Kitui County is one of the 47

counties of Kenya The counties of Kenya () are geographical units created by the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 Constitution of Kenya as the new units of devolution, devolved government. They replaced the previous Provinces of Kenya, provincial system. The establ ...

in the former Eastern Province of

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. Its capital and largest town is

Kitui Kitui is a town and capital of Kitui County in Kenya, 185 kilometres east of Nairobi and 105 kilometres east of Machakos. it covers an area approximately 30,496.4 km squares and lies between latitudes 0°10 South and 3°0 South and long ...

Mwingi Mwingi is a town in Kitui County in the Eastern Region of the Republic of Kenya. It had an urban population of 15,970 as per the 2009 census. The town is located along the A3 Road between Nairobi and Garissa, north of its county capital Kitui, a ...

is also another major urban centre. The county has a population of about 1.2 million people (as of 2024)Nyaga, C., Hope, R., Charles, K.J., Nowicki, S., Katuva, J., Mugo, P., Hoque, S., Olago, D., Thomas, M.K., and Mumma, A. (2024)
Guaranteeing safe drinking water services for public schools in Kenya: A costed professional service delivery model for Kitui County
REACH Working Paper 14. University of Oxford, UK. and an area of 30,496 km². It lies between latitudes 0°10 South and 3°0 South and longitudes 37°50 East and 39°0 East. Kitui County shares its borders with seven counties;

Tharaka-Nithi Tharaka-Nithi County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya. It was created from Kenya's Eastern Province. The county has an area of 2609 km2 and as of the 2019 census a population of 393,177. It is home to the Meru people. Tharaka-Nithi Cou ...

and

Meru Meru may refer to: Geography Kenya * Meru, Kenya, town in Meru County in the republic of Kenya * Meru County, one of Kenya's 47 counties that was created by the 2009 merger of 3 districts: ** Meru Central District ** Meru North District ** Meru S ...

to the north,

Embu Embu may refer to: Places ; in Brazil * Embu das Artes * Embu-Guaçu ; in Kenya * Embu, Kenya * Embu County Other

*Embu people of Kenya *Embu language, the Bantu language spoken by them {{Disamb, geo ...

to the northwest,

Machakos Machakos, also called Masaku, is a town in Machakos County, Kenya. Serving as the capital of the county, its urban population was 63,767 as of 2019. History Machakos was established in 1887 by Sakshi Shah, ten years before Nairobi. Machakos ...

and Makueni to the west, Tana River to the east and southeast, and Taita-Taveta to the south. Kitui County is "representative" of the fragile Arid and Semi-arid lands of Kenya that account for 80 percent of the land mass. These lands are characterized by high poverty levels, agro-pastoral livelihoods, high vulnerability to climate shocks, underdeveloped social infrastructure, low access to

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

, and in extreme cases conflict over

natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...

, especially during

droughts A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

History

The name Kitui means 'a place where iron goods are made'. The Kamba iron-smiths who settled in the county many years before the colonial period are the ones who named the area Kitui.

Demographics

Kitui County has a total population of 1.2 million people (as of 2024). In comparison, in 2009 the population was 1,136,187 people. Data from 2019 indicated that there are 262,942 households with an average household size of 4.3 persons per household, and a population density of 37 people per square kilometre. The population is mostly made up of people of the Akamba ethnicity. Tharaka people, a section of the Ameru, are also found in Kitui County mainly in Tharaka ward. There is also a growing Somali presence.

Administration and Political Units

Administrative Units

There are eight sub counties, forty county assembly wards, one hundred and sixty seven locations and four hundred and eleven sub-locations. Further, the sub-counties are divided into smaller units called wards. There are 40 wards which are further divided into 247 villages.

Administrative Sub-Counties

* Ikutha sub county * Katulani sub county * Kisasi sub county * Kitui central sub county * Kitui west sub county * Kyuso sub county * Lower yatta sub county * Matinyani sub county * Migwani sub county * Mumoni sub county * Mutitu sub county * Mutitu north sub county * Mutomo sub county * Mwingi central sub county * Mwingi east sub county * Nzambani sub county * Thagicu sub county * Tseikuru sub county Source

Electoral Constituencies

Kitui Central Constituency Kitui Central Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of eight constituencies in Kitui County Kitui County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitu ...

* Kitui East Constituency * Kitui Rural Constituency *

Kitui South Constituency Kitui South Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of eight constituencies in Kitui County Kitui County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui. ...

Kitui West Constituency Kitui West Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of eight constituencies in Kitui County Kitui County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kitui. ...

