenya was 2,591,142, and the number of females was 2,659,978. Males made up 49.3% of the country's population, while females made up 50.7%.

Nairobi district population by tribe in 1948

Nairobi District had a total population of 109,428 in 1948. The largest tribe in Nairobi in that year was the Kikuyu from Kiambu at 26,524, followed by Kikuyu from Fort Hall (Murang'a) at 16,039.

The Luo from Central Nyanza were the third largest tribe in Nairobi at 12,974. The Baluhya were the fifth largest at 10,731.

The Kamba from Machakos were 7,829, while the Kikuyu from Nyeri were 6,642.

The Embu in Nairobi District in 1948 was 4,238.

The population of Nairobi district by location in 1948

The most populous location in Nairobi was the Nairobi Municipality with a total of 64,397 people. The Kiambu settled area was the second most populous location, with 15,272 people.

Other locations include Limuru with 4,434 people, Kerita with 3,243 people, Kibira with 3,085 people, Kabete with 2,883 people, Ruaraka with 1,705 people, Kikuyu with 1,205 people, Uplands (Forest Division) with 986 people, and Ngong (Forest Division) with 854 people.

Athi River had 740 people, Uplands had 695 people, Embakasi had 577 people, Karura (Forest Division) had 551 people, Ngong had 509 people, Dandora had 505 people, Karen had 469 people, Maguga (Forest Division) had 349 people, Langata had 221 people, and Mbagathi had 177 people.

See Also

1. Kenya's Population in 2019 by ethnicity and tribe
2. The Population of Kenya 2025
3. The Population of Kenya 2024
4. The Population of Kenya 2019

References