West Pokot County | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location in Kenya | |
| Coordinates:1°14′00″N35°07′00″E / 01.23333°N 035.1167°E /01.23333; 035.1167 | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| Formed | 4 March 2013 |
| Capital | Kapenguria |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Simon Kachapin |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,418.2 km2 (3,250.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
• Total | 621,241 |
| • Density | 73.797/km2 (191.13/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Website | westpokot.go.ke |
West Pokot County is acounty inKenya. Its capital and largest town isKapenguria, its area is approximately 9,169.4 square kilometers and it measures 132 kilometers from north to south.[2]
West Pokot County is bordered to the north byTurkana County, to the east byBaringo County, to the southeast byElgeyo-Marakwet County, to the south byTrans Nzoia County and to the west byUganda. According to the 2019 census, the county has a population of 621,241.[1]
The county is home toTegla Loroupe, one of the most famous Kenyan female runners, and the birthplace of Israeli Olympic marathon runnerLonah Chemtai Salpeter.
Pokot people are the main inhabitants of the county, and there is also a minority community ofSengwer.[3]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 158,652 | — |
| 1989 | 225,449 | +42.1% |
| 1999 | 308,086 | +36.7% |
| 2009 | 512,690 | +66.4% |
| 2019 | 621,241 | +21.2% |
| source:[4] | ||
Religion in West Pokot County[5]
| Religion (2019 Census) | Number |
|---|---|
| Catholicism | 192,787 |
| Protestant | 232,950 |
| Evangelical Churches | 81,184 |
| African instituted Churches | 43,831 |
| Orthodox | 2,477 |
| Other Christian | 14,202 |
| Islam | 2,619 |
| Hindu | 26 |
| Traditionists | 19,645 |
| Other | 9,723 |
| No Religion | 18,104 |
| Don't Know | 1,213 |
| Not Stated | 106 |
Mount Mtelo is located in West Pokot County.
| Local authorities (councils) | |||
| Authority | Type | Population* | Urban pop.* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kapenguria | Municipality | 56,019 | 12,984 |
| Chepareria | Town | 8,212 | 901 |
| Pokot | County | 243,855 | 0 |
| Total | - | 308,086 | 13,885 |
| * 1999 census. Source:[6] | |||
| Administrative divisions | |||
| Division | Population* | Urban pop.* | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alale | 29,679 | 0 | |
| Chepareria | 68,518 | 900 | Chepareria |
| Chesegon | 21,343 | 0 | |
| Kacheliba | 20,151 | 0 | |
| Kapenguria | 62,746 | 12,438 | Kapenguria |
| Kasei | 9,879 | 0 | |
| Kongelai | 20,018 | 0 | Kongelai |
| Lelan | 32,931 | 0 | |
| Sigor | 42,821 | 0 | Sigor |
| Total | 308,086 | 13,338 | - |
| * 1999 census. Sources[7][8] | |||
The West Pokot county economy is principally driven by livestock rearing and agriculture. Large numbers of cattle, sheep and goats are reared, with some of the breeds reared being Sahiwal Zebus, Galla goats and Merino sheep. In Pokot Central and North sub-counties,zebu indicine cattle have long been kept for meat production while in West Pokot and Pokot South sub-counties dairy breeds, primarily Ayrshire and Friesian, are increasingly kept for milk production.[2]
Some of the main crops grown include maize, a staple ingredient grown mainly in West Pokot Sub-County, as well as finger millet, coffee, beans, onions, sweet potatoes, green grams, peas, mangoes, oranges, bananas, potatoes and pyrethrum.[9] The latter two are mainly grown in South Pokot sub-county.Irrigation infrastructure has been developed by the National Irrigation Authority & the Kerio Valley Development Authority in Sigor across the permanent rivers; WeiWei and Muruny putting over 1000 acres in year long crop production without relying on rain.
West Pokot County is known for livestock production with large numbers of cattle, sheep and goats being reared in the county. The sector faces significant challenges of banditry in the form of livestock theft.
In early 2022, the West Pokot government, in partnership with the European Union, established the Nasukuta Export Abattoir in Chepareria ward. The abattoir started at 60 per cent capacity utilization for cattle, sheep and goats, and was anticipated to slaughter 18,720 cattle and 56,160 sheep and goats in its first year.[10]
A clinker plant was constructed by Simba Cement in Sebit to crush limestone from Sebit Hills of West Pokot County and began operating in July 2023. The plant has the capacity to process an estimated 6,000 tonnes of clinker daily (two million tonnes annually) which is crushed in West Pokot then transported to a grinding plant inEldoret town.[11][12]
TheTurkwel Hydro Power Plant operated by electricity generating companyKengen is situated in West Pokot County. Though the plant produces about 105MW of power which is fed to the national grid, many communities around the power plant and the extensive districts of West Pokot and Turkana do not benefit from this resource.
On 23 November 2019 there was alandslide around 2:30 a.m. in West Pokot County near the border withUganda that was triggered by heavy rainfall that killed over 52 people. At least 22 other people were missing after this disaster, and over 22,000 people were displaced.[14][15][16]
Flooded roads and bridges were swept away after the incident, hindering rescue operations. It is one of the worstnatural disasters to hit the area in recorded history.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
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