Kiambu County

Introduction

Kiambu County is Kenya's second most populous county after Nairobi, with a population of 2.7 million in 2024.^[1] It has a total land area of 2,538.6 square kilometers and a population density of 1,065 people per square kilometer.

Kiambu is bordered to the South by Nairobi County, the East by Machakos County, the North by Murang'a County, the North West by Nyandarua County, and the West by Nakuru County.

Kiambu has 13 sub-counties: Gatundu North, Gatundu South, Githunguri, Juja, Kabete, Kiambaa, Kiambu, Kikuyu, Lari, Limuru, Ruiru, Thika East, and Thika West.^[2]

Kiambu County Economy

Kiambu has the second largest economy in the country at 721.2 billion, after Nairobi County, which has 3,379.4 billion. This represents 5.7% of the Gross County Product (GCP) after Nairobi County, which accounts for 27.5% of GCP. Kiambu has a larger economy than Mombasa (564.1 billion), which accounts for 4.9% of GCP.^[3]

Between 2018 and 2022, Kiambu County contributed, on average, 4.0% of Gross Value Added (GVA) to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities. This was lower than the average contribution of Meru County (7.6%), Nakuru (5.2%), Nyandarua (4.5%), and Murang'a (4.1%).

The county contributed, on average, 8.4% to manufacturing activities, lower than Nairobi (36.9%) and Mombasa (9.6%). The county's contribution to service activities was 5.0% behind Nairobi (37.3%) and Mombasa (5.6%).

Kiambu has the sixth-highest GCP per capita at Ksh. 277,147. It follows Nyandarua County (Ksh. 290,577), Embu County (Ksh. 292,827), Nyeri County (Ksh. 292,944), Mombasa (Ksh. 439,390), and Nairobi (Ksh. 723,335).^[4]

Poverty Rates

Kiambu's overall headcount poverty rate was 20.5% against a national average of 38.6% in 2021. This represents a total of 519,000 people living in poverty. 

Kiambu has a food poverty rate of 18.7% and a hardcore poverty rate of 0.7%. The county had a Gini coefficient of 0.334.

The map below shows poverty rates by constituency in Kiambu County. Lari had a poverty rate of 11.4%, Gatundu South 12.2%, Gatundu North 11.2%, Thika Town 11%, Juja 12.4%, Ruiru 18.2%, Kiambu 13.1%, Kiambaa 17%, Kabete 17.3%, Kikuyu 13.4%, Limuru 16.6%, and Githunguri 12.2%. 

Residents of Kiambu spend 42.9% of their income on food, representing Ksh. 4,330 mean monthly expenditure per adult equivalent. The mean monthly expenditure spent on non-food items is Ksh. 7,444 or 57.1% of income.^[5]

Kiambu County Demographics

Kiambu is the second most populous county after Nairobi. In 2019, the county had 1,187,146 males, 1,230,454 females, and 135 intersex people. Kiambu had a median age of 23 years in 2019.

The total number of households was 795,241 for an average household size of 3.0 people. 

Marital Status

The distribution of women aged 12 and above in Kiambu who were never married in 2019 was 41.2%. 47.2% were married monogamously, 0.4% polygamously, 5.0% were widowed, 1.2% divorced, and 5.0% separated.

Amongst men of the same age, 43.5% were never married, 51.1% married monogamously, 0.9% married polygamously, 0.9% widowed, 0.6% divorced, and 2.8% separated. Among males and females aged 12-15 in Kiambu, 2.2% and 2.3% were married in 2019.

The Crude Birth Rate of Kiambu County reduced from 38.7 births per 1000 population in 2009 to 27.0 births in 2019.

In the same period, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of Kiambu County dropped from 3.1 births to 2.7 births.^[6] The Total Fertility Rate of the youth population in Kiambu County aged 15-24 years is 0.8 births.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 65% of deaths in Kiambu County occurred in a health facility, while 34.4% 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 Kiambu County that were notified in 2019 was 95.1%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Kiambu County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 8.8 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya Crude Death Rate was 10.5%.

Religion

The total number of Catholics in Kiambu County was 588,975, Protestants 882,779, Evangelical Churches 525,366, African Instituted Churches (AIC) 187,238, Orthodox 17,670, other Christian denominations 120,492, Islam 21,311, Hindu 1,311, Traditionalists 3,117, other religions 19,515, and Atheists/no religion 30,770.

People with Disabilities

The total number of people with disabilities in Kiambu County was 44,519, comprising 2.1% of the population in 2019. This includes 18,159 males and 26,353 females.

