List Of All Counties in Kenya by Size And Population In 2026

How all the Kenyan counties were formed today can be traced to the 2010 Kenyan constitution. Before the New Constitution was adopted, the Kenyan government structure was tiered into Provincial systems, whereby the whole country was divided into 8 Provinces as follows:

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Central Province
Coast Province
Eastern Province
Nairobi Province
North Eastern Province
Nyanza Province
Rift Valley Province
Western Province

However, after 2010 and forward to 2013, after the General elections, the 47 county governments that we have today were established, each serving as a semi-devolved state with its own government, with a governor as the head of the executive and a county assembly as the legislative body. Today, all the counties’ formations are based on the boundaries of the former districts, which have been in place since 1992.

As of the writing of this article, all 47 Counties in Kenya have unique features, populations, and even Sizes. The most populous County in Kenya is Nairobi County, with a population of 4,397,073 in 2019, and Turkana is the largest County by land area, with a land area of 98,597.8 square kilometers. This guide has covered everything you need to know about all the counties in Kenya based on their Sizes and Populations.

All Counties In Kenya By Size (Largest To Smallest)

Below Is A list of the 47 Largest Counties In Kenya, arranged by Size:

RANK	CODE	COUNTY	AREA (KM²)	CAPITAL	COUNTY ABBREVIATION
1	023	Turkana	98,597.8	Lodwar	TRK
2	010	Marsabit	66,923.1	Marsabit	MRS
3	008	Wajir	55,840.6	Wajir	WJR
4	007	Garissa	45,720.2	Garissa	GRS
5	004	Tana River	35,375.8	Hola	TRV
6	009	Mandera	25,797.7	Mandera	MDR
7	011	Isiolo	25,336.1	Isiolo	ISL
8	015	Kitui	24,385.1	Kitui	KTU
9	025	Samburu	20,182.5	Maralal	SBR
10	034	Kajiado	21,292.7	Kajiado	KJD
11	033	Narok	17,921.2	Narok	NRK
12	006	Taita-Taveta	17,083.9	Wundanyi	TVT
13	005	Lamu	6,497.7	Lamu	LMU
14	031	Laikipia	8,696.1	Rumuruti	LKP
15	024	West Pokot	8,418.2	Kapenguria	WPK
16	002	Kwale	8,270.3	Kwale	KWL
17	017	Makueni	8,008.9	Wote	MKN
18	030	Baringo	11,075.3	Kabarnet	BRG
19	003	Kilifi	12,245.9	Kilifi	KLF
20	032	Nakuru	7,509.5	Nakuru	NKR
21	012	Meru	7,003.1	Meru	MRU
22	016	Machakos	5,952.9	Machakos	MCK
23	027	Uasin Gishu	2,955.3	Eldoret	UGS
24	028	Elgeyo-Marakwet	3,049.7	Iten	EMK
25	029	Nandi	2,884.5	Kapsabet	NDI
26	018	Nyandarua	3,107.7	Ol Kalou	NDR
27	026	Trans-Nzoia	2,469.9	Kitale	TNZ
28	037	Kakamega	3,033.8	Kakamega	KKG
29	013	Tharaka-Nithi	2,609.5	Kathwana	TNT
30	014	Embu	2,555.9	Embu	EMB
31	039	Bungoma	2,206.9	Bungoma	BGM
32	019	Nyeri	2,361.0	Nyeri	NYR
33	043	Homa Bay	3,154.7	Homa Bay	HBY
34	044	Migori	2,586.4	Migori	MGR
35	041	Siaya	2,496.1	Siaya	SYA
36	042	Kisumu	2,009.5	Kisumu	KSM
37	022	Kiambu	2,449.2	Kiambu	KMB
38	021	Murang’a	2,325.8	Murang’a	MRG
39	040	Busia	1,628.4	Busia	BSA
40	020	Kirinyaga	1,205.4	Kerugoya	KRG
41	035	Kericho	2,454.5	Kericho	KRC
42	036	Bomet	1,997.9	Bomet	BMT
43	045	Kisii	1,317.9	Kisii	KSI
44	038	Vihiga	531.3	Mbale	VHG
45	046	Nyamira	912.5	Nyamira	NMR
46	001	Mombasa	212.5	Mombasa	MSA
47	047	Nairobi	694.9	Nairobi	NBI

All Counties In Kenya by Population (Largest To Smallest)

Kenya’s population is estimated from the Kenya Population and Housing Census (KPHC), conducted every 10 years. The last census was in August 2019 and was the first paperless census in Kenya. According to the 2019 census data, Kenya’s total population was 47,564,296, comprising 23,548,056 males, 24,014,716 females, and 1,524 intersex individuals.

