Kisii County
Introduction
Kisii County had a population of 1,370,000 people in 2025. According to the 2019 census, Kisii had a population of 1,266,860 and a land area of 1,323 square kilometers. Kisii County had the fourth highest population density of 958 people per square kilometer, after Nairobi 6,247, Mombasa 5,495, and Vihiga 1,047.
The total number of households in Kisii County was 308,054, with an average household size of 4.1 people per household.
Kisii is bordered to the South by Narok, the South West by Migori, the West by Homa Bay, and the East by Nyamira.
Kisii has eleven sub-counties: Etago, Gucha, Gucha South, Kenyenya, Kisii Central, Kisii South, Kitutu Central, Marani, Masaba South, Nyamache, and Sameta.
Kisii County Economy
Kisii County's economy was worth 257.8 billion in 2023, representing 2.0% of the Gross County Product (GCP).
Kisii County contributed, on average, 3.5% to Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Activities . Moreover, Kisii County contributed, on average, 0.6% to manufacturing activities and 1.7% to service activities.
Kisii County had a GCP per Capita of Ksh 199,630 in 2023.
Kisii County Poverty Rates
Kisii County's overall headcount poverty rate of 32.9% was slightly lower than the national poverty rate of 39.8% in 2022. This represents 445,000 people who were living in poverty in Kisii. Kisii County also had a hardcore poverty rate of 4.5%, against a national hardcore poverty rate of 7.1%. The number of people living in extreme poverty in the county was 61,000.
The map below shows the poverty distribution by constituency in Kisii County in 2019. Kitutu Chache North had a poverty rate of 36.6%, Kitutu Chache South 40.2%, Nyaribari Chache 36.8%, Nyaribari Masaba 33.4%, South Mugirango 38.4%, Bonchari 38.3%, Bobasi 36.1%, Bomachoge Chache 37.2%, and Bomachoge Borabu 41.2%.
The headcount food poverty rate in Kisii County in 2022 was 32.3% higher than the national food poverty estimates of 31.7%. The total number of people living in food poverty in Kisii was 437,000. Kisii had a mean monthly food and non-food expenditure of Ksh 3,912 and Ksh 3,553, respectively. The share of income spent on food was 59.5%, while 40.5% on non-food expenditure.
The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Kisii County were Ksh 5,501 and Ksh 4,672, respectively. In 2021, the Kenyan mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditures were Ksh 7,393 and Ksh 5,354, respectively.
Kisii County Demographics
According to the 2019 Census, Kisii County had a population of 1,266,860 people, comprising 605,784 males, 661,038 females, and 38 intersex people. Kisii had a median age of 17 years in 2019.
|
Sub county |
Male |
Female |
Inter sex |
Total |
|
Etago |
40,137 |
43,647 |
3 |
83,787 |
|
Gucha |
39,631 |
44,108 |
1 |
83,740 |
|
Gucha South |
40,022 |
43,598 |
3 |
83,623 |
|
Kenyenya |
62,859 |
68,878 |
3 |
131,740 |
|
Kisii Central |
81,330 |
85,573 |
3 |
166,906 |
|
Kisii South |
64,514 |
70,615 |
5 |
135,134 |
|
Kitutu Central |
74,608 |
79,561 |
6 |
154,175 |
|
Marani |
50,598 |
56,864 |
2 |
107,464 |
|
Masaba South |
58,143 |
64,248 |
5 |
122,396 |
|
Nyamache |
62,113 |
68,782 |
3 |
130,898 |
|
Sameta |
31,829 |
35,164 |
4 |
66,997 |
|
Total |
605,784 |
661,038 |
38 |
1,266,860 |
Marital Status
Of men aged 12 and above in Kisii County, 46% were never married in 2019. Those married monogamous were 48.9%, while those married polygamous were 2.6%. Widowed men in Kisii County comprised 1.2% of those aged 12 and above, while the divorced and separated comprised 0.2% and 1.0%, respectively.
Among women aged 12 and above in Kisii, 36.1% were never married in 2019. Those married monogamous were 51.8%, while those married polygamous were 3.2%. Widowed women comprised 7.3% of the population aged 12 and above, while the divorced and separated consisted of 0.3% and 1.2%, respectively.
According to the KDHS, the median age at first marriage of women aged 20-49 in Kisii was 19.9 years. Among women aged 25-49, the median age at first marriage was 19.5 years. In men, the median age at first marriage of those aged 25-54 was 24.7 years, while the median age of first marriage among men aged 30-54 was 24.5 years in Kisii.
Polygyny
In 2022, the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey found that 5.7% of married women in Kisii County had co-wives. Moreover, 5.2% of these women had one co-wife, while 0.5% had more than two co-wives. The percentage of women without co-wives was 91.6%.
Among married men aged 15-49 in Kisii, 2% had more than two wives, while 98% had one wife.
Marriage Registration
Among married women in Kisii, 12.4% had their marriages registered by the civil authorities. In comparison, 11.3% were registered and had a marriage certificate in 2022.
