Kwale County | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 County location in Kenya | |
| Coordinates:4°10′S39°27′E / 4.167°S 39.450°E /-4.167; 39.450 | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| Formed | 4 March 2013 |
| Capital | Kwale |
| Largest town | Ukunda |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Fatuma Mohamed Achani |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,270.3 km2 (3,193.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2019 census) | |
• Total | 866,820 |
| • Density | 104.81/km2 (271.46/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Website | www |
Kwale County is acounty in the formerCoast Province ofKenya. Its capital isKwale, althoughUkunda is the largest town.
Kwale County has an estimated population of 866,820.[1]
Kwale is mainly an inland county, but has a coastline south ofMombasa.Diani Beach is part of the Msambweni division.Shimba Hills National Reserve andMwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary are other attractions in the county.
Religion in Kwale County[2]
| Religion (2019 Census) | Number |
|---|---|
| Catholicism | 43,624 |
| Protestant | 116,453 |
| Evangelical Churches | 82.176 |
| African instituted Churches | 22,193 |
| Orthodox | 702 |
| Other Cristian | 47,892 |
| Islam | 520.160 |
| Hindu | 332 |
| Traditionists | 7,121 |
| Other | 4,703 |
| No ReligionAtheists | 12.551 |
| Don't Know | 715 |
| Not Stated | 108 |
The main ethnic communities in the county include theDigo and Duruma,[3] clans of the largerMijikenda tribe. It also has a significant presence of theKamba tribe.
The Digo are the majority in Msambweni, Lunga Lunga and Matuga while the Duruma are the dominant in Kinango. Most Kambas are found in Kinango, Matuga and Lunga Lunga with a significant population in Msambweni.
The county has four constituencies:
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 288,363 | — |
| 1989 | 383,053 | +32.8% |
| 1999 | 496,133 | +29.5% |
| 2009 | 649,931 | +31.0% |
| 2019 | 866,820 | +33.4% |
| source:[4] | ||
| Authority | Type | Population* | Urban pop.* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kwale | Town | 28,470 | 4,196 |
| Kwale County | County | 467,663 | 62,095 |
| Total | - | 496,133 | 66,291 |
| * 1999 census. Source:[5] | |||
| Division | Population* | Urban pop.* | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinango | 72,027 | 1,626 | Kinango |
| Kubo | 48,769 | 0 | |
| Matuga | 73,377 | 3,996 | Kwale |
| Msambweni | 211,814 | 55,964 | Msambweni |
| Samburu | 91,011 | 0 | Samburu |
| Shimba Hills | 135 | 0 | |
| Total | 496,133 | 61,586 | - |
| * 1999 census. Sources:[6][7] | |||
Samburu should not be confused withSamburu County.
As of 2019, there were 43,624Catholics, 116,453Protestants, 82,176Evangelicals, 70,805 other Christians; 520,160Muslims, 332Hindus, 7,121 Animists; 4,703 from other religions and 12,551 who have no religion.[8]
Source:[9]
The coastline in Kwale County stretches for roughly 250 kilometres, which consists of corals, sands andalluvial deposits.
TheCoastal Plain, theFoot Plateau, theCoastal Uplands, and theNyika Plateau are the four principaltopographical features of Kwale County.
TheCoastal Plain is famous for its white sand beaches. This land formation is made up of eroded reef material, such as coral sand when it is deposited on the inshore side of the reef. Furthermore, this region has one of the most productive coral reefs, including coral flats,lagoons, reef platforms andfringing reefs. These reefs occupy an estimated total area of 50,000 Ha, withstony coral covering 30%-40% of the total reef population.
Behind theCoastal Plain lies theFoot Plateau at an altitude of 60–135 meters above sea level.
From theFoot Plateau, theCoastal Uplands (also known as"Shimba Hills"), ascends steeply, reaching an altitude of 135–462 meters above the sea level. This geographical area consist of numeroussandstone hills, which include the Shimba Hills (420m), Tsimba (350m), Mrima (323m) and Dzombo (462m).
On the western boundary of the county, theNyika Plateau (commonly referred to as the "hinterland") gently climbs from roughly 180 meters and covers more than half of the county. A basement rocks system lies beneath the plateau, which also contains random reddish sand soils patches. Since the soil in these regions aresemi-arid and low-fertile, livestock rearing became the main activity at the hinterland.
Seven major rivers and numerous minor streams form the county's drainage system. The main rivers and streams are Ramisi, Marere, Pemba, Mkurumuji, Umba, Mwachema and the Mwachi River. Out of these seven rivers, three are permanent (Marere, Mwaluganje, and the Ramisi River). All these rivers flow into the Indian Ocean.
