Makueni County
Introduction
Makueni County is located in Eastern Province and had a total population of 1,065,000 people in 2025. According to the 2019 census, Makueni had a total of 987,653 people in that year, comprising 244,669 households and an average household size of 4 people per household.
Makueni County has a total land area of 8,169.8 square kilometers and has a population density of 121 people per square kilometer.
Makueni is bordered to the North by Machakos County, the East by Kitui County, the South East by Taita Taveta, and the West by Kajiado County.
Makueni County has 9 sub-counties: Kathonzweni, Kibwezi, Kilungu, Makindu, Makueni, Mbooni East, Mbooni West, Mukaa, and Nzaui.
Makueni County Economy
Makueni County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 151.1 billion in 2023, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 1.1%.
The county's average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 1.3%, while its contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.5%. Makueni County contributed, on average, 1.2% to service activities.
Makueni County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 144,991 in 2023.
Makueni County Poverty Rates
Makueni County had an overall poverty estimate of 44.7% in 2022, with roughly 469,000 people living in poverty. By comparison, Kenya had an overall poverty rate of 39.8% in the same year.
The hardcore poverty rate in Makueni County was 5.9%, with an estimated 62,000 people living in extreme poverty in 2022. Kenya had a hardcore poverty rate of 7.1% in that year.
Makueni also had a food poverty rate of 33.2%, with 348,000 people estimated to be living in food poverty. In the same year, Kenya had a food poverty rate of 31.7%.
The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Makueni County in 2019: Kaiti 40.4%, Kibwezi East 45%, Kibwezi West 51.6%, Kilome 34.6%, Makueni 45.3%, Makueni 45.3%, and Mbooni 32.6%.
In 2022, the mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Makueni County were Ksh 3,339 and Ksh 2,323, respectively. The overall mean monthly share of food expenditures was 64.2%, while the mean monthly share of non-food expenditures was 35.8%.
The major sources of household food consumption in Makueni were purchase or stock at 84%, own production at 12.3%, and gifts at 3.7%.
The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Makueni County was Ksh 5,003 and Ksh 4,411, respectively, in 2021.
Makueni County Demographics
Makueni County had a total population of 987,653 people in 2019, consisting of 489,691 males, 497,942 females, and 20 intersex. Makueni had a median age of 20 years in 2019.
The table below shows the population distribution in Makueni County by sex and sub-county in 2019.
|
Sub county |
Male |
Female |
Inter sex |
Total |
|
Kathonzweni |
39,335 |
40,442 |
3 |
79,780 |
|
Kibwezi |
98,477 |
98,517 |
6 |
197,000 |
|
Kilungu |
29,019 |
31,932 |
1 |
60,952 |
|
Makindu |
42,204 |
42,742 |
0 |
84,946 |
|
Makueni |
65,418 |
64,955 |
2 |
130,375 |
|
Mbooni East |
48,152 |
49,601 |
3 |
97,756 |
|
Mbooni West |
49,434 |
53,159 |
1 |
102,594 |
|
Mukaa |
54,481 |
53,068 |
0 |
107,549 |
|
Nzaui |
63,171 |
63,526 |
4 |
126,701 |
|
Total |
489,691 |
497,942 |
20 |
987,653 |
Marital Status
The percentage of women aged 12 and above in Makueni County who were never married in 2019 was 38.6%, while those who were married monogamous were 50.9%. On the other hand, the percentage of those in polygamous unions was 1.4%, while the widowed were 7%. The distribution of the divorced and separated in Makueni was 0.9% and 1.2%, respectively, in 2019.
In men aged 12 and above, the percentage of those never married in Makueni County was 51.9%. In comparison, those married monogamously were 43.2%. The share of men in polygamous marriages in the county was 1.2%, while the widowed were 1.2%. The distribution of the divorced and separated was 0.8% and 1.5% respectively.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Makueni County was 21.9 years in 2022. On the other hand, the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 was 25.7 years.
Polygyny
The percentage of women in Makueni County aged 15-49 who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 4%. The percentage with one co-wife was 2.8%, while the percentage with more than two co-wives was 1.2%. The share of married women without co-wives in the county was 91.8%.
Among married men aged 15-49 in Makueni County, the percentage with more than two wives was 3.1%, while those with one wife was 96.9%.
Marriage Registration
The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Makueni County whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities was 20.4% in 2022. Those whose marriage was registered with civil authorities and had a marriage certificate were 18.5%.
Teenage Marriages in Makueni County
The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Makueni County was 3% in 2019, while the proportion of married females of the same age group was 3%. Among females aged 12-18, the number of married in Makueni was 3.6%.
The rate of teenage pregnancies in Makueni County, comprising of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 11.1% in 2022.
