Human Settlement Types and Patterns in Kenya: Cities Towns and Villages

Human settlements are communities where people live. It ranges from single isolated dwellings to large cities and agglomerations. 

The human settlement hierarchy in Kenya consists of isolated dwellings on the lowest level, hamlets, villages, towns, and cities.

The settlement hierarchy is often determined by its population size or the level of access to critical services. Settlement patterns also indicate areas of high population density and influence resource allocation and planning.^[1]

Quick Facts

1. Kenya had 5 cities as of 2025, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Eldoret.
2. Kenya had 263 towns as of 2025
3. Kenya had a total of 8,047 villages in 2025.
4. Kenya had 733 hamlets as of 2025
5. Kenya had 134 isolated dwellings as of 2025^[2]

Kenya’s settlement patterns

The map below shows the distribution of settlements in Kenya, including cities, towns, villages, and hamlets.

The map aligns closely with maps of Kenya's population density, highlighting areas and regions inhabited by a large number of people.

The lower half of the country has more villages and towns than the top half, which coincides with areas with a high population.

Number of towns in Kenya

As of 2025, Kenya had 263 towns distributed across the country. Towns are smaller than cities, have better access to infrastructure, and have a larger population than villages.

The map below shows the distribution of all Kenyan towns after excluding the other settlement types.

As expected, most towns are located in the bottom half of the country, in counties with very high populations.

Number of villages in Kenya

Villages are smaller than towns and have little access to infrastructure compared to towns. However, a single village may have many people, making them larger than hamlets in population and access to services.

Most settlements in Kenya are villages; as of 2025, Kenya had 8,047 villages.

Kenya's many villages may explain why more people live in rural areas than in urban areas.

For instance, 39 million people in Kenya lived in rural areas in 2023, compared to 16.34 million in urban areas.^[3]

Only 30% of Kenya's population lived in urban areas, while 70% lived in rural areas.

However, this trend is changing as recent and lifetime migration data in Kenya suggest that more people are moving into urban counties like Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kajiado, and Uasin Gishu.^[4]

Number of hamlets in Kenya

Kenya has fewer hamlets than villages, although hamlets are smaller and have fewer people.

Hamlets may have a low rural access index compared to towns and villages, meaning most residents live more than two kilometres from an all-weather road. They may not have access to electricity or piped water.

As of 2025, Kenya had 733 hamlets.

The map shows fewer hamlets in the bottom half of the country than in the top half. This suggests that the top half of the country has a large number of settlements with fewer people and much lower access to infrastructure and services.

Number of isolated dwellings

Isolated dwelling is at the lowest level of the settlement hierarchy, with fewer people and a large distance between them and other settlements.

As of 2025, Kenya had 134 isolated dwellings.

Isolated dwellings are smaller and further from other settlements, have fewer people, and may lack access to services and infrastructure.

See Also

1. Population density of Kenya by county
2. The rural access index by county
3. Best counties to live in Kenya – Basic access index
4. Household access to electricity in Kenya by county
5. Household access to piped water in Kenya by county

References