The county has amonsoon climate; it is hot and dry from January to April, with the coolest months being June to August.
Rainfall is divided into two seasons: short rains from October to December, and long rains from March to June/July. The county's average temperature is 24.2 °C. In the coastal low lands, temperature ranges from 26.30 °C to 26.60 °C; in Shimba Hills, 25.00 °C to 26.60 °C, and in the hinterland, 24.60 °C to 27.50 °C.
Annual rainfall varies between 400 and 1,680 mm.[3][9]
Historically, flooding has occurred in Kwale County in the central eastern parts of the county which is caused by intense rains. Climate experts and farmers have seen a significant change of climate conditions which have greatly affected agriculture production and the livelihood of the people of Kwale County. Significant increase of heat has led to frequency of drought in the county.[10][11]: 10
The county has a potential to feed its population and even export food to neighboring counties.However, the county has faced food insecurity caused by low productivity and only 30% of the population in both urban and rural areas are secure with food. some of the reasons for food insecurity in Kwale County include:[11]
These have led to the farmers in the county to use poor quality of seeds while pests and diseases becomes a threat to production of agriculture inputs.[11]
Beans,cassava, maize, peas, grams and semi-commercial crops, like coconuts and mangoes, are the majority of crops grown in Kwale County.[12]
Cashew nuts,sugarcane, cotton,simsim,bixa andtobacco are cultivated ascash crops.
On the 17th of December (Friday), 2021, the Kwale County opened a Sh130 million wholesale fresh produce market at Kombani, which was co-funded by theEuropean Union and the county government, hoping to ease the selling of farmers’ produce and promote trading activities. The new market also ranks largest, after the Kongowea market in Mombasa, in the coastal area.[13]
TheNyika Plateau, which receives rainfall of less than 700mm, relies heavily on livestock farming. About two-thirds of the county is covered by the hinterland.
According to the 2009 Census, there were 255,143 cattle, 349,755 goats, 83,133 sheep, and 433,827 indigenous chickens in the livestock population.Zebu andBoran cattle are the most common beef breeds, whileCrosses ofAyrshire andSahiwal cattle are the most common type for dairy.
Despite the large number of livestock, production has remained low[14] due to poor-quality breeds, inadequatehusbandry, and high pest and disease occurrences.
In November 2021, theKenya Red Cross Society[15] began the Livestock Off-take and Cash Transfer initiatives in Kwale County to help livestock farmers avoid severe losses during the drought season.
The livestock offtake programme includes purchasing, slaughtering and distributing livestock meat to local inhabitants.
The price of each cow is between Sh 5,000 and Sh 6,000.
The Kenyan government[16][17] also launched a Sh40 million Livestock Off-take Programme in Kwale County as a response to reduce loss of animals to drought. Government Spokesperson Colonel (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna said 26,000 people in Kwale who have been affected by drought will get a monthlystipend of Sh3,000 via mobile money transfer platforms to help cushion and enhance their lives.
Since 2014, Australian-based Business for Development (B4D) has partnered withASX-listed Base Titanium Limited (BTL), a mineral sands producer in Kwale County, to initiate programs that support local farming communities in their endeavours to improve the returns from their agricultural activities
Together with theCotton On Group (COG), Australia's largest global retailer, the Government of the Republic of Kenya, and the local Kwale Government, the KwaleAgribusiness Program (KAP) was established.
The program's purpose is to transition smallholder agricultural communities in the region from subsistence farming to more economically focused, and thus more profitable, farming practices. The main products of this program arecotton,grain,pulses, and livestock, includingstock feed.[18]
The KAP model has demonstrated that industrialisation of the Kenyan cotton sector is attainable through long-term improvements in farming methods, quality control, productivity, and increased profit margin retention by the farming community.
Over the next five years, the primary objective will be to execute the KAP model across Kenya's cotton growing communities. Through the growth and replication of the KAP model across Kenya, the initiative will contribute to the revival of the cotton sector in Kenya. To that end, the following goals have been set.[19]
The society's name is derived from ‘pamba na viazi’, theSwahili words for cotton and potatoes. The development of the PAVI Kwale Farmers' Co-operative[20] has provided additional aid by giving the farmers a united voice in discussions with COG and other customers, suppliers, government, and supportive partners.[19]
Through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MoALF) and the Kwale County Government, PAVI has been able to obtain technical assistance and additional resources. Both levels of government have expressed a strong desire to assist PAVI's agriculture prospects. A stock mill has been built, and negotiations for the development of a cooperatively operatedcotton gin are currently underway.
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