Kwale is a small town in Mombasa and the capital of Kwale County,

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. ...

. It is located at ; 30 km southwest of

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

and 15 km inland. The town had an urban population of 10,063 (2019 census). It is next to the

Shimba Hills National Reserve The Shimba Hills National Reserve is a small National Reserve in the former Coast Province of Kenya, 33 km from Mombasa and 15 km from the coast. The reserve is an area of coastal rainforest, woodland and grassland. It is an important ...

. The town of Μombasa can be seen from Golini due to its high altitude. Past Kwale is The Shimba Hills Hotel and Mwalughanje Elephant Sanctuary along the KWS (

Kenya Wildlife Service Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is a state corporation under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife established by an act of Parliament; Wildlife Conservation and Management Act CAP 376, of 1989, now repealed and replaced by the Wildlife Conservation ...

) strip. Kwale is the main town of the Digo and

Duruma The Coast Province () was one of Kenya's eight provinces prior to 2010. It covered the entire country's coastline on the Indian Ocean. Its capital city was Mombasa. It was inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili peoples, among others. The provin ...

people. These people belong to the Mijikenda ethnic group of the former

Coast Province The Coast Province () was one of Kenya's eight provinces prior to 2010. It covered the entire country's coastline on the Indian Ocean. Its capital city was Mombasa. It was inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili peoples, among others. The provin ...

of Kenya. Other tribes found in the county include the

Kamba Kamba may refer to: *Kamba African Rainforest Experiences, a collection of eco-luxury lodges in the Republic of Congo *Kamba people of Kenya *Bena-Kamba, a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo *Khampa, also spelled Kamba, Tibetan peop ...

, Arabs, Indians and other minority tribes like the Makonde, Vumba (Zimba), Degere & Segeju, though most of them have been assimilated by either the Digo or Duruma. The area extends from Shika Adabu in the south, to Kinango and then southwards to Lunga Lunga on the border with

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Politics

The governor for Kwale County is Salim Mgalla Mvuyra who ran on an ODM ticket in the 2013 general elections and on a Jubilee ticket in 2017. His rivals in the 2013 race were Mwarapayo wa-Mwachai, Rigga Kassim Mambo, Simeon Mkalla, Michael Nyanje and James Dena. The senator for the county is Issa Boy Juma, son of the former MP of

Matuga Constituency Matuga Constituency is an Constituencies of Kenya, electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of four constituencies in Kwale County. The constituency was established for the 1988 elections. Members of Parliament Locations and wards Ref ...

the late Boy Juma. The late Juma Boy was the first Senator for the County in 2013 and his opponents were immediate former MP of Matuga Constituency Chirau Ali Mkwakwere and Nicholas Zani. The Women's Representative is Zuleikha Hassan Juma who succeeded the first Woman Representative Zeinab Kalekye Chidzuga who, who like Governor Mvurya, ran on an ODM ticket in 2013. She ran against Fatuma Masito and Mwanasaid Makoti. 2013 was the first time that the people of Kenya have had to vote for a governor, senator and women's representative. Since independence in 1963, Kwale has had 4 members of parliament. Juma Boy was a well-known trade union activist. He was the first to hold the seat. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his son, The late Boy Juma Boy, who served for three 5-year terms. He was ousted by Suleiman Kamole in the 1997 general elections. Kamole served for one term before being ousted by Chirau Ali Mwakwere in the 2002 general elections. Mwakwere served for 2 consecutive terms. He unsuccessfully ran for the senatorial seat in 2013. Kwale County has 4 constituencies namely Matuga, Kinango, Msambweni and Lunga Lunga. The members of parliament for these areas are Hassan Mwanyoha, Gonzi Rai, Suleiman Dori and Khatib Mwashetani respectively. Kwale County, like many other counties in the Coastal region, is a stronghold of the Ora. Kwale is a very important town for small scale farmers from the inland areas of Golini, Kinango, Mkongani, Mwaluphamba, Tiribe and many others for the sale and transport of their produce. Among other farm products, Kwale produces oranges, pawpaws, mangoes, bixa, coconuts, a variety of vegetables and cereals.

Notes

{{Authority control Populated places in Kwale County County capitals in Kenya