* Mwingi Central Constituency * Mwingi North Constituency * Mwingi West Constituency Source

Political Leadership

Julius Makau Malombe is the governor of the county after being elected in the 2022 general elections. He is deputised by Augustine Kanani Wambua. Eoch Kiio Wambua is the senator who was re-elected in the 2022 general elections after unseating the first senator David Musila. Irene Muthoni Kasalu is the second Women Representative after Winfred Nyiva Mwendwa. She was re-elected in 2022. For Kitui County, the County Executive Committee comprises:

Members of Parliament 2017-2022 (Kitui County)

*Hon. Mulu, Benson Makali of Wiper Democratic Party Kenya Member of Parliament Kitui Central Constituency * Hon. Mbai, Nimrod Mbithuka of Jubilee Party Member of Parliament Kitui East Constituency * Hon. Mboni, David Mwalika of chama cha uma party Member of Parliament Kitui Rural Constituency * Hon. Nyamai, Rachael Kaki of Jubilee Party Member of Parliament Kitui South Constituency * Hon. Nyenze, Edith of Wiper Democratic Party Kenya Member of Parliament Kitui West Constituency * Hon. Mulyungi, Gideon Mutemi of Wiper Democratic Party Kenya Member of Parliament Mwingi Central Constituency * Hon. Nzengu, Paul Musyimi of Wiper Democratic Party of Kenya Member of Parliament Mwingi North Constituency * Hon. Nguna, Charles Ngusya of Wiper Democratic Party of Kenya Member of Parliament Mwingi West Constituency

Religion

Christianity is the dominant religion in Kitui County. Roman Catholics make about 15% of the county's population. Other Christian denominations in the county include The Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC), the African Inland Church (AIC), Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC), Redeemed Gospel Church and many others. Kitui county has a significant number of Muslims and several mosques can be spotted around the county's major urban centres. Religion in Kitui County:

Climate

The climate of Kitui County is arid and semi-arid. It receives roughly 71 cm (28 inches) per year with a bi-modal rainfall pattern. This means that rainfall occurs practically only during the two rainy seasons (one long around March & April, and one short, around October, November and December). The terms ''Long'' and ''Short Rains'' has nothing to do with amount of rainfall received but rather on the length of the rainy seasons.

Infrastructure

Urban centres

The number of city dwellers is relatively low as the majority of people (about 86% of the population) lives in rural areas. Major towns in the county include

, Mutomo, Kwa Vonza, Mutitu,

Ikutha The Eastern Province () of Kenya was one of 8 Provinces of Kenya. Its northern boundary ran along with that of Ethiopia; the North Eastern Province and Coast Province lay to the east and south; and the remainder of Kenya's provinces, inclu ...

, Kabati, Migwani,

Mutonguni The Eastern Province () of Kenya was one of 8 Provinces of Kenya. Its northern boundary ran along with that of Ethiopia; the North Eastern Province and Coast Province lay to the east and south; and the remainder of Kenya's provinces, inclu ...

Mbitini Mbitini is a growing market town in Kitui County, former Eastern Province, Kenya, that is approximately 40 km south-east of Kitui town. It is the administrative centre of Mbitini County Assembly Ward with a total population of 24,858. Most o ...

and

Kyuso Kyuso is a town and sub-county in Kitui County, Kenya. Before the 2009 Constitution of Kenya implemented counties, it was in the Eastern Province and was a division of Mwingi District. Town and sub-county Kyuso is one of the major towns of Kit ...

Education

In 2019, Kitui County had "1,742 public primary and secondary schools, representing a student population of slightly over 400,000 pupils and 17,000 teachers. In addition, there were up to 145 private education institutions across the various education levels." The county has also 5 teachers training colleges, 311 adult training institutions and one technical training institution.

Kitui School Kitui High School is a boys' boarding secondary school in Kitui County and the only national boys' secondary school in the county. It has a population of 1,500 students. It is located about 2 kilometers from Kitui town along the Kitui-Mbusyani road ...

and Muthale Girls are the only national schools in Kitui County. Kathungi Secondary School, which is also found in Kitui County, is famous for its football championship in the country. Kathungi were the 2013 national silver medalists. Alongside the national champions Upper Hill, they represented Kenya in East Africa Secondary School games held in Lira, Uganda.

South Eastern Kenya University South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) is a public university with its main campus located in Kwa Vonza, Kitui County, Kenya. It was formerly South Eastern University College "SEUCO", a constituent college of The University of Nairobi prior to ...

is a public university located in

with the Main Campus at Kwa Vonza and other campuses at

and

towns.

