Siaya County
Introduction
Siaya County is located in Nyanza Province and had a total population of 1,097,000 in 2025 and a total population of 993,883 during the 2019 census. Siaya County had 250,698 households in 2019, with an average household size of 3.9 people per household.
The total land area in Siaya County in 2019 was 2,529.8 square kilometers. The county had a population density of 393 people per square kilometer.
Siaya County is bordered to the West by Busia County, South by Lake Victoria, North by Kakamega County, and the East by Vihiga County and Kisumu.
Siaya County has six sub-counties: Siaya, Gem, Ugenya, Ugunja, Bondo, and Rarieda.
Siaya County Economy
Siaya County's Gross County Product was Ksh 144.3 billion in 2023, representing an average contribution to Gross Value Added 1.1% in the same period.
The average county contribution to Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Activities in Siaya was 1.7% . The country contributed 0.4% to Manufacturing Activities and 0.9% to Service Activities within the same period.
Siaya County had a GCP per Capita of Ksh 136,191 in 2023.
Siaya County Poverty Rates
In 2022, Siaya County's overall headcount poverty rate was 38.3%, compared to a national poverty rate of 39.8%. The estimated number of people in the county living in poverty was 407,000.
The estimated hardcore poverty rate in Siaya was 7.1% equal to the national hardcore poverty rate of 7.1%. This represented an estimated 76,000 people living in extreme poverty.
The estimated food poverty rate in the county was 24.6%, compared to a national food poverty rate of 31.7%. This represents an estimated 261,000 people living in food poverty.
The map below shows poverty rates by constituency in Siaya. Alego had a poverty rate of 24.9%, Bondo 21.3%, Gem 21.7%, Rarieda 19.1%, Ugenya 24.5%, and Ugunja 23.8%.
An analysis of consumption patterns in Siaya County in 2022 revealed that the mean monthly expenditure on food and non-food items was 71.9% and 28.1%, respectively. This represented a mean monthly expenditure of Ksh 4,246 on food and Ksh 1,940 on non-food expenditures.
The major source of household food consumption in Siaya was purchase or stock at 73.2%, followed by own-production at 23.3%, and gifts at 3.5%. The mean and median per adult equivalent on consumption was Ksh 5,476 and Ksh 4,706, respectively.
Siaya County Demographics
The total population in Siaya County in 2019 was 993,183, consisting of 471,669 males, 521,496 females, and 18 intersex people. Siaya had a median age of 17 years in 2019.
The table below shows the total population in Siaya by subcounty and sex.
|
Sub county |
Male |
Female |
Inter sex |
Total |
|
Siaya |
105,906 |
118,433 |
4 |
224,343 |
|
Gem |
85,696 |
94,092 |
4 |
179,792 |
|
Ugenya |
62,624 |
71,726 |
4 |
134,354 |
|
Ugunja |
48,912 |
55,329 |
0 |
104,241 |
|
Bondo |
95,962 |
101,917 |
4 |
197,883 |
|
Rarieda |
72,569 |
79,999 |
2 |
152,570 |
|
Total |
471,669 |
521,496 |
18 |
993,183 |
Siaya County Marital Status
The share of women aged 12 and above who were never married in 2019 in Siaya County was 35.9%, while those who were married monogamous was 44% and polygamous 4.7%. The widowed in Siaya were 13.9%, divorced 0.4%, and separated 1.1%.
Among men aged 12 and above in Siaya, 50.2% were never married, 41% were married monogamously, and 4.8% polygamously. The widowed were 1.6%, divorced 0.5%, and separated 1.8%.
According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), the median age at first marriage among women aged 20-49 in Siaya County was 19.9 years and 19.2 years among those aged 25-49. In men aged 30-54, the median age of first marriage was 25.2 years.
Polygyny
According to the KDHS 2022, the percentage of women in Siaya County aged 15-49 who had one or more co-wives was 12.3%. Of these, 10.5% had one co-wife, while 1.8% had more than two co-wives. Those who married monogamously and did not have a co-wife were 87.7%.
Among married men aged 15-49 in 2022, the KDHS revealed that 90.2% had one wife and 9.8% had 2+ wives.
Marriage Registration
The percentage of women aged 15-49 in Siaya County whose current marriage was registered with the civil authority in 2022 was 10.5%. Those whose current marriage was registered with the civil authority and had a marriage certificate were 8.0%.
Teenage Marriages
In 2019, the % of married males aged 12-15 in Siaya County was 2.6%. Among females of the same age group, 2.7% were married, while among those aged 12-18, 4.2% were married.
