26-473: Kitui is a town and capital of Kitui County in Kenya , 185 kilometres east of Nairobi and 105 kilometres east of Machakos . it covers an area approximately 30,496.4 km squares and lies between latitudes 0°10 South and 3°0 South and longitudes 37°50 East and 39°0 East. It borders seven counties i.e. Machakos and Makueni counties to the west, Tana River County to the east and south-east, Taita Taveta County to
52-625: A basic water service. In 2017, there were "3,126 equipped and non-equipped water sources spread across Kitui County". Equipped sources include hand pumps and piped schemes. Non-equipped sources include sand dams, earth dams, shallow wells and others. However, in a water audit carried out in 2017, only 60 percent of the water sources were fully functional. About 400,000 people in Kitui rely on surface water as their main drinking water source and many people practice rainwater harvesting via roofs and gutters, rock catchments and sand dams. For these people,
78-695: A campus at Kwa Vonza while Moi University has a campus at Kyuso in Mwingi North sub-county. University of Nairobi also has a campus in Kitui town. Kenya Medical Training College has campuses in Kitui and Mwingi. Additional funds are required to improve the water supply situation for schools. These investments would pay for new or upgraded water facilities in schools, and a professional operation and maintenance service. With regards to water infrastructure, schools would benefit from rainwater harvesting systems and piped water schemes and handpump sources if they do not already have these facilities. There are
104-482: A student population of slightly over 400,000 pupils and 17,000 teachers. In addition, there were up to 145 private education institutions across the various education levels." The county has also 5 teachers training colleges, 311 adult training institutions and one technical training institution. Kitui School and Muthale Girls are the only national schools in Kitui County. Kathungi Secondary School, which
130-522: A total of 256 health facilities in the county with one county referral hospital. County has 2,084 health personnel of different cadre. HIV prevalence is at 4.2% below the national 5.9%. Kitui County has several hospitals and health centres to meet the health needs of residents, among them Kitui County Referral Hospital, Mwingi Sub-County General Hospital, Kitui Nursing Home, Neema Hospital, Jordan Hospital, mission-run hospitals such as Muthale Mission hospital and some private health centres. Kitui County
156-470: A transition to non-agricultural industries. During a recent, informal survey of the businesses in the town of Ikutha in southern Kitui County, the following businesses were identified: Situated in Kitui town is a cotton ginnery where cotton farmers from around the county can deliver their harvest. It is the only major industry in the region, and was set up way back in 1935. Kitui is a semi-arid region and not many crops fare well there apart from cotton, hence
182-447: Is about 160 kilometers east of Nairobi City and has about 1,221,000 people. The two water service providers (WSPs) in the county are Kitui Water and Sanitation Company (KITWASCO) and Kiambere-Mwingi Water and Sanitation Company (KIMWASCO). They served only 32 percent of the county's population in 2017 and mainly only in urban areas, not so much in rural areas. Only about 42 percent of the population in Kitui County have access to at least
208-673: Is also found in Kitui County, is famous for its football championship in the country. Kathungi were the 2013 national silver medalists. Alongside the national champions Upper Hill, they represented Kenya in East Africa Secondary School games held in Lira, Uganda. South Eastern Kenya University is a public university located in Kitui with the Main Campus at Kwa Vonza and other campuses at Mwingi and Kitui towns. Kenyatta University has
234-667: Is mostly made up of people of the Akamba ethnicity. Tharaka people , a section of the Ameru , are also found in Kitui County mainly in Tharaka ward . There is also a growing Somali presence. There are eight sub counties, forty county assembly wards, one hundred and sixty seven locations and four hundred and eleven sub-locations. Further, the sub-counties are divided into smaller units called wards. There are 40 wards which are further divided into 247 villages. Source Source Julius Makau Malombe
260-588: Is one of the largest Rock outcrops in Kenya which is locally known as "Ivia ya Nzambani". Situated past Kitui Town, about 1 km from Chuluni Market is the Nzambani Rock which is famous for the tales and myths of its origin. Activities here include hiking and rock climbing. David Musila David Musila (born 24 February 1943) is a Kenyan politician. He belongs to the Wiper Democratic Movement and
286-531: Is the dominant religion in Kitui County. Roman Catholics make about 15% of the county's population. Other Christian denominations in the county include The Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC), the African Inland Church (AIC), Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC), Redeemed Gospel Church and many others. Kitui county has a significant number of Muslims and several mosques can be spotted around
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#1732873118053312-521: Is the governor of the county after being elected in the 2022 general elections. He is deputised by Augustine Kanani Wambua. Eoch Kiio Wambua is the senator who was re-elected in the 2022 general elections after unseating the first senator David Musila . Irene Muthoni Kasalu is the second Women Representative after Winfred Nyiva Mwendwa. She was re-elected in 2022. For Kitui County, the County Executive Committee comprises: Christianity
338-568: The Kitui town. Kitui County is home to several Universities and Colleges. Kitui County Kitui County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya in the former Eastern Province of Kenya . Its capital and largest town is Kitui . Mwingi is also another major urban centre. The county has a population of about 1.2 million people (as of 2024) and an area of 30,496 km . It lies between latitudes 0°10 South and 3°0 South and longitudes 37°50 East and 39°0 East. Kitui County shares its borders with seven counties; Tharaka-Nithi and Meru to