Teenage Marriages
The proportions of married males and females aged 12-15 in Kisii County in 2019 were 4.6% and 4.7%, respectively. Among males in Kisii aged 12-18, those married 4.7%, while married women aged 12-18 was 6.8%.
Kisii County had a teenage pregnancy rate of 14.2%, representing women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant.
Total Fertility Rate
Kisii County had a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.8 births in 2019, a 44.7% decline from 5.1 births in 2009. This was lower than Kenya’s TFR of 3.4 births, with Kisii having one of the lowest TFRs in the country alongside Nyamira 2.7, Nairobi 2.5, Kiambu 2.7, Kirinyaga 2.7, Nyeri 2.9, Makueni 2.8, Machakos 2.7, and Mombasa 2.9 births.
The total fertility rate of the youth in Kisii County aged 15-24 was 1.1 births compared to the national youth TFR of 1.0 births.
The Crude Birth Rate in Kisii County in 2019 was 23.5 births per 1,000 population, representing a 58.4% decline from 56.5 births per 1,000 population in 2009. The overall crude birth rate in Kenya in 2019 was 27.9 births per 1,000 people, a decline of 27.2% from 38.4 births in 2009.
Place of Birth and Notification Status
The percentage of births occurring in health facilities in Kisii was 95.3%, while those occurring in non-health facilities was 4.7%. The national average for recent births in health facilities in 2019 was 85.8%, with 14% occurring in non-health facilities.
The completeness of birth registration in Kisii County was 101.7% in 2023.
Place of Death and Notification Status
In 2019, 70.2% of deaths in Kisii County occurred in a health facility, while 29.3% 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 Kisii County was 49% in 2023.
Kisii County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 9.8 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.
Religious Affiliation
Most residents of Kisii County are Protestants 575,994, followed by Catholics 429,285, and Evangelical Churches 188,751.
|
Catholic |
429,285 |
|
Protestant |
575,994 |
|
Evangelical Churches |
188,751 |
|
African Instituted Churches |
26,226 |
|
Orthodox |
2,538 |
|
Other Christians |
16,062 |
|
2,753 |
|
|
Hindu |
351 |
|
Traditionists |
445 |
|
Other Religion |
9,078 |
|
No religion Atheists |
8,574 |
Kisii County Development
- The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Kisii County was 87%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
- Household access to electricity in Kisii County was 39.5% in 2019, up from 8.1% in 2009.
- Household access to improved sanitation in Kisii County was 74.9% in 2019, up from 64.0% in 2009.
- Household access to safe drinking water in Kisii County was 52.1% in 2019, up from 50.9% in 2009.
- In 2019, household access to piped water in Kisii County was 2.1%, down from 3.9% in 2009.
- Kisii had 99.4% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, the 9th highest in the country in 2019.
The share of the population in Kisii County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 43.4%. Among women, 73.6% owned any type of mobile phone in Kisii County in 2022, while 31.2% owned a smartphone.
Among men, 75.8% in Kisii owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 41.5% 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 79.0% and 76.0%, respectively.
|
Kisii County |
||
|
Mobile Phone Ownership |
43.40% |
Census 2019 |
|
|
74.70% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
% of the Population Making Mobile Money Transactions |
77.50% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
% of the Population with Mobile Money Accounts |
79.00% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
% of the Population Using Accessing the Internet |
9.40% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population who have Ever Searched and Bought Goods Online |
2.20% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population Using Computer/Tablet/laptop |
7.40% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of the Population Using a Bank |
24.70% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
|
32.90% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
Kisii County Finance
In the financial year (FY) 2024/25, Kisii County approved a supplementary budget of Ksh15.16 billion, comprising Ksh6.15 billion and Ksh9.01 billion allocation for development and recurrent expenditures, respectively.
Other highlights include:
- Equitable share – Ksh 9.31 billion
- Conditional grants and additional allocations – Ksh 330.46 million
- Own Source Revenue – Ksh 1.59 billion
- Cash balances – Ksh 2.96 billion
- Expenditure on salaries/personnel emoluments – Ksh 5,642,120,000.
- Expenditure on operations and maintenance – Ksh 1,864,870,000.
- Expenditure on development – Ksh 2,456,170,000.
- The total expenditure – Ksh 9,963,150,000.
- Expenditure on Domestic travel – Ksh 331,310,000.
- Expenditure on Foreign travel – Ksh 28,250,000.
- Total expenditure on travel in Kisii – Ksh 359,560,000.
- Kisii County outstanding pending bill – Ksh 1,033,000,000.
- The average MCA sitting allowance in Kisii – Ksh 76,292.
HIV/AIDS in Kisii County
In 2025, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Kisii County was 2.9%. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Kisii was 32,875, while the number of HIV-related deaths was 344.
|
HIV/AIDS in Kisii County – 2025 |
|
|
HIV Prevalence (%) |
2.9 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Total |
32,875 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Children |
1,308 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Adults |
31,566 |
|
New HIV Infections - Total |
359 |
|
New HIV Infections - Children |
64 |
|
New HIV Infections - Adults |
295 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Total |
344 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Children |
32 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Adults |
310 |
See Also