The rate of teenage pregnancies in Siaya County, defined as those women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 20.9% in 2022.
Total Fertility Rate
Siaya County had a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 3.5 births per woman in 2019, a 35.6% decline from a TFR of 5.5 births in 2009. Overall, the national TFR was 3.4 births in 2019, a 28.6% decline from 4.8% in 2009.
Among the youth aged 15-24 in Siaya, the TFR in 2019 was 1.2 births. The Youth TFR in Kenya during the same period was 1.0 births.
Place of Birth and Notification
The percentage of births in Siaya County occurring in health facilities was 94.6% in 2019, while those not occurring in health facilities were 5.3%. Nationally, 85.9% of births occurred in health facilities, while 14% did not occur in health facilities.
The completeness of birth registration in Siaya County was 90.3% in 2023.
Place of Death and Notification Status
In 2019, 56.5% of deaths in Siaya County occurred in a health facility, while 43.4% 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 Siaya County was 46.7% in 2023.
Siaya County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 15.5 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.
Religious Affiliation
Most residents of Siaya County are affiliated with the African Instituted Churches 236,416, followed by Catholic 226,455, and Evangelical Churches 225,650.
|
Catholic |
226,455 |
|
Protestant |
224,860 |
|
Evangelical Churches |
225,650 |
|
African Instituted Churches |
236,416 |
|
Orthodox |
7,426 |
|
Other Christians |
34,443 |
|
4,994 |
|
|
Hindu |
25 |
|
Traditionists |
2,526 |
|
Other Religion |
16,993 |
|
No religion Atheists |
8,614 |
Siaya County Development
- The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Siaya County was 78%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
- Household access to electricity in Siaya County was 19.6% in 2019, up from 4.3% in 2009.
- Household access to improved sanitation in Siaya County was 81.5% in 2019, up from 47.9% in 2009.
- Household access to safe drinking water in Siaya County was 55.1% in 2019, up from 36.1% in 2009.
- In 2019, household access to piped water in Siaya County was 5.1%, down from 6.8% in 2009.
- Siaya had 98.2% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 14th highest in the country in 2019.
The share of the population in Siaya County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 44.1%. Among women, 70.7% owned any type of mobile phone in Siaya County in 2022, while 28.4% owned a smartphone.
Among men, 65.2% in Siaya owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 34.6% 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 66.8% and 78.3%, respectively.
|
Siaya County |
||
|
Mobile Phone Ownership
|
44.10% |
Census 2019 |
|
67.95% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
|
% of the Population Making Mobile Money Transactions |
72.55% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
% of the Population with Mobile Money Accounts |
81.80% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
% of the Population Using the Internet |
8.70% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population who have Ever Searched and Bought Goods Online |
2.50% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population Using Computer/Tablet/laptop |
6.80% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of the Population Using a Bank
|
14.45% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
24.40% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
Siaya County Finance
In the financial year (FY) 2024/25, Siaya County approved a supplementary budget of Ksh10.94 billion, comprising Ksh4.87 billion and Ksh6.07 billion allocation for development and recurrent expenditures, respectively.
Other highlights include:
- Equitable share – Ksh 7.88 billion
- Conditional grants and additional allocations – Ksh 111 million
- Own Source Revenue – Ksh 436 million
- Cash balances – Ksh 1.66 billion
- Expenditure on salaries/personnel emoluments – Ksh 2,709,810,000.
- Expenditure on operations and maintenance – Ksh 2,282,170,000.
- Siaya County development expenditures – Ksh 2,756,670,000.
- The total expenditure – Ksh 7,748,650,000.
- Siaya County outstanding pending bill – Ksh 1,890,000,000.
- Expenditure on Domestic travel – Ksh 196,980,000
- Expenditure on Foreign travel – Ksh 4,800,000
- The total expenditure on travel – Ksh 201,780,000.
- The average MCA sitting allowance – Ksh 59,018
HIV/AIDS in Siaya County
In 2025, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Siaya County was 9.75%. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Siaya was 82,414, while the number of HIV-related deaths was 863.
|
HIV/AIDS in Siaya County – 2025 |
|
|
HIV Prevalence (%) |
9.75 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Total |
82,414 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Children |
3,508 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Adults |
78,906 |
|
New HIV Infections - Total |
873 |
|
New HIV Infections - Children |
169 |
|
New HIV Infections - Adults |
704 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Total |
863 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Children |
86 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Adults |
774 |
See Also