Uasin Gishu County

Introduction

Uasin Gishu County had a total population of 1,282,000 in 2024. According to the Population and Housing Census 2019, the county had 1,163,186 people, comprising 304,943 households. The average household size in the county was 3.8 people per household in 2019.

Uasin Gishu has a total land area of 3,392.2 square kilometers and a population density of 343 people per square kilometer.

Uasin Gishu County has six sub-counties: Ainabkoi, Kapseret, Kesses, Moiben, Soy, and Turbo.

Uasin Gishu is bordered to the North by Trans Nzoia, to the East by Elgeyo Marakwet, to the South East by Kericho and Baringo, to the South by Nandi, and to the West by Kakamega County. 

Uasin Gishu County Economy

Uasin Gishu County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 295.7 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 2.4% during the same period.

The county's average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 2.5%, while its contribution to manufacturing activities was 1.4%. Uasin Gishu County’s average contribution to service activities was 2.6%.

Uasin Gishu County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 239,905 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Uasin Gishu County had an overall headcount poverty rate of 40.4%, representing an estimated 484,000 people who lived in poverty in 2021. The overall headcount poverty rate in Kenya during the same year was 38.6%.

Uasin Gishu had a hardcore poverty rate of 6.5%, with an estimated 78,000 people living in extreme poverty in 2021. The national hardcore poverty rate in the same year was 5.8%.

Uasin Gishu County also had a food poverty rate of 31.7%, with roughly 380,000 people living in food poverty. In Kenya, the food poverty rate in 2021 was 30.5%.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by Constituency in Uasin Gishu County in 2019: Ainabkoi 34.5%, Kapseret 34.8%, Kesses 36.2%, Moiben 26.6%, Soy 8.6%, and Turbo 35.5%.

In 2021, the mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Uasin Gishu County were Ksh 3,461 and Ksh 3,209, respectively. The overall share spent on food was 57%, while the share spent on non-food items was 43%. 

The major food source consumed in Uasin Gishu County was purchase or stock 82%, own production 14.6%, and gifts 3.5%.

In 2021, the mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure were Ksh 6,669 and Ksh 5,755, respectively. 

Uasin Gishu County Demographics

Uasin Gishu County had a population of 1,163,186 in 2019, comprising 580,269 males, 582,889 females, and 28 intersex. Uasin Gishu had a median age of 19 years in 2019. The table below shows the population distribution in Uasin Gishu County by sub-county and sex in 2019. 

Marital Status

The percent distribution of women aged 12 and above in Uasin Gishu County who were never married in 2019 was 45%, while those who were in monogamous marriages was 47%; on the other hand, women in polygamous unions in the county were 1.7%, and the widowed were 3.6%. The distribution of the divorced and separated in Uasin Gishu County was 0.5% and 2.0% in 2019.

Among men aged 12 and above, those who were never married accounted for 50.3%, while those in monogamous marriages accounted for 45.7% in 2019. On the other hand, the share of men in polygamous unions was 1.6%, while the widowed were 0.6%. The distribution of the divorced and separated in Uasin Gishu County was 0.3% and 1.3% in 2019.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in 2022 was 22 years. On the other hand, the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 in Uasin Gishu County was 26.7 years.

Polygyny

According to KDHS 2022, the percent distribution of married women aged 15-49 in Uasin Gishu County who had one or more co-wives was 5.7%, while those without co-wives were 89.1%.

Among married men aged 15-49 in Uasin Gishu County, those with more than two wives were 1.3%, while those with only one wife were 98.7%.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Uasin Gishu County whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities in 2022 was 24.6%. Those whose marriage was registered with civil authorities and had a marriage certificate were 21.7%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Uasin Gishu County was 3.2% in 2019. Similarly, the proportion of married females aged 12-15 in the county was 3.2%. Among females aged 12-18, those who were married in Uasin Gishu was 4%.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in Uasin Gishu County, comprising of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 10.7% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

Uasin Gishu County had a Total Fertility Rate of 3 births per woman in 2019, a 35.8% decline from 4.7 births per woman in 2009. The national TFR during the same period was 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a 28.6% decline from 4.8 births per woman in 2009.

The total youth fertility rate of women aged 15-24 in Uasin Gishu County was 0.9 births per woman in 2019. The national youth fertility rate was 1 birth per woman.

Uasin Gishu County had a Crude Birth Rate of 26.5 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a 37.6% decline from 42.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Kenya's Crude Birth Rate in 2019 was 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a 27.2% decrease from 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The share of recent births in Uasin Gishu County in a health facility in 2019 was 92.8%, while those in non-health facilities were 7.1%. In Kenya, 85.8% of recent births occurred in health facilities, while those that did not were 14%.

The share of recent births in Uasin Gishu County that were notified was 93.8%, while those that were not notified were 6%. Nationally, 90.4% of recent births in Kenya were notified, while 9.3% were not notified.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 64% of deaths in Uasin Gishu County occurred in a health facility, while 35.6% 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 Uasin Gishu County that were notified in 2019 was 92.8%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Uasin Gishu County Crude Death Rate (CDR) was 11.5 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

The majority of Uasin Gishu County residents are Protestants 521,093, followed by Catholics 250,572, and members of Evangelical Churches 222,364.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Uasin Gishu County was 60%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Uasin Gishu County was 63.9% in 2019, up from 27.9% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Uasin Gishu County was 90.6% in 2019, up from 78.6% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Uasin Gishu County was 82% in 2019, up from 77.3% in 2009.
5. Uasin Gishu had 97% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 21^st nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Uasin Gishu County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 51.4%. Among women, 85.9% owned any type of mobile phone in Uasin Gishu County in 2022, while 56.5% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 85.3% in Uasin Gishu owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 61.9% 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 93.2% and 84.1%, respectively^.

See Also

1. Elgeyo Marakwet County
2. Nandi County
3. Kericho County
4. Bomet 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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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).