Kenyatta University Kenyatta University (KU) is a public university with its main campus in Nairobi, Kenya. It acquired the status of university in 1985, being the third university after University of Nairobi (1970) and Moi University (1984). As of October 2014, it ...

has a campus at Kwa Vonza while

Moi University Moi University is a public university located in Kesses, Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu county, in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It was established in 1984 by the Moi University Act of the Parliament of Kenya, after recommendations from t ...

has a campus at Kyuso in Mwingi North sub-county.

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

also has a campus in Kitui town.

Kenya Medical Training College The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) is a state Corporation under the Ministry of Health entrusted with the role of training of the various health disciplines in the health sector, to serve the local, regional and international markets. ...

has campuses in Kitui and Mwingi. Additional funds are required to improve the water supply situation for schools. These investments would pay for new or upgraded water facilities in schools, and a professional operation and maintenance service. With regards to water infrastructure, schools would benefit from

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a Rainwater tank, tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), Aquifer s ...

systems and

piped water Tap water (also known as running water, piped water or municipal water) is water supplied through a tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used for drinking, ...

schemes and handpump sources if they do not already have these facilities.

Health

There are a total of 256 health facilities in the county with one county referral hospital. County has 2,084 health personnel of different cadre. HIV prevalence is at 4.2% below the national 5.9%. Kitui County has several hospitals and health centres to meet the health needs of residents, among them Kitui County Referral Hospital, Mwingi Sub-County General Hospital, Kitui Nursing Home, Neema Hospital, Jordan Hospital, mission-run hospitals such as Muthale Mission hospital and some private health centres.

Water supply and sanitation

Economy

The vast majority of the economy is based on sustenance farming, despite the fact that the agriculture is an extremely challenging endeavor giving the sporadic rainfall. A logical move therefore would be a transition to non-agricultural industries. During a recent, informal survey of the businesses in the town of Ikutha in southern Kitui County, the following businesses were identified: *Butcheries *Food Staples (rice, corn meal) *Mini-markets (sells things like Coca-Cola, potato chips, bread, long-shelf milk) *Mechanics *Pubs *Hotels and restaurants

Industries

Situated in Kitui town is a cotton ginnery where cotton farmers from around the county can deliver their harvest. It is the only major industry in the region, and was set up way back in 1935. Kitui is a semi-arid region and not many crops fare well there apart from cotton, hence the ginnery plays a major role creating income for the many cotton farmers in the region.

Minerals

Kitui county has large deposits of coal in Mui Basin, having low energy content/

calorific value The heating value (or energy value or calorific value) of a substance, usually a fuel or food (see food energy), is the amount of heat released during the combustion of a specified amount of it. The ''calorific value'' is the total energy release ...

, meaning it produces less heat when burned. It also has

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

. The coal could potentially supply the 1,000 MW

Lamu Coal Power Station The proposed Lamu Coal Power Station is a potential coal-fired thermal power station in Kenya. The proposed plant would be developed on 865 acres of land and feature a 210 meter tall smoke stack, which would become East Africa's tallest structure ...

, and the 960-megawatt (MW) Kitui coal plant. Mutomo/Ikutha district contains limestone.

Wealth/Poverty Level

Tourism

Tsavo East National Park Tsavo East National Park is a national park in Kenya with an area of . It was established in April 1948 and covers a semi-arid area previously known as the Taru Desert. Together with the Tsavo West National Park, it forms an area of about 22,0 ...

*South Kitui National Reserve *Mwingi National Reserve *Ikoo Valley *Ngomeni Rock Catchment.

Nzambani Rock

Also in Kitui county is one of the largest Rock outcrops in Kenya which is locally known as "Ivia ya Nzambani". Situated past Kitui Town, about 1 km from Chuluni Market is the Nzambani Rock which is famous for the tales and myths of its origin. Activities here include hiking and rock climbing.

Notable people

Willy Mutunga Willy Munyoki Mutunga, Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya, EGH (born 16 June 1946) is a Kenyan lawyer, intellectual, reform activist, and was the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth Special Envoy to the Maldives. He is also an active member o ...

, Former

Chief Justice of Kenya The chief justice of Kenya is a public office in the Republic of Kenya established under Article 161 of the country's Constitution as the head of the Judiciary of Kenya. Under Article 163, the chief justice also serves as the president of the S ...

Kalonzo Musyoka Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka (born 24 December 1953) is a Kenyan politician who was the tenth Vice-President of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. Musyoka served in the government under the late President Daniel arap Moi as the Secretary of Kenya African Nat ...

