Laikipia County

Introduction

Laikipia County had a total population of 572,000 people in 2024.^[1] In the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Laikipia had a total population of 518,560, which comprised 149,271 households. The average household size in Laikipia County in 2019 was 3.4 people per household.^[2][3][4]

Laikipia has a total land area of 9,532.2 square kilometers and had a population density of 54 people per square kilometer in 2019.^[5]

Laikipia County is bordered to the North by Samburu, to the North East by Isiolo, to the East by Meru, to the South by Nyeri, to the South West by Nyandarua and Nakuru, and to the West by Baringo.

Laikipia County has five sub-counties: Laikipia Central, Laikipia East, Laikipia North, Laikipia West, and Nyahururu.

Laikipia County Economy

Laikipia County had an average Gross County Product at Current Prices of Ksh 119.58 billion between 2018 and 2022. The county's average contribution to Gross Value Added in the same period was 0.9%.^[6]

Laikipia County contributed, on average, 1.1% to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities. Its contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.3%, while its contribution to service activities was 0.9%.^[7]

Laikipia County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 217,284 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Laikipia County's headcount poverty rate was 34.8% in 2021, with an estimated 188,000 people living in poverty. The overall poverty rate in Kenya was 38.6% during the same period. 

Laikipia had a hardcore poverty rate of 4%, with an estimated 22,000 people living in extreme poverty. By comparison, Kenya’s hardcore poverty rate in 2021 was 5.8%.

Laikipia also had a food poverty rate of 27% in 2021, whereby around 145,000 people were living in food poverty. Nationally, the food poverty rate in Kenya was 30.5% in 2021.^[8]

The map below shows the poverty rates by constituency in Laikipia County in 2019. Laikipia East had a poverty rate of 30.3%, Laikipia North 39%, and Laikipia West 32.8%.^[9]

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Laikipia County in 2021 were Ksh 3,560 and Ksh 2,850, with 59.4% of expenditures going toward food and 40.6% toward non-food expenditures. 

The distribution of food consumption in Laikipia by source showed that 76.4% was from purchase or stock, 16.6% from own production, and 7.1% from gifts.

The mean and median per adult equivalent expenditure in Laikipia County 2021 were Ksh 6,410 and Ksh 5,274, respectively.^[10]

Laikipia County Demographics

Laikipia County had a total population of 518,560 people in 2019, with 259,440 being male, 259,102 being female, and 18 intersex. Laikipia had a median age of 19 years in 2019. The table below shows the population distribution in Laikipia by sex and sub-county. 

Marital Status

The distribution of women aged 12 and above in Laikipia County who were never married in 2019 was 37.9%. Those who were married monogamously was 48.3%, while those in polygamous unions were 2.6%. The widows in Laikipia were 6.2%, while those who were divorced and separated were 1.4% and 3.3%, respectively.

Among men aged 12 and above in Laikipia, the percentage of those who were never married was 47.2% in 2019, while those in monogamous unions were 46.3%. Those in polygamous unions were 2.3%, while the widowed were 1.1%. The distribution of the divorced and separated men in Laikipia was 0.8% and 2.2%, respectively.^[11]

According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Laikipia was 21.4 years. In men aged 30-54, the median age at first marriage was 25.8 years.^[12]

Polygyny

According to the KDHS, 5% of currently married women aged 15 - 49 in Laikipia County have one or more co-wives, 3.5% have a single co-wife and 1.5% have more than two co-wives. Those without co-wives in Laikipia were 94.6%. 

Among men aged 15-49 in Laikipia, 97.6% had one wife, while 2.4% stated they had more than two wives.^[13]

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Laikipia whose marriage was registered with civil authorities was 15.6%. Those whose marriage was registered with civil authorities and had a marriage certificate in 2022 were 13.3%.^[14]

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Laikipia County was 3.2%. In comparison, the proportion of married females of the same age group was 3.9%. Among females aged 12-18, the proportion that was married in Laikipia was 6.1% in 2019.^[15]

The rate of teenage pregnancy in Laikipia County, comprising of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 9.1% in 2022.^[16]

Total Fertility Rate

Laikipia County's Total Fertility Rate was 3.7 births in 2019, a decline of 4.3% from 3.9 births in 2009. Kenya's Total Fertility Rate during the same period was 3.4 births in 2019, a 28.6% decrease from 4.8 births in 2009.

The total fertility rate among the youth of Laikipia, comprising those aged 15-24 years, was 1.2 births. The overall youth fertility rate in Kenya was 1 birth in 2019.

Laikipia County had a Crude Birth Rate of 28 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 22.7% from 36.3 births per 1,000 population in 2009. The national Crude Birth Rate in the same year 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.^[17]

Place of Birth and Notification

In 2019, 76.5% of recent births in Laikipia County occurred in a health facility, while 23.4% occurred in non-health facilities. By comparison, 85.8% of recent births in Kenya occurred in health facilities, while 14% occurred in non-health facilities. 

The share of recent births in Laikipia that were notified in 2019 was 86.9%, while those that were not were 13.1%. By comparison, the share of recent births notified in Kenya was 90.4%, while those not notified were 9.3% in 2019.^[18]

Place of Death and Notification

In 2019, 60.5% of deaths in Laikipia County occurred in a health facility, while 39.2% 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 Laikipia County that were notified in 2019 was 90.7%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Laikipia County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 11.6 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Laikipia County are Protestants 152,699, Catholics 147,752, and members of Evangelical Churches 108,701.^[19]

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Laikipia County was 72% in 2019, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road.
2. Household access to electricity in Laikipia County was 42.7% in 2019, up from 17.7% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Laikipia County was 82.1% in 2019, up from 72.3% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Laikipia County was 65.1% in 2019, up from 54% in 2009.
5. Laikipia had 81.7% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 32^nd nationally in 2019.^[20]

The share of the population in Laikipia County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 51.5%. Among women, 77.8% owned any type of mobile phone in Laikipia County in 2022, while 45.2% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 85.1% in Laikipia owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 57.7% 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 82.2% and 77.8%, respectively^.

See Also

1. Baringo County
2. Samburu County
3. West Pokot County

References