Nyandarua County

Introduction

Nyandarua County is located in Central Province and had a total population of 708,000 in 2024. According to the 2019 census, Nyandarua had a total population of 638,289 people in that year, comprising 179,686 households and an average household size of 3.5 people per household.

The total land area of Nyandarua County is 3,285.7 square kilometres, and it had a population density of 194 people per square kilometre in 2019. 

Nyandarua County is bordered to the North by Laikipia, the East by Nyeri, the South East by Murang'a, the South by Kiambu, and the West by Nakuru County.

Nyandarua has eight sub-counties: Kinangop, Mirangine, Kipipiri, Nyandarua South, Nyandarua Central, Nyandarua West, Nyandarua North, and Aberdare National Park.

Nyandarua County Economy

Nyandarua County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 198.4 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 1.5% in the same period.

The county's average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 4.5%, while its average contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.3%. Nyandarua contributed, on average, 0.7% to service activities.

Nyandarua County had a Gross County Product of Ksh 290,577 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Nyandarua County had an overall poverty rate of 32% in 2021, with a total of 207,000 people estimated to live in poverty. By comparison, Kenya had an overall poverty rate of 38.6% in the same year.

The hardcore poverty rate in Nyandarua County was 2%, with roughly 13,000 people estimated to live in extreme poverty in 2021. The hardcore poverty rate in Kenya in the same year was 5.8%.

Nyandarua County also had a food poverty rate of 29.5%, and an estimated 191,000 people live in food poverty. Overall, Kenya’s food poverty rate in 2021 was 30.5%.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Nyandarua County in 2019: Kinangop 24.1%, Kipipiri 26.8%, Ndaragwa 23.2%, Ol Jorok 25.6%, and Ol Kalou 9.7%. 

In 2021, Nyandarua County's monthly food and non-food expenditures were Ksh 2,988 and Ksh 2,615, respectively. The county's monthly share of food expenditure was 57%, while the monthly share of non-food expenditure was 43%. 

The major sources of household food consumption in Nyandarua County were purchase or stock 64.4%, own production 30.9%, and gifts 4.7%.

The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Nyandarua were Ksh 5,603 and Ksh 4,909, respectively, in 2021.

Nyandarua County Demographics

Nyandarua County had a total population of 638,289 people in 2019, consisting of 315,247 males, 323,247 females, and 20 intersex. Nyandarua had a median age of 20 years in 2019.

The table below shows the distribution of the population of Nyandarua County by sex and subcounty in 2019.

Marital Status

The percentage distribution of women aged 12 and above in Nyandarua County who were never married in 2019 was 38.4%, while those who were married monogamous was 47.9%. On the other hand, the distribution of women in polygamous unions in the county was 0.8%, and the widowed were 7.1%. The share of women in Nyandarua who were divorced or separated in 2019 was 1.3% and 4.3%, respectively.

Among men aged 12 and above in Nyandarua, the percentage distribution of the never married in 2019 was 48%, while those in monogamous unions were 45.8%. The percentage of men in polygamous marriages in Nyandarua was 1.1%, while the widowed were 1.1%. The county's distribution of the divorced and separated was 0.8% and 3.1%, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women in Nyandarua County aged 25-49 in 2022 was 20.5 years, while the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 was 25.7 years.

Polygyny

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Nyandarua County who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 5.8%. Those without co-wives were 93.1%, while those with a single co-wife were 4.4%. The share of women with more than two co-wives in Nyandarua was 1.5%.

Among men aged 15-49 in Nyandarua, none said they had more than two wives.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in 2022 whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities was 14.3%, while those with a marriage certificate was 10%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Nyandarua County was 2.7% in 2019, while the proportion of married females of the sage age group was 2.8%. The proportion of married females aged 12-18 in 2019 was 3.7%.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in Nyandarua, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 5.2% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rates

Nyandarua County had a Total Fertility Rate of 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 8.2% from a TFR of 3.7 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 4.8 births per woman in 2009.

The total youth fertility rate in Nyandarua County, comprising women aged 15-24, was 1 birth per woman, similar to the national youth fertility rate of one birth per woman in 2019.

Nyandarua had a Crude Birth Rate of 23.7 births per 1,000 people in 2019, a decline of 33.9% from 35.8 births per woman 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 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The share of recent births in Nyandarua County that occurred in a health facility was 95.1%. In comparison, those that did not happen in a health facility were 4.9%. In Kenya, the share of recent births occurring in health facilities was 85.8%. In comparison, those not occurring in a health facility were 14% in 2019. 

The share of recent births in Nyandarua County that were notified was 97.4% in 2019, while those that were not notified were 2.6%. 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, 63% of deaths in Nyandarua County occurred in a health facility, while 36.8% 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 Nyandarua County that were notified in 2019 was 97%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Nyandarua County 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 Nyandarua County are Protestants 193,696 followed by members of Evangelical Churches 195,213, and Catholics 108,971.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Nyandarua County was 88%, representing the share of the population living within two kilometres of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Nyandarua County was 41.6% in 2019, up from 10.5% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Nyandarua County was 93.1% in 2019, up from 74.1% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Nyandarua County was 77.6% in 2019, up from 59.3% in 2009.
5. Nyandarua had 99.7% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 7^th highest in the country in 2019.

The share of the population in Nyandarua County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 55%. Among women, 82.3% owned any type of mobile phone in Nyandarua County in 2022, while 38.8% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 79.7% in Nyandarua owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 50.9% 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 76.1% and 77.5%, respectively^.

See Also

1. Nyeri County
2. Kiambu County
3. Murang’a County
4. Kirinyaga 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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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).
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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).