The total number of individuals with visual disabilities was 16,320, hearing 4,964, mobility 19,574, cognition 9,363, self-care 6,842, and communication 2,364.

In 2019, 284 individuals in Kiambu County had albinism, consisting of 129 males and 155 females.^[7]

The total number of street persons or people experiencing homelessness in Kiambu County was 626, with 570 being men and 56 women.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) of Kiambu County was 92% in 2019, representing the share of the population living within 2km of an all-weather road.^[8]
2. Kiambu households accessing electricity in 2019 was 91.9%, up from 54.1% in 2009.
3. Kiambu households accessing improved sanitation in 2019 was 96.2%, up from 80.5% in 2009.
4. Kiambu households accessing safe drinking water was 86% in 2019, up from 75.9% in 2009.
5. The Kiambu population accessing the internet was 40% in 2019.
6. The total population owning mobile phones in Kiambu County was 66%.

Agriculture in Kiambu County

Kiambu County has 90,218 hectares of agricultural land, of which 66,642 hectares were used for subsistence farming and 22,247 hectares for commercial agriculture in 2019.

The county's total number of farming households was 214,052, with 173,960 households engaging in subsistence agriculture and 35,169 households in commercial farming.^[9]

Livestock Production 

The distribution of households practicing livestock production in Kiambu County was 147,137. The county had 67,014 households rearing exotic dairy cattle, 9,559 rearing exotic beef cattle, and 10,511 reared indigenous cattle.

A total of 30,251 households reared sheep, 21,854 kept goats, and 3,891 reared donkeys. The total number of households rearing pigs was 9,731.

Households rearing indigenous chicken were 92,248, exotic layers 14,138, and exotic broilers 4,156. Households with beehives were 1,535. Households keeping rabbits were 7,577.

In 2019, Kiambu County had 144,311 exotic dairy cattle, 20,258 exotic beef cattle, and 35,825 indigenous cattle.

The county had 118,389 sheep, 83,597 goats, 5,307 donkeys, 84,991 sheep, 1,156,534 indigenous chicken, 1,831,761 exotic chicken layers, 673,366 exotic chicken broilers, 7,075 bee hives, and 39,567 rabbits.

Crop Production

Of the 214,052 households in 2019 that engaged in farming activities, 177,419 practiced crop production.

A total of 144,125 households grew maize, 108,457 grew potatoes, 120,887 beans, 9,816 cassava, 18,416 sweet potatoes, 74.810 bananas, 41,121 cabbages, 17,996 tomatoes, 28,684 onions, 103,524 kales, and 19,981 households grew sugarcane.

The distribution of households growing permanent crops in Kiambu County included 20,958 that grew tea, 31,152 coffee, 31,392 avocado, 2,160 citrus, 9,855 mango, and 11,748 macadamias.

Households practicing irrigation in Kiambu County were 14,835.

Aquaculture and Fishing

Four hundred seventeen households engaged in aquaculture in Kiambu County, while 1,317 practiced fishing. Three hundred seventy-nine households had fishponds, while 52 households had fish cages.

The total number of fish ponds in Kiambu County was 5,369, while the total number of fish cages was 1,767.

Education in Kiambu County

Kiambu County had the highest share of the population with complete primary education or higher, with 85.3% completing more than primary education as of 2019.^[11]

The county's overall primary school dropout rate was 7.9%, with males having a primary school dropout rate of 7.6% and females 8.1%.

The overall secondary school dropout rate was 6.3% in Kiambu County in 2019, with males having a dropout rate of 5.6% and females 7.1%.

ECDE Education

The average pre-primary school size in Kiambu County in 2020 was at par with the national average of 61 pupils per school and a gender parity index of 0.99 against a national average of 0.97.

The overall Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for the county in 2020 was 87.1 against a national average of 111.2. Girls had a GER of 87.5 against a national average of 110.8, while boys had a GER of 86.7 against a national average of 111.5.

The overall learner-to-teacher ratio in Kiambu County was 29 against a national average of 43. The learner-to-teacher ratio in private pre-primary schools was 24 against a national average of 26, while the ratio in public schools was 38 against a national average of 52.

The learner-to-classroom ratio in public pre-primary schools in Kiambu County was 45 against a national average of 53, while the ratio in private pre-primary schools was 30 against a national average of 35.

The pupil-toilet ratio in public pre-primary schools in Kiambu is 19 for girls and 25 for boys. In private pre-primary schools, the pupil-to-toilet ratio in the county was 13 for girls and 15 for boys.

68% of private pre-primary schools in Kiambu have functional internet, against a national average of 44.5%. In public schools, 12.8% have a functional internet, against a national average of 14.9%.

