Kirinyaga County

Introduction

Kirinyaga County is located in Central Kenya and had a total population of 658,000 in 2024. According to the 2019 census, Kirinyaga had a total population of 610,411, comprising 204,188 households. The average household size in the county was 3 people per household in 209.

Kirinyaga has a total land area of 1,478.3 square kilometers and has a population density of 413 people per square kilometer.

Kirinyaga County is bordered to the North by Meru, the North East by Tharaka Nithi, the East by Embu, the South by Murang'a, and the West by Nyeri.

Kirinyaga County has six sub-counties: Kirinyaga Central, Kirinyaga East, Kirinyaga West, Mwea East, Mwea West, and Mt. Kenya Forest.

Kirinyaga County Economy

Kirinyaga County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 160.9 billion between 2018 and 2019, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 1.3% in the same period.

Kirinyaga County’s average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 2.3% between 2018 and 2022, while its average contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.7%. The county’s average contribution to service activities was 1.1%.

Kirinyaga County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 248,397 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

The overall headcount poverty rate in Kirinyaga County was 19.3% in 2021, representing an estimated 119,000 people living in poverty. By comparison, Kenya had an overall headcount poverty rate of 38.6% in the same year.

Kirinyaga County had a hardcore poverty rate of 0.2%, with a total of 1,000 people estimated to live in extreme poverty. Overall, Kenya had a hardcore poverty rate of 5.8% in 2021.

The food poverty rate in Kirinyaga County in 2021 was 18.9%, with an estimated 116,000 people living in food poverty. By comparison, Kenya had a food poverty rate of 30.5% in the same year.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Kirinyaga in 2019: Gichugu 15.1%, Kirinyaga Central 21.5%, Ndia 22.7%, and Mwea 50.8%. 

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditure in Kirinyaga County was Ksh 3,226 and Ksh 3,895, respectively. The percentage share of food expenditure was 51.4%, while the percentage share of non-food expenditure was 48.6%. 

The major source of household food consumption in Kirinyaga County in 2021 was purchase or stock 78.4%, own production 16.3%, and gifts 5.3%.

The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Kirinyaga County were Ksh 7,121 and Ksh 5,903, respectively, in 2021.

Kirinyaga County Demographics

Kirinyaga County's total population was 610,411 in 2019, comprising 302,011 males, 308,369 females, and 31 intersex. Kirinyaga had a median age of 26 years in 2019.

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

Marital Status

The percentage distribution of women aged 12 and above in Kirinyaga County who were never married in 2019 was 32.2%, while those who were married monogamously were 51.4%. On the other hand, those in Kirinyaga who were married polygamous were 0.6%, and the widowed were 8.2%. The share of women in Kirinyaga County who were divorced and separated in 2019 was 1.2% and 6.3%.

Among men aged 12 and above in Kirinyaga, those who were never married in 2019 were 40.6%, while those in monogamous unions were 50.7%. The share of men in polygamous unions was 0.9%, and the widowed were 1.5%. The percentage distribution of the divorced and separated in Kirinyaga County was 0.8% and 5.8%, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Kirinyaga County was 21.6 years in 2022. The median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 in Kirinyaga was 27.3 years.

Polygyny

The percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Kirinyaga County who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 5.7%, while those with no co-wives were 85.1%. The share of women with one co-wife was 3.3%, while the share with more than two co-wives was 2.4%.

In married men aged 15-49 in Kirinyaga, the percentage with more than two wives in 2022 was 0.8%, while 99.2% had one wife.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women in Kirinyaga County aged 15-49 whose marriage was registered with civil authorities was 17.1%. Those whose marriage was registered with civil authorities and who had a marriage certificate were 14.2%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Kirinyaga County in 2019 was 4%, while the proportion of married females of the same age group was 4.2%. The proportion of married females aged 12-18 in Kirinyaga was 5.6% in 2019.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in Kirinyaga County, comprising of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 7.3% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

Kirinyaga had a Total Fertility Rate of 2.7 births per woman in 2019. By comparison, Kenya had a Total Fertility Rate of 3.4 births per woman in 2019.

The total youth fertility rate in Kirinyaga in 2019 was 0.9 births per woman, lower than Kenya's youth fertility rate of 1 birth per woman.

Kirinyaga had a Crude Birth rate of 21 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 21.6% from 26.8 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Birth Rate of 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 27.2% from 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The share of recent births in Kirinyaga County that occurred in a health facility in 2019 was 98.7%, while those that occurred in a non-health facility were 1.3%. The share of recent births in Kenya in a health facility in 2019 was 85.8%, while those in a non-health facility were 14%.

The share of recent births in Kirinyaga County that were notified in 2019 was 98.7%, while those not notified were 1.3%. In Kenya, the share of births that were notified in 2019 was 90.4%, while those not notified were 9.3%. 

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 68.7% of deaths in Kirinyaga County occurred in a health facility, while 31.2% 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 Kirinyaga County that were notified in 2019 was 97%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Kirinyaga County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 10 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

The majority of residents of Kirinyaga County are Protestants 240,600, followed by Catholics 179,316, and Evangelical Churches 122,301.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Kirinyaga County was 98%, representing the share of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Kirinyaga County was 66% in 2019, up from 16.4% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Kirinyaga County was 95.7% in 2019, up from 82.9% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Kirinyaga County was 67.9% in 2019, up from 53.9% in 2009.
5. Kirinyaga had 99.5% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 8^th nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Kirinyaga County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 61.3%. Among women, 85.3% owned any type of mobile phone in Kirinyaga County in 2022, while 50% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 87.6% in Kirinyaga owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 60.1% 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 91.1% and 85.4%, respectively^.

See Also

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

References

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