, 10th

Vice-President of Kenya The deputy president of the Republic of Kenya ( Swahili: ''Naibu Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya'') is the principal assistant to the President of the Republic of Kenya. The current appointed deputy president of Kenya is Kithure Kindiki. He has been ...

John Mbiti John Samuel Mbiti (1931–2019) was a Kenyan-born Christian philosopher and writer. He was an ordained Anglican priest, and is considered "the father of modern African theology". Early life John Mbiti was born on 30 November 1931 in Mulango, Ki ...

, Kenyan-born Christian Philosopher, priest and writer * Julius Malombe, The first Governor of Kitui County * Makau W. Mutua, Former dean of the

University of Buffalo Law School The University at Buffalo School of Law (also known as State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, or SUNY Buffalo Law School) is the law school of the University at Buffalo. Founded in 1887, and affiliated with Niagara University until 1 ...

Charity Ngilu Charity Kaluki Ngilu (born 28 January 1952) is a Kenyan politician and the second governor elected for Kitui County. She unsuccessfully vied to be President of the Republic of Kenya in 1997. She served as Minister for Health from 2003 until 20 ...

, Former MP Kitui Central (The former Governor of Kitui County) * David Musila, Former Member of Parliament of Kitui West Constituency * Nzamba Kitonga, Former president of the

East Africa Law Society The East Africa Law Society (EALS) is the regional Bar Association of East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique ...

and

COMESA The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional economic community in Africa with twenty-one member states stretching from Tunisia to Eswatini. COMESA was formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area whi ...

Court of Justice * Kiema Kilonzo, Kenyan ambassador to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Eric Mutua Eric Kyalo Mutua (born 1970) is a Kenyan lawyer and politician. He has served as the chairman of the Law Society of Kenya The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) is an organization mandated to advise and assist members of thlegal profession the governmen ...

, Former chairman of the

Law Society of Kenya The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) is an organization mandated to advise and assist members of thlegal profession the government and the larger public in all matters relating to the administration of justice in Kenya. It was established by an Act of ...

and Treasurer of the

* Onesmus Kimweli Mutungi, Former Chancellor of

and the first Kenyan to get

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

degree *

Ngala Mwendwa Eliud Ngala Mwendwa (1923 – June 8, 2016) was a Kenyan teacher and politician. He was a member of the Kenyan delegation to the 1960 Lancaster House Conference, which negotiated the country's independence from the United Kingdom. Mwendwa then s ...

, Former Minister of Labour in the first Kenyan post-independence cabinet * Nyiva Mwendwa, The first Kitui County Woman Representative and first Kenyan woman to serve as a cabinet minister *

Kitili Maluki Mwendwa Kitili Maluki Mwendwa is a former Chief Justice of Kenya. He served between 1968–1971 and was succeeded by Sir James Wicks. Mwendwa, who was from Kitui, was the first African to become Chief Justice of Kenya. His brother, Ngala Mwendwa, served ...

, First black

Benson Masya Benson Masya (May 14, 1970 – September 24, 2003) was a Kenyan long-distance runner and marathon specialist, who competed in the late 1980s and 1990s. He participated at the inaugural IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1992 and finished in ...

, Kenyan

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

and

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

serial winner and the winner of the inaugural

IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The World Athletics Road Running Championships is a biennial international road running competition organised by World Athletics. The competition was launched as the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1992 and held annually until 2010. It wa ...

in 1992 *

Benjamin Nzimbi Benjamin Paul Mwanzia Nzimbi (born 1945) is a Kenyan Anglican archbishop. He was the archbishop and primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya and Bishop of the Diocese of All Saints Cathedral, from 2002 to 2009. He is married to Alice Kavula and the ...

, Retired Archbishop and Primate of the

Anglican Church of Kenya The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) is a province of the Anglican Communion, and it is composed by 41 dioceses. The current Leader and Archbishop of Kenya is Jackson Ole Sapit. The Anglican Church of Kenya claims 5 million total members. Accordin ...

* Musili Wambua, Associate Dean of the

School of Law and the first Chancellor of University of Embu *

John Nzau Mwangangi John Nzau Mwangangi (born 1 November 1990) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes over distances ranging from 5000 metres to the half marathon. He was the gold medallist at the 2011 African Cross Country Championships. He has won a number ...

, Kenyan long-distance runner and the gold medalist at the 2011

African Cross Country Championships The African Cross Country Championships is a regional cross country running competition for athletes from Africa. History The competition had a one off edition in 1985 in Nairobi, Kenya, and the medallists were mostly from the host nation.

References

External links

Kitui County official website
* {{Authority control Counties of Kenya