Elgeyo-Marakwet County

Introduction

Elgeyo Marakwet had a total population of 502,000 people in 2024. According to the 2019 population and housing census, the Elgeyo Marakwet had a total population of 454,480 people. The total number of households in the county was 99,861, and the average household size was 4.4 people per household.

Elgeyo Marakwet has a total land area of 3,032 square kilometers and a population density of 150 people per square kilometer.

Elgeyo Marakwet is bordered to the North by West Pokot, the East by Baringo, the West by Uasin Gishu, and the North West by Trans Nzoia.

Elgeyo Marakwet had four sub-counties: Keiyo North, Keiyo South, Marakwet East, and Marakwet West.

Elgeyo Marakwet County Economy

Elgeyo Marakwet had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 120.75 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 1.1%.

Elgeyo Marakwet's average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing was 3.1%, while its contribution to manufacturing was 0.3%. The average county contribution to service activities was 0.5%.

Elgeyo Marakwet had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 247,276 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Elgeyo Marakwet had an overall headcount poverty rate of 47.3%, with roughly 221,000 people living in poverty. By comparison, Kenya had an overall poverty rate of 38.6% in 2021.

The hardcore poverty rate of Elgeyo Marakwet in 2021 was 4.7%, lower than the national hardcore poverty rate of 5.8%. The estimated number of people living in extreme poverty in Elgeyo Marakwet was 22,000.

In 2021, Elgeyo Marakwet had a food poverty rate of 32%, with an estimated 150,000 people living in food poverty. The national food poverty rate during the same period was 30.5%. 

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Elgeyo Marakwet County in 2019: Keiyo North at 40.3%, Keiyo South at 37.5%, Marakwet East at 43.7%, and Marakwet West at 39.5%.

In 2021, the mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Elgeyo Marakwet were Ksh 2,876 and Ksh 2,130, respectively. The share of expenditure on food was 63.7%, while expenditure on non-food items was 36.3%. 

The percentage distribution of household food consumption in Elgeyo Marakwet by source was 61.5% from purchase or stock, 31.2% from own production, and 7.1% from gifts.

The mean and median per adult equivalent expenditure in Elgeyo Marakwet in 2021 was Ksh 5,006 and Ksh 4,153.

Elgeyo Marakwet County Demographics

The total number of people in Elgeyo Marakwet in 2019 was 454,480. The number of males was 227,317, while the females were 227,151. The intersex were 12. Elgeyo Marakwet had a median age of 17 years in 2019. The table below shows the population distribution in Elgeyo Marakwet by sex and sub-county. 

Marital Status

The percent distribution of women aged 12 and above in Elgeyo Marakwet who were never married in 2019 was 43.1%, while those who were in monogamous marriages were 48.4%. On the other hand, those who married polygamous were 3%, and the widowed were 3.7%. The distribution of women in the county who were divorced and separated in 2019 was 0.2% and 1.6%, respectively.

Among men aged 12 and above in Elgeyo Marakwet, the percentage distribution who were never married in 2019 was 50.5%, while those in monogamous unions were 44.8%. On the other hand, the share of men who married polygamous was 2.4%, while those who were widowed in 2019 were 0.8%. The share of men in Elgeyo Marakwet who were divorced and separated was 0.2% and 1.2%, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Elgeyo Marakwet was 21.5 years. The median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 in the county was 25.3 years in 2022.

Polygyny

The distribution of currently married women aged 15-49 in Elgeyo Marakwet who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 9.6%, while those without co-wives were 88.8%. The distribution of women with a single co-wife in the county was 9.6%.

Among married men aged 15-49, the distribution with one wife in Elgeyo Marakwet was 96.2%, while those with more than two wives were 3.8%.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities in 2022 was 14.8%, while those whose marriage was registered with civil authorities and had a marriage certificate was 13.2%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Elgeyo Marakwet was 5.5% in 2019, while the proportion of married females of the same age group was 6.2%. Additionally, the % of married females aged 12-18 in Elgeyo Marakwet was 7%.

According to KDHS 2022, the rate of teenage pregnancies in Elgeyo Marakwet, comprising women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 12.1%.

Total Fertility Rate

Elgeyo Marakwet County had a Total Fertility Rate of 3.7 births in 2019, a decline of 30.4% from 5.3 births in 2009. By comparison, Kenya had a TFR of 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a drop of 28.6% from 4.8 births in 2009.

The total youth fertility rate in Elgeyo Marakwet, comprising women aged 15-24, was 1.1 births per woman in 2019, compared to a national youth fertility rate of 1 birth per woman in the same year.

Elgeyo Marakwet had a Crude Birth Rate of 26.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 38.6% from 43.8 births per 1,000 population in 2009. The national Crude Birth Rate in the same period was 27.9 births per 1,000 in 2019, down from 38.4 births per 1,000 in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The share of recent births in Elgeyo Marakwet that occurred in a health facility in 2019 was 90.1%, while those in non-health facilities were 9.8%. In Kenya, recent births in health facilities in 2019 were 85.8%, while those in non-health facilities were 14%.

The share of recent births in Elgeyo Marakwet that were notified in 2019 was 94.3%, while those that were not notified were 5.6%. Overall, the share of recent births in Kenya that were notified in 2019 was 90.4%, while those that were not notified were 9.3%.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 63% of deaths in Elgeyo Marakwet County occurred in a health facility, while 36.6% 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 Elgeyo Marakwet County that were notified in 2019 was 90.1%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Elgeyo Marakwet County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 8.1 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Elgeyo Marakwet County are Catholic 231,873, Protestants 144,855, and members of Evangelical Churches 46,334.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Elgeyo Marakwet County was 68%, representing the share of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Elgeyo Marakwet County was 24.7% in 2019, up from 7.2% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Elgeyo Marakwet County was 67.9% in 2019, up from 48.4% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Elgeyo Marakwet County was 43.1% in 2019, up from 36.4% in 2009.
5. Elgeyo Marakwet had 93% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 28^th nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Elgeyo Marakwet County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 37.6%. Among women, 72.7% owned any type of mobile phone in Elgeyo Marakwet County in 2022, while 29.5% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 76.4% in Elgeyo Marakwet owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 38.4% 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 76.9% and 77.8%, respectively^.

See Also

1. Uasin Gishu County
2. Nandi County
3. Kericho County
4. Bomet County 

References

1. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on population projections (Vol. XVI, pp. 23-25).
2. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Population by county and subcounty (Vol. I, p. 7).
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4. KNBS. (2019). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Population by county and subcounty (Vol. I, p. 10).
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).
7. KNBS. (2023). The Kenya Poverty Report: Based on the 2021 Kenya Continuous Household Survey (pp. 35-47).
8. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).
9. KNBS. (2023). The Kenya Poverty Report: Based on the 2021 Kenya Continuous Household Survey (pp. 27-31).
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14. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on fertility and nuptiality (Vol. VI, pp. 19-21).
15. KNBS and ICF. 2023. Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022: Volume 1. Nairobi, Kenya, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: KNBS and ICF. (pp. 169-170).
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).