Machakos County is one of the 47
counties
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
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. ...
, which came into being as part of the devolved system of governance occasioned by the 2010 constitution of Kenya. The county's administrative headquarters are in
Machakos Town, which is the largest town in the county. The county had a population of 1,421,932 as of 2019. The county borders
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
and
Kiambu counties to the west,
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 north,
Kitui to the east,
Makueni to the south,
Kajiado to the south west, and
Murang'a and
Kirinyaga to the north west.
Religion
Religion in Machakos County
Government

The Machakos County Government is composed of two arms, the County Executive and the County Assembly. County Executive is headed by a governor. The office of the Governor of Machakos was created on 27 March 2013.
Alfred Mutua, served as the inaugural holder of the office. following his election in 2012. He was re-elected in the 2017 general elections.
The
Machakos County Assembly is headed by a Speaker elected by its members. The incumbent Speaker is Mrs. Ann Kiusya.
Hon
Wavinya Ndeti was in 2022 elected as the second governor of Machakos County, becoming the first female governor in the county and also among the 8 female governors that were historically elected in the 2022 elections, an historic rise from the 3 that were elected in the 2017 elections.
Office of the Governor is located at White House along Peoples Park road, Miwani area in Machakos town environs. The first Director of Administration and Special Programmes and White House Administrator was Dr. Dominic Musembi PhD.
Education
There are many primary schools in Machakos County, including Machakos Primary School, Kathiini primary School and Machakos Academy.
Machakos County has giant secondary schools such as
Machakos School (boys), Machakos Girls' School, Mumbuni Boys' Secondary School, Mumbuni Girls' Secondary School, Masii Boys' Secondary School, Tala Girls' School, Matungulu Girls' High School,
Mwala School, ST. Teresa Mwala Girls, Kitulu Day Secondary School and
Kabaa High School (boys), which boasts of a castle which was left behind by Christian missionaries. This castle is now a museum.
Kwanthanze Secondary School, which is also found in Machakos County, is famous for its volleyball championship in the country.
Universities and colleges within Machakos County include
Machakos University,
Scott Christian University,
South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU), St. Paul's University, Kenya Institute of Management, African Training Center for Research and Technology, Century Park College,
Machakos Institute of Technology,
Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Machakos campus and Machakos Technical Training Institute for the Blind.
Climate
The local climate is semi-arid with hilly terrain and an altitude of 1000 to 2100 metres above sea level.
Tourist-related activities include camping, hiking safaris, ecotourism and cultural tourism, dance and music festivals.
Economy
Machakos County is the 6th largest economy in Kenya with a gdp PPP of $8.3B . Its also the 7th Richest County in Kenya by gdp per Capita
Subsistence agriculture is mostly practiced with maize and drought-resistant crops such as sorghum and millet being grown due to the area's semi-arid state. The county also plays host to the open air market concept with major market days where large amounts of produce are traded. Fruits, vegetables and other food stuffs like maize and beans are sold in these markets.
Future
The county is banking on projects such as the
Konza Technology City, a new Machakos City and its proximity to
Nairobi County to boost output in the economy.
Services
Source
USAid Kenya
Subdivisions
The county has eight constituencies:
*
Masinga Constituency
*
Yatta Constituency
*
Kangundo Constituency
*
Matungulu Constituency
*
Kathiani Constituency
*
Mavoko Constituency
*
Machakos Town Constituency
*
Mwala Constituency
Nairobi metro
Northern regions of Machakos County are within Greater Nairobi which consists of 4 out of 47 counties in Kenya, but the area generates about 60% of the nation's wealth.
Statistics
Nairobi Metro
Urbanisation
Source
OpenDataKenya
Wealth/poverty Level
Source
OpenDataKenyaWorldbank
South Eastern Kenya Region
Urbanisation
Source
OpenDataKenya
Wealth/poverty Level
Source
OpenDataKenyaWorldbank
Notable People
* Prophetess Syokimau - Kamba Medicine Woman and prophetess
* Paul Ngei - Anti-colonial activist
* Jackson Mulinge - former chief of the General Staff of the Kenya Defence Forces
* Raphael S. Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki - former archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi
* Crispus Makau Kiamba - 5th vice-chancellor of the 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 ...
* Peter Mbithi - 7th vice-chancellor of the University of Nairobi
* Kakai Kilonzo - Benga musician of Les Kilimambogo Brothers
* Mike Sonko - former governor of Nairobi County
* Martin Kivuva Musonde - Roman Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mombasa
* Patrick Makau - former marathon world record holder
* Jackson Kivuva - Kenyan middle-distance runner
* Alfred Mutua - Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife
* Johnson Muthama - former chairman of United Democratic Alliance
* Daniel Ndambuki - Kenyan comedian who hosts the comedy television show Churchill Show
* Caleb Ndiku - Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner
* Joseph Mutua - former African Indoor 800 metres record holder
* David Mulwa - Writer, theatre director and lecturer
* Wavinya Ndeti - Governor of Machakos County
See also
* Kitui County
* Makueni County
*Embu County
Embu County is a Counties of Kenya, county in the Mt Kenya region in Kenya. As of 2024 its estimated population is 608,599. The county borders Kirinyaga County, Kirinyaga to the west, Kitui County, Kitui to the east, Tharaka Nithi County, Tharak ...
* Kirinyaga County
* Muranga County
* Machakos County Governor
References
External links
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Kenya AdminLevels 1-4
{{Authority control
Counties of Kenya
Eastern Province (Kenya)