Primary School Education

The population of pupils in primary school in Kiambu County was 381,821 in 2019, consisting of 191,583 males and 190,238 females. This represented a 9% variation from the official Ministry of Education Records reported in the same year, whereby the county had a population of 347,510 pupils enrolled in primary schools.^[12]

GER and NER

The total number of pupils aged 6-13 in primary school in the county was 374,853, consisting of 186,857 males and 187,996 females. This represented a total Gross Enrollment Rate (GER) of 101.9%.

The male Gross Enrollment Rate was 102.5%, while that of females was 101.2%. The total GER in primary schools in Kenya was 99.9%, consisting of a GER of 100.8% in males and 99% in females. The gender parity index in Gross Enrollment Rate in Kiambu County was 0.99 against a national average of 0.98.^[13]

The total Net Enrollment Rate among Pupils of school-going age in Kiambu County was 88.9%, consisting of a male Net Enrollment Rate of 88.4% and a female rate of 89.5%.

The national Net Enrollment Rate in primary school was 75.8%, consisting of NER of 74.7% in males and 77% in females. The gender parity index in Net Enrollment in Kiambu County was 1.01 against a national average of 1.03.

Kiambu County had a gross intake ratio to grade 8 of 105.3%, representing the number of new pupils entering the last grade of school regardless of their age, but expressed as a percentage of the pupil population at that official age (age 13) of entrance into that grade. 

The national gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education was 98.5%. The male and female gross intake ratio for Kiambu County was 105.2% and 105.4% in males and females, respectively, against a national average of 98.4% for boys and 98.5% for girls.^[15]

Out-of-School Rate

Kiambu County had a total out-of-school rate of 0.8%, representing the percentage of the population of primary school-going age (6-13) that was not in school.

The overall out-of-school rate in Kenya in the same period was 10.3%, consisting of 10.7% males and 9.9% females. In Kiambu County, females had an out-of-school rate of 0.7%, while males had a rate of 0.8%.^[16]

Over Age Pupils

The percentage of over-age pupils in Kiambu County, representing pupils in primary schools who are at least 2 years above the intended age, was 19.6% compared to a national average of 46.8%.

The percentage of over-age male children was 22.6%, while that of females was 16.6%. The national average for males and females was 51.2% and 42.2%, respectively.^[17]

Scholastic Retardation

The rate of scholastic retardation in Kiambu County, representing pupils that start school late or those who repeat classes and are older than the official age category, was 12.1% against a national average of 23.2%.

The scholastic retardation rate for males and females was 13.3% and 11.0%, respectively, national averages of 25.1% in males and 21.3% in females.^[18]

Scholastic Progression

Kiambu County’s scholastic progression rate, measured by the mobility of students from one grade to another, was 86.7% compared to a national average of 74.7%.

The male and female scholastic progression rates were 85.5% and 87.9%, against national averages of 73.5% in males and 75.9% in females.^[19]

Kiambu Primary Schools Infrastructure

The average public and private primary school sizes in Kiambu County were 501 and 224, respectively, above the national averages of 367 pupils in public schools and 178 pupils in private schools.

The 2020 public and private primary school pupil-to-teacher ratios in Kiambu County were 38 and 21, respectively, lower than the national averages of public and private schools of 41 and 23.

The pupil-to-classroom ratio in Kiambu County was 35 in public schools and 19 in private primary schools in 2020. This was lower than the national pupil-to-classroom ratio of 37 in public and 20 in private primary schools.

Kiambu County had a pupil-to-toilet ratio in public schools of 27 for boys and 22 for girls in 2020. The national pupil-to-toilet ratio in the same period was 31 for boys and 28 for girls.

In public schools, the pupil-to-toilet ratio was 19 for boys and 16 for girls. The national pupil-to-toilet ratio in private primary schools was 20 for boys and 17 for girls. 

Secondary Education in Kiambu County

The total population enrolled in secondary school in Kiambu County in 2019 was 171,109, consisting of 83,048 males and 88,061 females.

The total variation to the Ministry of Education records in the same year was 17.8%, representing a total enrollment of 140,637 students. Of these, 72,197 were male, while 68,440 were female.^[20]

GER and NER

The total number of students aged 14-17 enrolled in secondary school was 169,382. Kiambu County had a total Gross Enrollment Rate of 101.0% compared to the national average of 76.2%.

