Lamu County

Introduction

Lamu County is located in the Coast Province and had the lowest Population in Kenya, at 172,000 people, in 2024. According to the 2019 census, Lamu County had a total population of 143,920 people, comprising 37,963 households and an average household size of 3.7 people per household.

Lamu has a total land area of 6,253.3 square kilometres and had a population density of 23 people per square kilometre in 2019.

Lamu County is bordered to the North by Garissa County, to the East by the Indian Ocean, and to the South by Tana River County.

Sub-counties in Lamu County include Lamu East and Lamu West.

Lamu County Economy

Lamu County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 40.2 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 0.3% in the same period.

The county’s average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 0.4%, while its contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.1%. Lamu County’s average contribution to service activities was 0.4%.

Lamu County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 246,186 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Lamu County's overall headcount poverty rate was 35.1%, with 53,000 people estimated to be living in poverty in 2021. Kenya's overall headcount poverty rate was 38.6% in the same year.

The hardcore poverty rate in Lamu County was 2.9%, with 4,000 people estimated to live in extreme poverty in 2021. In Kenya, the hardcore poverty rate in 2021 was 5.8%.

Lamu's food poverty rate was 30.9%, and 47,000 people were estimated to live in food poverty in 2021. Kenya's national food poverty rate was 30.5% in the same year.

The map below shows Lamu County's poverty distribution by constituency in 2019: Lamu East 34% and Lamu West 39.6%. 

In 2021, the mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Lamu County were Ksh 3,275 and Ksh 2,850, respectively. The county's percentage share in food expenditures was 56%, while the percentage share in non-food expenditures was 44%. 

The major sources of food in Lamu County were purchase or stock 86.2%, own production 9.5%, and gifts 4.3%.

In 2021, the mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Lamu County was Ksh 6,126 and Ksh 5,475, respectively.

Lamu County Demographics

In 2019, Lamu County had a total population of 143,920: 76,103 males, 67,813 females, and 4 intersex people. Lamu had a median age of 19 years in 2019.

The table below shows the population distribution in Kenya by sex and sub-county in 2019.

Marital Status

The percentage distribution of women aged 12 and above in Lamu County who were never married was 34.3% in 2019, while the percentage of those married monogamous was 51.1%. The distribution of women in polygamous unions was 1.7%, while those who were widowed were 5.7%. The divorced and separated in Lamu County were 4.7% and 2.5%, respectively.

In 2019, 45.3% of men aged 12 and above in Lamu County were never married, 46.7% were married monogamously, 2.6% married polygamously, 1% were widowed, 2.7% were divorced, and 1.6% were separated.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Lamu County was 20.3 years in 2022, while the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 in the same year was 25.5 years.

Polygyny

In 2022, 14.8% of women aged 15-49 in Lamu County had one or more co-wives, 13.7% with a single co-wife, and 1.2% with more than two co-wives. The percentage of women without co-wives in the county was 84.6%.

Among men aged 15-49 in Lamu, 93.5% had one wife, and 6.5% had more than two wives.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Lamu County whose marriage was registered with the civil authority was 46.6%, while those whose marriage was registered and had a marriage certificate was 32.9% in 2022.

Teenage Marriages

In 2019, the proportions of married males aged 12-15 and 12-18 in Lamu County were 2.8% and 2.9%, respectively. On the other hand, the proportion of married females aged 12-15 in Lamu was 3.1%, while the proportion of married females aged 12-18 was 6.7%.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in Lamu County, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 11.5% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

Lamu County had a Total Fertility Rate of 4 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 12.1% from a total fertility rate of 4.6 births per woman in 2009. By comparison, Kenya had a Total Fertility Rate of 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 28.6% from a total fertility rate of 4.8 births per woman in 2009.

The total youth fertility rate in Lamu County was 1.2 births per woman in 2019, higher than the national youth fertility rate of 1 birth per woman.

Lamu County had a Crude Birth Rate of 28 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 15.1% from a Crude Birth Rate of 33 births per 1,000 population in 2009. In Kenya, the Crude Birth Rate in 2019 was 27.9 births per 1,000 population, a decline of 27.2% from a Crude Birth Rate of 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

In 2019, 82.3% of recent births in Lamu County occurred in a health facility, while 17.7% did not. In Kenya, 85.8% of recent births occurred in a health facility in 2019, while 14% did not.

The share of recent births in Lamu County that were notified in 2019 was 92.2%, while the share of those that were not notified was 7.7%. In Kenya, the share of notified births in 2019 was 90.4%, while the share of non-notified births was 9.3%.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 49.5% of deaths in Lamu County occurred in a health facility, while 49.9% 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 Lamu County that were notified in 2019 was 83%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Lamu County Crude Death Rate (CDR) was 7 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

The majority of residents of Lamu County are Muslims, 71,786, followed by Protestants, 22,397, and members of Evangelical Churches, 16,777.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Lamu County was 13% in 2019, representing the percentage of the Population living within two kilometres of an all-weather road.
2. Household access to electricity in Lamu County was 43.6% in 2019, up from 17% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Lamu County was 66.6% in 2019, up from 57.1% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Lamu County was 68.8% in 2019, up from 54.9% in 2009.
5. Lamu had 53.7% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 36^th nationally in 2019.

The share of the Population in Lamu County that owned mobile phones in 2019 was 45.2%. Among women, 67.2% owned any type of mobile phone in Lamu County in 2022, while 31.8% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 84.8% of Lamu owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 41.2% 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 82.4% and 69.3%, respectively.

 See Also

1. Mombasa County
2. Kwale County
3. Kilifi County
4. Tana River County
5. Taita Taveta County

References

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5. KNBS. (2023). 2023 Gross County Product: Measuring the economic evolution of counties (pp. 8-10).
6. KNBS. (2023). 2023 Gross County Product: Measuring the economic evolution of counties (pp. 15-21).
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8. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).
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16. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on fertility and nuptiality (Vol. VI, pp. 34-42).
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18. KNBS. (2019). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Distribution of population by socioeconomic status (Vol. IV, p. 422).
19. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).