Below is a table of all the 47 counties by population, arranged from largest in number to smallest:

RANK	CODE	COUNTY	POPULATION (2019)	CAPITAL	COUNTY ABBREVIATION
1	047	Nairobi	4,397,073	Nairobi	NBI
2	022	Kiambu	2,417,735	Kiambu	KMB
3	032	Nakuru	2,162,202	Nakuru	NKR
4	037	Kakamega	1,867,579	Kakamega	KKG
5	039	Bungoma	1,670,570	Bungoma	BGM
6	003	Kilifi	1,453,787	Kilifi	KLF
7	016	Machakos	1,421,932	Machakos	MCK
8	023	Turkana	1,504,976	Lodwar	TRK
9	012	Meru	1,545,714	Meru	MRU
10	045	Kisii	1,266,860	Kisii	KSI
11	033	Narok	1,157,873	Narok	NRK
12	042	Kisumu	1,155,574	Kisumu	KSM
13	043	Homa Bay	1,131,950	Homa Bay	HBY
14	044	Migori	1,116,436	Migori	MGR
15	034	Kajiado	1,117,640	Kajiado	KJD
16	015	Kitui	1,136,187	Kitui	KTU
17	027	Uasin Gishu	1,163,186	Eldoret	UGS
18	026	Trans-Nzoia	990,341	Kitale	TNZ
19	040	Busia	893,681	Busia	BSA
20	009	Mandera	867,457	Mandera	MDR
21	041	Siaya	993,183	Siaya	SYA
22	035	Kericho	901,777	Kericho	KRC
23	036	Bomet	875,689	Bomet	BMT
24	029	Nandi	885,711	Kapsabet	NDI
25	017	Makueni	987,653	Wote	MKN
26	007	Garissa	841,353	Garissa	GRS
27	008	Wajir	781,263	Wajir	WJR
28	019	Nyeri	759,164	Nyeri	NYR
29	014	Embu	608,599	Embu	EMB
30	021	Murang’a	1,056,640	Murang’a	MRG
31	024	West Pokot	621,241	Kapenguria	WPK
32	046	Nyamira	605,576	Nyamira	NMR
33	020	Kirinyaga	610,411	Kerugoya	KRG
34	018	Nyandarua	638,289	Ol Kalou	NDR
35	038	Vihiga	590,013	Mbale	VHG
36	013	Tharaka-Nithi	393,177	Kathwana	TNT
37	030	Baringo	666,763	Kabarnet	BRG
38	028	Elgeyo-Marakwet	454,480	Iten	EMK
39	006	Taita-Taveta	340,671	Wundanyi	TVT
40	011	Isiolo	268,002	Isiolo	ISL
41	031	Laikipia	518,560	Rumuruti	LKP
42	010	Marsabit	459,785	Marsabit	MRS
43	002	Kwale	866,820	Kwale	KWL
44	004	Tana River	315,943	Hola	TRV
45	025	Samburu	310,327	Maralal	SBR
46	005	Lamu	143,920	Lamu	LMU
47	001	Mombasa	1,208,333	Mombasa	MSA

FAQs

What is the largest county in Kenya in 2026?

Turkana County is the largest county in Kenya by land area, covering 98,597.8 square kilometers. It is located in the northwestern region of Kenya and its capital is Lodwar.

What is the poorest county in Kenya in 2026?

Turkana County is the poorest county in Kenya, with a poverty rate of 82.7% according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data. Other counties with high poverty rates include Mandera (72.9%), Samburu (71.9%), Garissa (67.8%), and Tana River (66.7%).

What are the top 10 largest counties in Kenya?

The top 10 largest counties in Kenya by land area are:

Turkana (98,597.8 km²)
Marsabit (66,923.1 km²)
Wajir (55,840.6 km²)
Garissa (45,720.2 km²)
Tana River (35,375.8 km²)
Mandera (25,797.7 km²)
Isiolo (25,336.1 km²)
Kitui (24,385.1 km²)
Kajiado (21,292.7 km²)
Samburu (20,182.5 km²)

What is the population of Kenya in 2026?

The current population of Kenya is approximately 57.8 million as of 2026, based on United Nations projections.

What county has the highest population in 2026?

Nairobi County has the highest population in Kenya, with 4,397,073 people according to the 2019 census. It remains the most densely populated county and serves as Kenya’s capital and economic hub.

Which are the top 10 richest counties in Kenya?

The top 10 richest counties in Kenya by Gross County Product (GCP) are:

Nairobi (Ksh 3.81 trillion)
Nakuru (Ksh 785.8 billion)
Kiambu (Ksh 760.8 billion)
Mombasa (Ksh 665.6 billion)
Meru (Ksh 484 billion)
Machakos (Ksh 445.8 billion)
Kisumu (Ksh 312 billion)
Uasin Gishu (Ksh 295 billion)
Kakamega (Ksh 276 billion)
Bungoma (Ksh 268.7 billion)

Which is the dirtiest city in Kenya?

Nairobi is often cited as Kenya’s dirtiest city, followed by Kisii, Narok, Eldoret, Siaya, and Mombasa. In contrast, Nakuru, Kericho, Machakos, Kisumu, and Kilifi are recognized as some of Kenya’s cleanest towns.

Which county is the safest in Kenya?

Wajir County is the safest county in Kenya, with only 358 crime incidents reported in 2024. Other safe counties include Mandera (373 incidents), Lamu (401 incidents), Samburu (414 incidents), and Tana River (436 incidents).