Introduction

12

Nakuru County

INTRODUCTION

Nakuru County is in the Great Rift Valley and borders seven other counties: Baringo, Bomet, Kajiado, Kericho, Laikipia, Narok, and Nyandarua. Nakuru covers an area of 7,497 square kilometers (KNBS 2017). The name Nakuru has its origin in the Maasai language, meaning “a dusty place.” This name is based on the frequent whirlwinds that engulf the area with clouds of dust. The county’s political units include 11 constituencies (Bahati, Gilgil, Kuresoi North, Kuresoi South, Molo, Naivasha, Nakuru Town East, Nakuru Town West, Njoro, Rongai, and Subukia) and 55 wards (map 12.1). The county has nine administrative units (subcounties): Gilgil, Kuresoi, Molo, Naivasha, Nakuru, Nakuru North, Njoro, Rongai, and Subukia. The county has 31 administrative divisions and 124 locations.

Nakuru County had an estimated population of 2.2 million with an average population growth rate of 3.1 percent and an average population density of 290 persons per square kilometer in 2019 (KNBS 2019). The county has a low population dependency ratio of 44 percent as compared with the 78.3 percent national ratio.

Nineteen percent of the county’s territory has high agricultural potential and 21 percent has medium potential (World Bank 2018). The main agricultural crops produced include Irish potatoes, wheat, and maize. Horticultural produce includes stevia, rose flowers, and arabicum. There are 4,326 hotels and restaurants that serve several tourist attractions: Kariandusi and Hyrax Hill museums, which receive over 35,000 visitors annually. There are three national parks: Hell’s Gate, Lake Nakuru, and Mount Longonot, which together receive about 400,000 visitors a year (Nakuru County 2018b). There are 45 industries operating in Nakuru County, of which 16 produce animal feed, 5 process milk, 4 generate electricity, and the rest produce tea, timber, or clothes. In the education sector, there are two universities (one public and one private), 13 university campuses (six public and seven private), and 406 health facilities with a 2,375 total bed capacity.

The decentralized functions (Constitution 2010) of the county government include: agriculture, health, control of pollution, cultural activities,