Bungoma County

Introduction

Bungoma County is located in Western Kenya and had a population of 1,816,000 in 2024. According to the 2019 census, the county's total population was 1,670,570, consisting of 358,796 households, with an average household size of 4.6 people.

Bungoma County had a total land area of 3,023.9 and a population density of 552 people per square kilometer.

Bungoma County is bordered to the West by Uganda, to the north by Trans Nzoia, to the East by Kakamega, and to the South West by Busia.

Bungoma County has 13 sub-counties, including Bumula, Bungoma Central, Bungoma East, Bungoma North, Bungoma South, Cheptais, Kimilili-Bungoma, Mt. Elgon, Bungoma West, Tongaren, Webuye West, and Mt. Elgon Forest.

Bungoma County Economy

Bungoma County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 255.7 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 2.1% in the same period.

Bungoma County's average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities between 2018 and 2022 was 3.7%, while its contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.9%. The county's contribution to service activities was 1.7%.

Bungoma County had a Gross County Product per Capita of Ksh 145.44 billion in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Bungoma County's overall headcount poverty rate was 43.9% in 2021, representing an estimated 775,000 people living in poverty. The county's overall poverty rate exceeded the national headcount poverty rate of 38.6%.

In 2021, 6.7% of Bungoma's population lived in hardcore poverty, representing an estimated 119,000 people. The county's hardcore poverty rate was higher than the national hardcore poverty rate of 5.8%. 

Bungoma County's estimated food poverty rate was 31%, higher than the national food poverty rate of 30.5%. The county's estimated number of people living in food poverty was 548,000.

The map below shows the poverty rates by constituency in Bungoma County in 2019. Bumula had a poverty rate of 30.3%, Kabuchai 27.1%, Kanduyi 26.6%, Kilili 36.6%, Mt. Elgon 28.8%, Sirisia 39.6%, Tongaren 23.9%, Webuye East 31%, and Webuye West 30.5%. 

Consumption analyses of Bungoma County show that the mean monthly expenditure on food and non-food items was Ksh 3,141 and Ksh 2,671, respectively. Therefore, the share of expenditure on food was 62.2%, while 37.8% was spent on non-food expenditure. 

The largest share of food consumed by the source is from purchase or stock at 73.2%, while 17.8% is from own production and 8.9% from gifts. Nationally, 80.2% of food consumed was from purchase or stock, 14.6% from own production, and 5.2% from gifts.

In 2021, the mean and median per adult equivalent expenditures in Bungoma County were Ksh 5,811 and Ksh 4,602, respectively. 

Bungoma County Demographics

The total population of Bungoma County in 2019 was 1,670,570, consisting of 812,146 males, 858,389 females, and 35 intersex people. Bungoma had a median age of 15 years in 2019.

The table below shows the population distribution in Bungoma County by sex and sub-county.

Marital Status

The percentage distribution of women aged 12 years and above in Bungoma County who were never married in 2019 was 39.5%. Those in monogamous marriages were 47.5%, while those in polygamous marriages were 4.3%. The distribution of widows in Bungoma was 6.1%, divorced 0.8%, and separated 1.8%.

Among men in Bungoma, the distribution of those who were never married was 50.2%, while those who married monogamously and polygamously were 43.2% and 3.7%, respectively. Men widowed in Bungoma were 0.7%, while the divorced and separated were 0.6% and 1.5%, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 2022, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Bungoma County was 20 years, while the median age at first marriage among men aged 25-49 was 24.4 years. Among men aged 30-54, the median age at first marriage in Bungoma was 23.8 years.

Polygyny

The percentage distribution of married women in Bungoma County who had a co-wife in 2022 was 11.2%, while those with more than two co-wives were 3.8%. The share that did not have a co-wife was 81.5%.

Among men, the distribution of married men aged 15-49 who had more than two wives in 2022 was 2.5%, while 97.5% had only one wife.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Bungoma whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities in 2022 was 14.3%. The percentage whose marriage was registered and had a marriage certificate was 11.3%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Bungoma County was 5.3%. The distribution of married females aged 12 to 15 was 5.5%, while the distribution of married females aged 12-18 in Bungoma was 7.2%.

According to the KDHS 2022, the teenage pregnancy rate in Bungoma County, consisting of females aged 15-19 who have ever had a live birth, was 18.6%.

Total Fertility Rate

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of Bungoma County was 3.6 births in 2019, a decline of 40.5% from a TFR of 6.0 births in 2009. On the other hand, Kenya had a TFR of 3.4 births in 2019, a 28.6% decrease from a TFR of 4.8 births in 2009.

Among the youth of Bungoma County aged 15-24, the total fertility rate was 1.2 births in 2019. The total fertility rate among the youth in Kenya in the same year was 1.0 births.

Bungoma County had a Crude Birth Rate (CBR) of 26.4 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a 43.6% decrease from 46.8 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Kenya’s Crude Birth Rate during the same period was 27.9 births per 1,000 population, a 27.2% decline from a CBR of 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The proportion of recent births that had occurred in health facilities in Bungoma County was 89.2%. In comparison, 10.7% occurred in a non-health facility in 2019. Overall, the share of births occurring in a health facility in Kenya was 85.8%, while 14% occurred in a non-health facility.

The notification status of recent births in Bungoma County showed that 91.8% of births were notified, while 8% were not. In Kenya, 90.4% of recent births were notified in 2019, while 9.3% were not.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 61.5% of deaths in Bungoma County occurred in a health facility, while 38% occurred in the community. In Kenya, 59% of deaths in 2019 occurred in a health facility, while 40% did not occur in a health facility.

The share of deaths in Bungoma County that were notified in 2019 was 91.3%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Bungoma County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 10.2 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Bungoma County are Protestants 715,732, followed by those affiliated with Evangelical Churches 467,570, and Catholics 291,998.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Bungoma County was 82%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Bungoma County was 21.8% in 2019, up from 4.5% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Bungoma County was 83.6% in 2019, up from 71.5% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Bungoma County was 80.5% in 2019, up from 72.3% in 2009.
5. Bungoma had 95.2% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 26^th nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Bungoma County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 36.8%. Among women, 63.7% owned any type of mobile phone in Bungoma County in 2022, while 29.1% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 66.2% in Bungoma owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 34.6% owned a smartphone. The percentage of men and women who had used a mobile phone for financial transactions in the year preceding the 2022 KDHS survey was 69.1% and 78.4%, respectively.

See Also

1. Kakamega County
2. Busia County
3. Vihiga County
4. Trans Nzoia County 

References

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19. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).