Siaya County

Introduction

Siaya County is located in Nyanza Province and had a total population of 1,078,000 in 2024 and a total population of 993,883 during the 2019 census. Siaya County had 250,698 households in 2019, with an average household size of 3.9 people per household.

The total land area in Siaya County in 2019 was 2,529.8 square kilometers. The county had a population density of 393 people per square kilometer.

Siaya County is bordered to the West by Busia County, South by Lake Victoria, North by Kakamega County, and the East by Vihiga County and Kisumu.

Siaya County has six sub-counties: Siaya, Gem, Ugenya, Ugunja, Bondo, and Rarieda.

Siaya County Economy

Siaya County's Gross County Product was Ksh 136.81 billion in 2022, representing an average contribution to Gross Value Added 1.1% between 2018 and 2022.

The average county contribution to Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Activities in Siaya was 1.7% between 2018 and 2022. The country contributed 0.4% to Manufacturing Activities and 0.9% to Service Activities within the same period.

Siaya County had a GCP per Capita of Ksh 131,469 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

In 2021, Siaya County's overall headcount poverty rate was 34.2%, compared to a national poverty rate of 38.6%. The estimated number of people in the county living in poverty was 350,000.

The estimated hardcore poverty rate in Siaya was 0.8% compared to the national hardcore poverty rate of 5.8%. This represented an estimated 8,000 people living in extreme poverty.

The estimated food poverty rate in the county was 23.1%, compared to a national rate of 30.5%. This represents an estimated 236,000 people living in food poverty. 

The table below shows poverty rates by constituency in Siaya. Alego had a poverty rate of 24.9%, Bondo 21.3%, Gem 21.7%, Rarieda 19.1%, Ugenya 24.5%, and Ugunja 23.8%. 

An analysis of consumption patterns in Siaya County in 2021 revealed that the mean monthly expenditure on food and non-food items was 63.3% and 36.7%, respectively. This represented a mean monthly expenditure of Ksh 3,240 on food and Ksh 2,237 on non-food expenditures. 

The major source of household food consumption in Siaya was purchase or stock at 62.5%, followed by own-production at 27.5%, and gifts at 10%. The mean and median per adult equivalent on consumption was Ksh 5,476 and Ksh 4,706, respectively.

Siaya County Demographics

The total population in Siaya County in 2019 was 993,183, consisting of 471,669 males, 521,496 females, and 18 intersex people. Siaya had a median age of 17 years in 2019.

The table below shows the total population in Siaya by subcounty and sex.

Marital Status

The share of women aged 12 and above who were never married in 2019 in Siaya County was 35.9%, while those who were married monogamous was 44% and polygamous 4.7%. The widowed in Siaya were 13.9%, divorced 0.4%, and separated 1.1%.

Among men aged 12 and above in Siaya, 50.2% were never married, 41% were married monogamously, and 4.8% polygamously. The widowed were 1.6%, divorced 0.5%, and separated 1.8%.

According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), the median age at first marriage among women aged 20-49 in Siaya County was 19.9 years and 19.2 years among those aged 25-49. In men aged 30-54, the median age of first marriage was 25.2 years.

Polygyny

According to the KDHS 2022, the percentage of women in Siaya County aged 15-49 who had one or more co-wives was 12.3%. Of these, 10.5% had one co-wife, while 1.8% had more than two co-wives. Those who married monogamously and did not have a co-wife were 87.7%.

Among married men aged 15-49 in 2022, the KDHS revealed that 90.2% had one wife and 9.8% had 2+ wives.

Marriage Registration 

The percentage of women aged 15-49 in Siaya County whose current marriage was registered with the civil authority in 2022 was 10.5%. Those whose current marriage was registered with the civil authority and had a marriage certificate were 8.0%.

Teenage Marriages

In 2019, the % of married males aged 12-15 in Siaya County was 2.6%. Among females of the same age group, 2.7% were married, while among those aged 12-18, 4.2% were married.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in Siaya County, defined as those women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 20.9% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

Siaya County had a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 3.5 births per woman in 2019, a 35.6% decline from a TFR of 5.5 births in 2009. Overall, the national TFR was 3.4 births in 2019, a 28.6% decline from 4.8% in 2009.

Among the youth aged 15-24 in Siaya, the TFR in 2019 was 1.2 births. The Youth TFR in Kenya during the same period was 1.0 births.

Place of Birth and Notification

The percentage of births in Siaya County occurring in health facilities was 94.6% in 2019, while those not occurring in health facilities were 5.3%. Nationally, 85.9% of births occurred in health facilities, while 14% did not occur in health facilities.

The percentage of notified births in Siaya County in the last 12 months preceding the 2019 census was 94.8%, while 5.0% were not notified. Overall, 90.4% of births in Kenya were notified, while 9.3% were not notified.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 56.5% of deaths in Siaya County occurred in a health facility, while 43.4% 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 Siaya County that were notified in 2019 was 89.8%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Siaya County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 15.5 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Siaya County are affiliated with the African Instituted Churches 236,416, followed by Catholic 226,455, and Evangelical Churches 225,650. 

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Siaya County was 78%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Siaya County was 19.6% in 2019, up from 4.3% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Siaya County was 81.5% in 2019, up from 47.9% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Siaya County was 55.1% in 2019, up from 36.1% in 2009.
5. Siaya had 98.2% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 14^th highest in the country in 2019.

The share of the population in Siaya County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 44.1%. Among women, 70.7% owned any type of mobile phone in Siaya County in 2022, while 28.4% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 65.2% in Siaya owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 34.6% 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 66.8% and 78.3%, respectively.

See Also

1. Kisumu County
2. Migori County
3. Homa Bay County

References

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19. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).