Machakos County

Introduction

Machakos County is located in Eastern Province and had a total population of 1,503,000 people in 2024. In 2019, the county had a population of 1,421,932 people and 402,466 households. The average household size in Machakos County was 3.5 people per household in 2019. 

Machakos has a total land area of 6,012.7 square kilometers and had a population density of 235 people per square kilometer in 2019.

Machakos County is bordered to the North by Embu, to the East by Kitui, to the South by Makueni, to the South West by Kajiado, to the West by Nairobi and Kiambu, and to the North West by Murang'a. 

Machakos County has nine sub-counties: Athi River, Kalama, Kangundo, Kathiani, Machakos, Masinga, Matungulu, Mwala, and Yatta.

Machakos County Economy

Machakos County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 378.4 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average gross value added of 3.2% in the same period.

Machakos County contributed, on average, 2.2% to agriculture, forestry, and fishing. The county also contributed 7.8% to manufacturing activities and 2.6% to services activities. 

Machakos County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 257,025 in 2022.

Machakos County Poverty Rates

Machakos County had an overall headcount poverty rate of 38.3% in 2022, with a total of 580,000 people estimated to live in poverty. During this period, Kenya had an overall poverty rate of 39.8%.

The hardcore poverty rate of Machakos in 2022 was 2.2%, with an estimated 34,000 people living in extreme poverty. By comparison, Kenya’s hardcore poverty rate was 7.1% in 2022. 

Machakos also had a food poverty rate of 31.8%, with 482,000 people estimated to live in food poverty. Kenya had a food poverty rate of 31.7% in the same year. 

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Machakos County in 2019: Kangundo 21%, Kathiani 20.6%, Machakos 21.6%, Masinga 26.1%, Matungulu 23.5%, Mavoko 18.3%, Mwala 33.6%, and Yatta 27.2%.

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditure in Machakos County was Ksh 3,581 and Ksh 3,843 in 2022. The share of expenditure on food was 56.1%, while the share on non-food items was 43.9%. 

The major source of household food consumption in Machakos was purchase or stock 89.8%, own production 8.9%, and gifts 1.4%. 

The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure was Ksh 7,425 and Ksh 5,463 in 2021.

Machakos County Demographics

Machakos County had a population of 1,421,932 in 2019, consisting of 710,701 males, 711,191 females, and 31 intersex. Machakos had a median age of 22 years in 2019. 

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

Marital Status

The percentage of women aged 12 and above in Machakos County who were never married in 2019 was 37.2%, while those in monogamous unions were 52.4%. On the other hand, the distribution of the population in polygamous marriages was 1% in 2019, while the widowed in Machakos were 6.5%. The share of the divorced and separated in Machakos was 0.9% and 1.9%, respectively.

Among men aged 12 and above, the percentage of those who were never married in Machakos was 46.9%. In comparison, those who were married monogamous were 48.4%. Men in polygamous marriages in the county were 1%, while the widowed were 1.2%. The percentage of divorced or separated men in Machakos County was 0.7% and 1.7%, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in 2022 was 22.2 years. In contrast, the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 in 2022 was 25.4 years.

Polygyny

The percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Machakos County who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 2.6%, while those without a co-wife were 84.7%.

Among married men aged 15-49 in 2022, those with more than two wives in Machakos were 1.8%, while those with one wife were 98.2%.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women in Machakos whose current marriage was registered with the civil authorities in 2022 was 17.4%. Those whose current marriage was registered with the civil authority and who had a marriage certificate were 15%.

Teenage Marriages in Machakos County

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Machakos County was 3.6% in 2019, while the proportion of married females of the same age group was 3.7%. The proportion of married females aged 12-18 in the county was 4.6%.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in Machakos County, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 11.3% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate 

The Total Fertility Rate in Machakos County was 2.7 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 25.6% from 3.6 births in 2009. By comparison, Kenya had a Total Fertility Rate of 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a drop of 28.6% from 4.8 births per woman in 2009.

