Embu County

Introduction

Embu County is located in Eastern Province and had a total population of 655,000 people in 2024. According to the 2019 population and housing census, Embu had a total population of 608,599 people, comprising 182,743 households and an average household size of 3.3 people per household.

Embu has a total land area of 2,820.7 square kilometers and a population density of 216 people per square kilometer. 

Embu County is bordered to the North by Tharaka Nithi, to the East by Kitui, to the South by Machakos, to the South West by Murang’a, and to the West by Kirinyaga.

Sub-counties in Embu County include Embu East, Embu North, Embu West, Mbeere South, Mbeere North, and Mt. Kenya Forest.

Embu County Economy

Embu County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 187.9 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 1.5% in the same period.

Embu County contributed, on average, 1.7% to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities and 0.4% to manufacturing activities. It also contributed, on average, 1.2% to service activities.

Embu County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 292,827 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Embu County had an overall headcount poverty rate of 28.7%, with a total of 179,000 people estimated to live in poverty. By comparison, Kenya had an overall poverty rate of 38.6% in 2021.

The hardcore poverty rate in Embu was 3.2%, with roughly 20,000 people estimated to live in extreme poverty in 2021. The hardcore poverty rate in Kenya during the same year was 5.8%.

Embu also had a food poverty rate of 22.5%, with 140,000 people estimated to live in food poverty. Kenya, on the other hand, had a food poverty rate of 30.5% in 2021.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Embu County in 2019: Manyatta 25.6%, Mbeere North 27.1%, Mbeere South 22.7%, and Runyenjes 46.1%.

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditure in Embu County was Ksh 3,588 and Ksh 3,613 in 2021. The percentage share of the mean monthly food expenditure in the county was 58%, while the share of the non-food expenditure was 42%. 

The major sources of household food consumption in Embu County were purchase or stock, accounting for 70.6%; own production, 19.8%; and gifts, 9.6%.

The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Embu County were Ksh 7,202 and Ksh 5,400, respectively, in 2021.

Embu County Demographics

Embu County had a total population of 608,599 people in 2019, consisting of 304,208 males, 304,367 females, and 24 intersex. Embu had a median age of 23 years in 2019.

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

Marital Status

The percentage of women aged 12 and above in Embu County who were never married in 2019 was 35.6%, while those who were married monogamous were 49.9%. The distribution of women in Embu married polygamous was 1.2%, and the widowed were 7.5%. The divorced and separated in Embu County were 1.1% and 4.7% respectively.

Among women aged 12 and above in Embu, those who were never married in 2019 were 45.5%, while those married monogamous were 47%. The distribution of men in Embu who were married polygamous was 1.2%, while the widowed were 1.4%. The divorced and separated in Embu County were 0.8% and 4.2%, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Embu County was 21.9 years in 2022, while the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 was 26.7 years.

Polygyny

The percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Embu County who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 3.8%. Those without a co-wife were 90.7%, while those with one co-wife were 3%. The share of women with more than two co-wives was 0.8%.

Among married men aged 15-49 in Embu County, 99.2% had one wife, and 0.8% had more than two wives in 2022.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women in Embu County aged 15-49 whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities was 26.6% in 2022, while those whose marriage was registered and had a marriage certificate was 24.7%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Embu County was 3.8% in 2019, while the proportion of married females of the same age group was 3.7%. Among females aged 12-18, the proportion married in Embu was 5.4% in 2019.

The teenage pregnancy rate in Embu County, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 14.4% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

Embu County had a Total Fertility Rate of 2.9 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 15% from 3.4 births per woman in 2009. Overall, Kenya's Total Fertility Rate was 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 Embu County was 0.9 births per woman in 2019, compared to a national youth fertility rate of 1 birth per woman.

The Crude Birth Rate of Embu County was 22.3 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 32% from 32.8 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 a Crude Birth Rate of 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The share of recent births in Embu County occurring in a health facility was 94.7% in 2019, while those occurring in a non-health facility were 5.3%. In Kenya, the share of recent births occurring in a health facility in 2019 was 85.8%, while those occurring in a non-health facility were 14%.

The share of recent births in Embu County that were notified was 97.6% in 2019, while those that were not notified were 2.4%. Overall, the share of recent births in Kenya that were notified was 90.4% in 2019, while those not notified were 9.3%.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 69.1% of deaths in Embu County occurred in a health facility, while 30.5% 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 Embu County that were notified in 2019 was 96.6%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Embu County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 7.5 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya Crude Death Rate was 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

The majority of residents of Embu County are Protestant 221,437, followed by Catholics 163,196, and members of Evangelical Churches 137,315.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Embu County was 86%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Embu County was 47.3% in 2019, up from 14.9% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Embu County was 90.4% in 2019, up from 65.6% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Embu County was 67.9% in 2019, up from 51.1% in 2009.
5. Embu had 97.1% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 20th nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Embu County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 57%. Among women, 86.8% owned any type of mobile phone in Embu County in 2022, while 45.5% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 83.9% in Embu owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 42.8% 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 85.8% and 85.5%, respectively^.

See Also

1. Meru County
2. Tharaka Nithi County
3. Isiolo 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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19. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).