364-583: The World Tourism Organisation until 2010. In 1997 he was elected as a KANU MP and retained his seat after moving to the LDP wing of NARC in 2002. He was re-elected in Mwingi south and elected Deputy-Speaker in the 2003 Parliament and defended his seat in the 2007 elections on a ODM-K ticket. In April 2008 he was appointed as assistant minister of Defence by President Mwai Kibaki where he served until 2013. He
390-903: The area Kitui. Kitui had a population of 155,896 in 2009 making it the 12th largest urban centre in Kenya in terms of population. It is the largest urban centre in the county followed by Mwingi . A large majority of the residents belong to the Kamba , a Bantu people. The major secondary schools around Kitui town are St. Charles Lwanga High School, Kitui School , Mulango Girls' High School, St. Angela's High School, St. Ursula Tungutu Girls Secondary School, Chuluni Girls' Secondary School, Matinyani Secondary School and St. Aquinas Kalawa Boys' Secondary School. The major public primary schools in Kitui town include Central Primary School, Muslim Primary School, Manyenyoni primary school, Kaveta Primary School, Kalawa Primary School, Ngiini Primary School, Kwa Ngindu Primary School among others. There are also several private schools in
416-426: The county many years before the colonial period are the ones who named the area Kitui. Kitui County has a total population of 1.2 million people (as of 2024). In comparison, in 2009 the population was 1,136,187 people. Data from 2019 indicated that there are 262,942 households with an average household size of 4.3 persons per household, and a population density of 37 people per square kilometre. The population
442-532: The county's major urban centres. Religion in Kitui County: The climate of Kitui County is arid and semi-arid. It receives roughly 71 cm (28 inches) per year with a bi-modal rainfall pattern. This means that rainfall occurs practically only during the two rainy seasons (one long around March & April, and one short, around October, November and December). The terms Long and Short Rains has nothing to do with amount of rainfall received but rather on
468-422: The extended dry period (June to October) creates water supply challenges. Groundwater resources, lifted by hand pumps or pumped to piped systems and water kiosks , offer a buffer against drought for many Kitui county residents. However there are issues with quality (natural salinity ), infrastructure maintenance and functionality for these groundwater schemes. Piped water schemes have fewer or no customers during
494-498: The ginnery plays a major role creating income for the many cotton farmers in the region. Kitui county has large deposits of coal in Mui Basin, having low energy content/ calorific value , meaning it produces less heat when burned. It also has sulphur . The coal could potentially supply the 1,000 MW Lamu Coal Power Station , and the 960-megawatt (MW) Kitui coal plant. Mutomo/Ikutha district contains limestone. Also in Kitui county
520-517: The length of the rainy seasons. The number of city dwellers is relatively low as the majority of people (about 86% of the population) lives in rural areas. Major towns in the county include Kitui , Mwingi , Mutomo , Kwa Vonza , Mutitu , Ikutha , Kabati , Migwani , Mutonguni , Mbitini and Kyuso . Urbanisation by County in South Eastern Kenya In 2019, Kitui County had "1,742 public primary and secondary schools, representing
546-658: The north, Embu to the northwest, Machakos and Makueni to the west, Tana River to the east and southeast, and Taita-Taveta to the south. Kitui County is "representative" of the fragile Arid and Semi-arid lands of Kenya that account for 80 percent of the land mass. These lands are characterized by high poverty levels, agro-pastoral livelihoods, high vulnerability to climate shocks , underdeveloped social infrastructure, low access to social services , and in extreme cases conflict over natural resources , especially during droughts ". The name Kitui means 'a place where iron goods are made'. The Kamba iron-smiths who settled in
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#1732873118053572-452: The south, Embu to the north-west, and Tharaka-Nithi and Meru counties to the north. Kitui became the headquarters of Kitui County after the adoption of the new constitution and coming into effect of devolved governments. The name Kitui means ‘a place where iron goods are made’ in Kamba. The Kamba iron-smiths who settled in the county many years before the colonial period are the ones who named
598-410: The wet season because "users shift to using free surface and groundwater alternatives". The customers tend to shift to shallow wells during the wet season even though this exposes them to health risks. The vast majority of the economy is based on sustenance farming, despite the fact that the agriculture is an extremely challenging endeavor giving the sporadic rainfall. A logical move therefore would be
624-734: Was elected as the first senator of Kitui County in the March 4, 2013 by garnering 156,690 votes. In the senate he served in the Senate Committee on Energy, Roads and Transport. Musila also served in the Parliamentary Service Commission as Chairman of Security & Development Committee, member of audit committee of the Commission, Staff Welfare Committee of the Commission. The former senator also served as chairman of Wiper Democratic Movement Kenya until his resignation. Hon. David Musila
650-581: Was elected to represent Mwingi South Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya in the Kenyan parliamentary election of 1997 . In 2013 he was elected as the first senator representing Kitui County . After graduating from Bishop College , Texas with an Honors degree in Economics and Government in 1968, Musila returned to Kenya and enrolled in the government. He was appointed as District Officer (D.O) and
676-560: Was posted in Nakuru and later Molo. He rose to the position of District Commissioner in 1974 before serving as Deputy Provincial Commissioner in 1978. He was appointed Provincial Commissioner for Central Province by President Daniel Arap Moi in 1979, a post which he retained until 1985, after which he was appointed Director of Tourism in the Ministry of Wildlife and Tourism. He retired from the civil service in 1988. He served as consultant on tourism for
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