The male and female GERs were 99.7% and 102.3%, respectively, against a national GER of 75.1% in males and 77.2% in females. The gender parity index in the county GER was 1.03.^[21]

The total Net Enrollment Rate in Kiambu County was 70.1%, higher than the national NER of 42.3%. The county's Net Enrollment Rate among males and females was 67% and 73.1%, respectively.

The national NER was 38.5% in males and 46.3% in females. The gender parity index in the county NER was 1.09.

 The gross intake ratio of Kiambu County, representing new students entering the last grade (form 4) of secondary school, regardless of their age, and expressed as a percentage of the population in the official entrance age (age 17) was 117.4%, higher than the national gross intake rate of 87.4%.

Kiambu had a male and female gross intake rate of 115.2% and 119.5%, respectively, compared to the national gross intake rate of 88.2% in males and 86.5% in females. The gender parity index in gross enrollment rate in the county was 1.04.^[23]

Out-of-School Rate

The total out-of-school rate in Kiambu County was 2.8%, representing the population aged 14-17 who were out of school. The county's out-of-school rate was 2.8% for both males and females.

The national out-of-school rate was 11.6% in the same period, including 12.6% in males and 10.5% in females.^[24]

Over Age Students

The percentage of over-age students in Kiambu County was 30.2%, lower than the national average of 51.9%. The percentage of male and female over-age students at the secondary school level was 34.3% and 26.4%, respectively.

Nationally, the male and female share of overage students in secondary schools was 57.1% and 46.6%, respectively.^[25]

Kiambu Secondary Schools Infrastructure

The average size of public secondary schools in Kiambu County in 2020 was 468, while the size of private secondary schools was 75. In the same period, the average secondary school size in the county was 374 in public schools and 129 in private schools.^[26]

Kiambu County had student-to-teacher ratios of 24 and 10 in public and private secondary schools in 2020. The national average in the same period was 29 and 14, respectively.

The student-to-classroom ratios in public and private secondary schools in Kiambu County were 41 and 15, respectively, in 2020, with the national average in the same period being 40 and 20 in public and private schools, respectively.

Kiambu County had a student-to-toilet ratio of 21 among boys in public secondary schools and 16 in girls. In private secondary schools, the student-to-toilet ratio was 11 among boys and 6 among girls.^[27]

Health in Kiambu County

1. Kiambu County had 690 health facilities in 2020, of which 2 were level 5/6 public health facilities, and 1 was a private level 5/6 facility.
2. The county had 10 level 4 public facilities and 22 level 4 private facilities. The number of level 3 public health facilities was 27, while private level 3 facilities were 96.
3. The county had 453 private level 2 facilities and 79 public level 2 health facilities.  
4. Kiambu County had 20 beds and 23 health workers per 10,000 population in 2019. 
5. Health insurance coverage in Kiambu County was 41.3% in 2022. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) coverage in the same year was 39.1%, while private insurance coverage was 5.7%.
6. The average out-of-pocket health expenditure on outpatient services in Kiambu County was Ksh—3,680 in 2019. The average out-of-pocket spending on inpatient services in the same year was Ksh 561. 

Health Outcomes

The table below shows health outcomes by key indicators.

Life expectancy

The life expectancy at birth in Kiambu County was 60.8 years for males and 72.8 years for females in 2019.

The county's life expectancy at 60 years was 15.2 years for males and 20.2 years for females in the same year. The life expectancy of Kiambu County at age 70 is 9.6 years for males and 12.5 years for females.

The total population in Kiambu County above 60 was 125,002 in 2019, of which 4.8% were males and 5.5% were females. The total population above 70 in 2019 was 56,052, with males being 1.9% and females 2.7%.

Adult and old age mortality rates

The male adult mortality rate in Kiambu County per 1,000 adults reaching age 15 was 356 deaths in 2019. In the same year, the male old-age mortality rate was 697.1 deaths per 1000 adults reaching age 20.

In females, the adult mortality rate was 131.7 deaths per 1,000 adults reaching age 15. In comparison, the old-age mortality rate was 457.1 deaths per 1,000 adults reaching age 20.

Kiambu County had a crude death rate (CDR) per 1,000 population of 8.8 compared to a national average of 10.5.

Death notification and place of occurrence

Between August 2018 and August 2019, Kiambu County had a total of 7,349 deaths. The proportion of deaths that occurred in a health facility was 65%, while 34.4% occurred in a non-health facility.

The proportion of notified deaths in the county was 95.1% compared to a national average of 85.6%. For children under five years of age, 711 male deaths were registered with authorities compared to 596 female deaths. The male-to-female ratio in death registration was 1.19.

See Also

1. Nyeri County
2. Nyandarua County
3. Murang’a County
4. Kirinyaga County

References