Lamu County

Lamu County
County
Lamu, Lamu Island
Lamu, Lamu Island
Flag of Lamu County
Flag
Location in Kenya
Location in Kenya
Country Kenya
Formed4 March 2013
CapitalLamu
Government
 • GovernorIssa Timamy
Area
 • Total
6,273.1 km2 (2,422.1 sq mi)
 • Land6,273.1 km2 (2,422.1 sq mi)
Elevation
110 m (360 ft)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total
143,920
 • Density22.942/km2 (59.421/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)
 • GDPIncrease $935.7 million (2022) (44th)
 • Per capitaIncrease $5,736 (2022) (13th)
GDP (nominal)
 • GDPIncrease $343 Million (2022) (44th)
 • Per CapitaIncrease $2,106 (2022) (13th)
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)
Websitewww.lamu.go.ke

Lamu County is a county in Kenya located along the North Coast of the country and is one of the six Coastal Counties in Kenya. Its capital is the town of Lamu. It borders Tana River County to the southwest, Garissa County to the north, Somalia to the northeast, and the Indian Ocean to the south. It is the smallest county in Kenya by population.

The county has a land surface of 6,273.1 km2 (2,422.1 sq mi), including the mainland and over 65 islands that form the Lamu Archipelago. The total length of the coastline is 130 km (81 mi), while the land water mass area stands at 308 km2 (119 sq mi).

Demographics

The county is made up of a cosmopolitan population composed of communities such as Aweer, Oromo, Somalis, Swahilis, Arabs, Kore, Kikuyu, and other migrant communities from all over the country. The county had a total population of 143,920, of which 76,103 were males, 67,813 females and 4 intersex persons during the 2019 census of Kenya. There were 37,963 households with an average household size of 3.7 persons per household and a population density of 23 people per square kilometre.

The LAPSSET project was in 2016 expected to attract a huge migrant population, estimated at over one million people. This will certainly overstretch the county's social services, necessitating commensurate development planning for adequate service provision.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1979 42,299—    
1989 56,783+34.2%
1999 72,686+28.0%
2009 101,539+39.7%
2019 143,920+41.7%
source:

Religion

  1. Christian (47.0%)
  2. Muslim (51.0%)
  3. Other Religions (1.00%)
  4. Atheist (1.00%)
Religion in Lamu County

Administrative and political units

Administrative units

The county has 2 constituencies: Lamu West and Lamu East. These two also consist of the two districts referred to as the sub-counties in Lamu County. Lamu West has Amu Mkomani, Shela, Hindi, Mkunumbi, Hongwe, Bahari and Witu Divisions while Lamu East has Faza, Basuba and Kiunga Divisions. There are 10 wards, 23 locations, and 38 sub-locations in the county.

Administrative divisions
Division Population* Urban pop.* Headquarters
Amu17,31012,839Lamu
Faza7,4740Faza
Hindi7,0721,335
Kiunga3,3100Kiunga
Kizingitini6,0100Kizingitini
Mpeketoni25,530773Mpeketoni
Witu5,9801,322Witu
Total72,68616,269-
* 1999 census. Sources

Political units

There are two constituencies and ten county assembly wards.

Constituency County wards Land Area (km2)
LAMU WEST Shella 54.7
Mkomani 172.5
Hindi 1150.8
Mkunumbi 1366.1
Hongwe 128.5
Bahari 123.3
Witu 975.4
LAMU EAST Faza 79.2
Basuba 1708.7
Kiunga 513.9
TOTAL 6273.1
Source: Lamu County CIDP 2013-2017
Constituencies
  • MP – Muthama, Stanley Muiruri Lamu West Constituency
  • MP – Ruweida Mohammed Obo Lamu East Constituency

Source

Political leadership

The first elected governor for the county was Issa Timamy, deputized by Eric Kinyua Mugo. The second elected governor was Fahim Yasin Twaha, deputized by Aboud Bwana Abdulhakim. The first elected senator for the county was Abu Chiaba while the second elected senator was Anuar Loitiptip. The current senator is Joseph Githuka. The first county woman representative was Abdalla Shakilla Mohamed, who was elected in 2013. She was followed by Ruweida Mohamed Obo in 2017. The current county woman representative is Monica Mūthoni Marubu.

For Lamu County, the County Executive Committee comprises:

County Executive Committee
Number
The Governor 1
The Deputy Governor 1
The County Secretary 1
The CEC Members 10
Total 13

Education

Male student in a library at Shela Primary - Lamu county

Lamu has 203 ECD centres, 139 primary schools and 25 secondary schools. There are also 58 adult training institutions, 6 vocational training centres as well as 3 universities.

Health

There are a total of 45 health facilities in the county, as well as one county referral hospital.

The county has 316 health personnel of different cadres.

HIV prevalence is at 3.5%, compared to the national 5.9%.

Langoni Hospital in Lamu
Lamu locals

Transport and communication

The county is covered by 923.07 km of road network. Of this, 718.66 km is covered by earth surface, 198.41 km is murram surface and 6 km is covered by bitumen.[when?]