Total Fertility Rate
Makueni County had a Total Fertility Rate of 2.8 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 34.4% from 4.2 births per woman in 2009. By comparison, Kenya had a TFR of 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a drop of 28.6% from 4.8 births per woman in 2009.
The total Youth Fertility Rate of Makueni County, consisting of women aged 15-24 in 2019, was 1 birth per woman, similar to the national youth fertility rate of one birth per woman in the same year.
Makueni County had a Crude Birth Rate of 19.8 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 56.2% from 45.1 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Kenya’s Crude Birth Rate in the same period was 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 27.2% from a Crude Birth Rate of 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.
Place of Birth and Notification Status
The share of recent births in Makueni County occurring in a health facility in 2019 was 91%, while those occurring in non-health facilities were 8.9%. In Kenya, the share of recent births occurring in a health facility in 2019 was 85.8%, while those not happening in a health facility were 14%.
The completeness of birth registration in Makueni County was 85.2% in 2023.
Place of Death and Notification Status
In 2019, 62.2% of deaths in Makueni County occurred in a health facility, while 37.2% occurred in the community. In Kenya, 59% of deaths in 2019 occurred in a health facility, while 40% did not occur in a health facility.
The completeness of death registration in Makueni County was 38.9% in 2023.
Makueni County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 5.5 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.
Religious Affiliation
The majority of Makueni County residents are Protestants, 479,698, followed by Catholics, 292,056, and members of Evangelical Churches, 131,964.
|
Catholic |
292,056 |
|
Protestant |
479,698 |
|
Evangelical Churches |
131,964 |
|
African Instituted Churches |
36,575 |
|
Orthodox |
981 |
|
Other Christians |
13,030 |
|
6,559 |
|
|
Hindu |
57 |
|
Traditionists |
892 |
|
Other Religion |
4,807 |
|
No religion Atheists |
8,817 |
Makueni County Development
- The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Makueni County was 73%, representing the percentage of people living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
- Household access to electricity in Makueni County was 20.4% in 2019, up from 5.9% in 2009.
- Household access to improved sanitation in Makueni County was 85.3% in 2019, up from 56.4% in 2009.
- Household access to safe drinking water in Makueni County was 44.4% in 2019, up from 36.9% in 2009.
- In 2019, household access to piped water in Makueni County was 6.7%, down from 21.8% in 2009.
- Makueni had 85.6% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 29th nationally in 2019.
The share of the population in Makueni County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 49%. Among women, 73.2% owned any type of mobile phone in Makueni County in 2022, while 38.9% owned a smartphone.
Among men, 78.9% of Makueni owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 35.8% owned a smartphone. The percentage of men and women who had used a mobile phone for financial transactions in the year preceding the 2022 KDHS survey was 81.5% and 74.8%, respectively.
|
Makueni County |
||
|
|
49.00% |
Census 2019 |
|
76.05% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
|
78.15% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
|
% of the Population with Mobile Money Accounts |
84.90% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
% of the Population Using the Internet |
9.90% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population who have Ever Searched and Bought Goods Online |
2.00% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population Using Computer/Tablet/Laptop |
6.10% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of the Population Using a Bank
|
20.75% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
18.70% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
Makueni County Finance
In the financial year (FY) 2024/25, Makueni County approved a supplementary budget of Ksh 11.58 billion, comprising Ksh 3.68 billion and Ksh 7.9 billion allocation for development and recurrent expenditures, respectively.
Other highlights in the FY 2024/2025 included.
- Equitable share – Ksh 8.5 billion
- Conditional grants and additional allocations – Ksh 321.4 million
- Own Source Revenue – Ksh 1.3 billion
- Cash balances – Ksh 1 billion
- Expenditure on salaries/personnel emoluments – Ksh 4,891,500,000.
- Expenditure on operations and maintenance – Ksh 2,569,230,000.
- Development expenditure Makueni County – Ksh 2,621,370,000.
- The total expenditure – Ksh 10,082,100,000.
- Expenditure on Domestic travel – Ksh 31,330,000.
- Expenditure on foreign travel – Ksh 17,150,000.
- Total expenditure on travel in Makueni – Ksh 48,480,000.
- Makueni County outstanding pending bill – Ksh 818,200,
- The average MCA sitting allowance – Ksh 72,255.
HIV/AIDS in Makueni County
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Makueni County was 1.83%. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Makueni was 18,264, while the number of HIV-related deaths was 335.
|
HIV/AIDS in Makueni County – 2025 |
|
|
HIV Prevalence (%) |
1.83 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Total |
18,264 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Children |
747 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Adults |
17,517 |
|
New HIV Infections - Total |
199 |
|
New HIV Infections - Children |
43 |
|
New HIV Infections - Adults |
156 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Total |
335 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Children |
28 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Adults |
307 |
See Also