The total youth fertility rate in Machakos County in 2019 was 0.9 births per woman. The national youth fertility rate in the same period was 1 birth per woman.

Machakos County had a Crude Birth Rate of 22.1 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 39% from 36.2 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Overall, Kenya’s Crude Birth Rate was 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 Machakos County that occurred in a health facility was 92.3% in 2019, while those that occurred in a non-health facility were 7.7%. In Kenya, the share of recent births occurring in health facilities was 85.8%, while those occurring in non-health facilities were 14%.

The share of recent births in Machakos County that were notified in 2019 was 94.6%, while those that were not notified were 5.3%. In Kenya, the % of notified births in 2019 were 90.4%, while those that were not notified were 9.3%.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 61.7% of deaths in Machakos 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 Machakos County that were notified in 2019 was 96%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Machakos County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 7.4deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

The majority of residents of Machakos County are Protestants 582,456, followed by Catholics 500,155, and members of Evangelical Churches 217,122.

Machakos County Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Machakos 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 Machakos County was 48.2% in 2019, up from 17% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Machakos County was 88.8% in 2019, up from 62.7% in 2009.
4. Households access to safe drinking water in Machakos County was 56.6% in 2019, up from 39.4% in 2009.
5. Machakos had 95.8% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 24^th nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Machakos County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 56.4%. Among women, 85.5% owned any type of mobile phone in Machakos County in 2022, while 50.7% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 77.1% in Machakos owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 45.1% 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 80.3% and 87%, respectively^.

Machakos County Finance

In the financial year (FY) 2023/24, Machakos County approved a supplementary budget of Ksh 15.81 billion, comprising Ksh 5.03 billion (31.8%) and Ksh 10.77 billion (68.2%) allocation for development and recurrent expenditures, respectively.

The budget estimates represented an increase of 26.0% compared to the previous year when it was Ksh 12.54 billion and comprised Ksh 3.77 billion for development and Ksh 8.78 billion for recurrent expenditures.

Revenue Performance in Machakos County

The main sources of revenue for Machakos County in FY 2023/2024 included:

• Equitable share – Ksh 8.8 billion
• Conditional grants and additional allocations – Ksh 531.4 million
• Own Source Revenue – Ksh 1.6 billion
• Cash balances – Ksh 1.5 billion

Own Source Revenue Collection in Machakos County

Machakos County generated a total of Ksh 1.6 billion from local sources of revenue, inclusive FIF. The major sources of revenue included:

• Single business permits – Ksh 314.2 million (20%)
• Land rates – Ksh 274.7 million (18%)
• Quarry extraction – Ksh 122.0 million (8%)
• Health revenue – Ksh 204.4 million (13%)
• Building plan approvals – Ksh 132.7 million (9%)
• Others – Ksh 501.3 million (32%)

Expenditure in Machakos County

On recurrent expenditure, Machakos County spent Ksh 6,804,374,451 on personnel emoluments and Ksh 2,777,702,094 on operations and maintenance. Machakos County spent Ksh 2,949,927,140 on development expenditures.

The total expenditure spent in Machakos County in the FY 2023/24 was Ksh 2,532,003,685.

Travel Expenditure in Machakos County

In the FY 2023/24 Machakos County spent Ksh 652,760,000 on Domestic travel and Ksh 148,680,000 on foreign travel. The total expenditure on travel in Machakos was Ksh 801,440,000.

Pending Bills in Machakos County

At the end of FY 2023/24, Machakos County settled pending bills amounting to Ksh 553.3 million, which consisted of Ksh 142.9 million and Ksh 410.4 million for recurrent expenditure and development programs, respectively.

Therefore, as of the end of the FY 2023/24, Machakos had an outstanding pending bill of Ksh 4.26 billion.

MCA Sitting Allowance in Machakos County

The average sitting allowance for Members of the County Assembly in Machakos was Ksh 58,617 compared to the national average of Ksh 59,508.

See Also

1. Kitui County
2. Makueni County
3. Mombasa County

References

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