Donkey carrying a sack of mangoes in Shela-Lamu County

The main point of entry to Lamu is through air via Manda Airport (LAU) which gives you access to the islands via boats/dhows. It's also possible to use buses. In Lamu, most locals prefer to walk barefoot (grounding) and they rely heavily on donkeys as a means of transportation (for both people and goods).

There are five post offices with 1,250 installed letter boxes, 653 rented letter boxes and 597 vacant letter boxes.

Trade and commerce

The main economic activities in the county include crop production, livestock production, fisheries, tourism and mining, most notably quarrying. Lamu is rich in minerals like titanium, salt, limestone, coral stones, and sand. Lamu town is termed "the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa” but neighbouring islands also have numerous archaeological remnants of history dating as far back as the 14th century.

Among the challenges facing Lamu are population growth owing to migration into Lamu from other parts of the country, fuelled partly by the anticipated opportunities accruing from the Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor. Other challenges include landlessness and poor land management, insufficient social services such as healthcare and education, inadequate supply of piped and fresh water, under-developed infrastructure, and food insecurity.

There are 9 trading centres, 606 registered businesses, 465 licensed retail traders, 7 supermarkets, 27 licensed wholesale traders, and 98 registered hotels.

The county has two national reserves: Dodori, and Kiunga Marine, covering 877 km2. Dodori is a breeding ground for the East Lamu Topi, and consists of a variety of mammals and birdlife including lions, elephant shrew, hippo, pelicans, and many more. It has the most varied species of mangrove forest in Kenya at Dodori Creek. Kiunga Marine Reserve consists of several islands rich with biodiversity including valuable coral reefs, sea grass, extensive mangrove forests, and the endangered sea turtles and dugongs. Kiwayu Island, which is part of the reserve, is deemed as having the most pristine beach in Kenya.

Villages and settlements

Lamu residents
Lamu residents
Lau Manda Airport signage

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kiambu GCP". Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "Karibu Kenya | North Coast". karibukenya.co.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "Coast Region | County Trak Kenya". Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  4. ↑ "Mainland", Wikipedia, 22 November 2022, retrieved 24 January 2023
  5. ↑ "Coast", Wikipedia, 3 January 2023, retrieved 24 January 2023
  6. ↑ "Water mass", Wikipedia, 30 May 2022, retrieved 24 January 2023
  7. ↑ Lamu County Integrated Development Plan CIDP 2018-2022. Lamu County Government. 2018. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Kenya", Wikipedia, 19 January 2023, retrieved 24 January 2023
  9. ↑ 2019 Kenya Population and House Census: Volume 1- Population by County and Sub-county. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 2019. pp. 17, 19, 20. ISBN 9789966102096.
  10. ↑ "Brief on LAPSSET Corridor Project 2016" (PDF). LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority. 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  11. ↑ KENYA: Administrative Division population statistics
  12. ↑ "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics" (PDF). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "eLimu | Counties in Kenya". learn.e-limu.org. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government". Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  15. ↑ Archived 16 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ "Urban Poverty All Kenya Provinces". Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Lamu County CIDP 2013-2017" (PDF). The Council of Governors. Lamu County Government. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Hon. Muthama, Stanley Muiruri | The Kenyan Parliament Website". parliament.go.ke. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Stanley Muiruri Muthama". Mzalendo. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "Hon. Ruweida Mohammed Obo | The Kenyan Parliament Website". parliament.go.ke. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "Shariff Athman Ali". Mzalendo. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  22. ↑ "The Report of the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission (IIBRC): Delimitation of Constituencies and Recommendations on Local Authority Electoral Units and Administrative Boundaries for Districts and Other Units" (PDF). IEBC. 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  23. ↑ "Governors & Deputy Governors". cog.go.ke. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  24. ↑ "Yasin Fahim Twaha". Mzalendo. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  25. ↑ "Members of the Senate | The Kenyan Parliament Website". parliament.go.ke. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  26. ↑ "Anwar Loitiptip". Mzalendo. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  27. ↑ "Ruweida Mohamed Obo". Mzalendo. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  28. ↑ "Women Representatives | KEWOPA KENYA". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  29. ↑ "179. County executive committees – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". klrc.go.ke. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  30. ↑ Lamu County Integrated Development Plan CIDP 2018-2022. Lamu County Government. 2018. pp. 37–42.
  31. ↑ "CoG Reports". cog.go.ke. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  32. ↑ "Kenya HIV Estimates Report 2018" (PDF). National AIDS Control Council. 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  33. ↑ County Statistical Abstract Lamu County 2015. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 2015. p. 33.
  34. ↑ "Kenya Rural Roads Authority". Kenya Rural Roads Authority. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  35. 1 2 "Publications". Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  36. ↑ "Home". kura.go.ke. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  37. ↑ "Coral stone – Century Stone". 4 June 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  38. ↑ "Kiunga Marine National Reserve | Kenya Marine Safaris | Kenya Tours". Lake Nakuru National Park. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  39. ↑ "Kiwayu Island". Seacology. Retrieved 24 October 2022.

2°18′0″S 40°42′0″E / 2.30000°S 40.70000°E / -2.30000; 40.70000