Trans-Nzoia County

Introduction

Trans Nzoia County had a total population of 1,089,000 people in 2024. According to the 2019 population and housing census, Trans Nzoia had a total population of 990,341 people, comprising 223,808 households. The average household size in Trans Nzoia was 4.4 people per household in 2019.

Trans Nzoia County has a total land area of 2,495.2 square kilometers and a population density of 397 people per square kilometer.

Trans Nzoia County is bordered to the North by West Pokot, to the East by Elgeyo Marakwet, to the South East by Uasin Gishu and Kakamega, to the South by Bungoma, and to the West by Uganda. 

Trans Nzoia County has five sub-counties, including Trans Nzoia West, Trans Nzoia East, Kwanza, Endebess, and Kiminini.

Trans Nzoia County Economy

Trans Nzoia County had an average Gross County Product at Current Prices of Ksh 190.5 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 1.6% in the same period.

The county’s contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 2.8%, while its contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.7%. Trans Nzoia County’s average contribution to service activities was 1.5%.

Trans Nzoia County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 181,492 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Trans Nzoia County had an overall headcount poverty rate of 36.3%, with an estimated 405,000 people living in poverty. The national poverty rate in 2021 was 38.6%.

The hardcore poverty rate in Trans Nzoia was 2.3%, with an estimated 25,000 people living in extreme poverty. Overall, Kenya had a hardcore poverty rate of 5.8% in 2021.

Trans Nzoia County had a food poverty rate of 28.1% in 2021, with an estimated 314,000 people living in food poverty. The national food poverty rate in the same year was 30.5%.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by Constituency in Trans Nzoia County in 2019: Cherangany 28%, Endebess 27.2%, Kiminini 32.4%, Kwanza 36.4%, and Saboti 39%.

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditure in Trans Nzoia County was Ksh 4,143 and Ksh 2,857, respectively. The share of expenditure on food was 57.4%, while the expenditure on non-food items was 42.6% in 2021. 

In 2021, the major food sources in Trans Nzoia County were purchase or stock (82.1%), own production (11.3%), and gifts (6.6%). 

In 2021, the mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Trans Nzoia County were Ksh 6,000 and Ksh 4,946, respectively.

Trans Nzoia County Demographics

Trans Nzoia had a total population of 990,341 in 2019, consisting of 489,107 males, 501,206 females, and 28 intersex. Trans Nzoia had a median age of 16 years in 2019. The table below shows the population distribution in Trans Nzoia by sub-county and sex. 

Marital Status

The percent distribution of women aged 12 and above in Trans Nzoia County who were never married in 2019 was 40.6%, while those who married monogamously were 47.7%. On the other hand, those in polygamous unions were 2.4%, and the widowed were 5.5%. The distribution of the divorced and separated in Trans Nzoia County was 1% and 2.6%, respectively, in 2019.

Among men aged 12 and above in Trans Nzoia, the percent distribution of the never-married was 50.7%. In comparison, those married monogamously were 43.2%. On the other hand, those who married polygamous were 2.6%, while those who were widowed were 0.9%. The distribution of the divorced and separated in Trans Nzoia County was 0.6% and 1.8%, respectively, in 2019.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Trans Nzoia was 20.3 years. Among men aged 30-54 in Trans Noia, the median age at first marriage was 26.4 years.

Polygyny

The percentage of married women in Trans Nzoia aged 15-49 who had one more co-wife in 2022 was 11.3%, with 0.6% having more than two co-wives and 10.7% having only one co-wife. Those without any co-wives in the county were 86.7%.

Among married men aged 15-49 in Trans Nzoia, the number of men with one wife was 98.2%, while those with more than two wives were 1.8%.

Marriage Registration 

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Trans Nzoia whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities in 2022 was 17.4%, while those whose marriage was registered with civil authorities and who had a marriage certificate was 13.1%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Trans Nzoia County was 3.3% in 2019, while the proportion of married females of the same age group was 3.6%. Among females aged 12-18 in Trans Nzoia, the proportion that was married in 2019 was 5.2%.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in Trans Nzoia, comprising of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 17.8% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

The Total Fertility Rate of Trans Nzoia County was 3.7 births per woman in 2019, a 33.2% decline from 5.5 births per woman in 2009. Overall, Kenya had a Total Fertility Rate of 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 of Trans Nzoia County, comprising women aged 15-24, was 1.2 births per woman in 2019, higher than the national youth fertility rate of 1 birth per woman.

Trans Nzoia County had a Crude Birth Rate of 27.2 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decrease of 38.1% from 44 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Kenya’s Crude Birth Rate in the same period was 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decrease 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 Trans Nzoia County that occurred in a health facility was 76.3% in 2019, while those that did not happen in a health facility were 23.5%. In Kenya, the share of recent births occurring in health facilities was 85.8% in 2019, while those not occurring in health facilities were 14%.

The share of recent births in Trans Nzoia that were notified was 85.6%, while those that were not notified were 14.1%. 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, 58.4% of deaths in Trans Nzoia County occurred in a health facility, while 40.9% 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 Trans Nzoia County that were notified in 2019 was 88.6%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Trans Nzoia County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 8.9 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Trans Nzoia County are Protestants 346,099, followed by members of Evangelical Churches 302,598, and Catholics 203,368.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Trans Nzoia County was 64%, representing the share of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Trans Nzoia County was 38.1% in 2019, up from 8.9% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Trans Nzoia County was 84.5% in 2019, up from 75% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Trans Nzoia County was 75.7% in 2019, up from 66.1% in 2009.
5. Trans Nzoia had 96.8% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 22^nd nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Trans Nzoia County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 40.4%. Among women, 73.3% owned any type of mobile phone in Trans Nzoia County in 2022, while 37.3% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 72.9% in Trans Nzoia owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 46.3% 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 76.2% and 79%, respectively^.

See Also

1. Kakamega County
2. Vihiga County
3. Busia County
4. Bungoma 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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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).