Machakos County
Introduction
Machakos County is located in Eastern Province and had a total population of 1,518,000 people in 2025. In 2019, the county had a population of 1,421,932 people and 402,466 households. The average household size in Machakos County was 3.5 people per household in 2019.
Machakos has a total land area of 6,012.7 square kilometers and had a population density of 235 people per square kilometer in 2019.
Machakos County is bordered to the North by Embu, to the East by Kitui, to the South by Makueni, to the South West by Kajiado, to the West by Nairobi and Kiambu, and to the North West by Murang'a.
Machakos County has nine sub-counties: Athi River, Kalama, Kangundo, Kathiani, Machakos, Masinga, Matungulu, Mwala, and Yatta.
Machakos County Economy
Machakos County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 445.8 billion in 2023, representing an average gross value added of 3.2% in the same period.
Machakos County contributed, on average, 2.2% to agriculture, forestry, and fishing. The county also contributed 7.8% to manufacturing activities and 2.6% to services activities.
Machakos County had a GDP per capita of Ksh 299,637 in 2023.
Machakos County Poverty Rates
Machakos County had an overall headcount poverty rate of 38.3% in 2022, with a total of 580,000 people estimated to live in poverty. During this period, Kenya had an overall poverty rate of 39.8%.
The hardcore poverty rate of Machakos in 2022 was 2.2%, with an estimated 34,000 people living in extreme poverty. By comparison, Kenya’s hardcore poverty rate was 7.1% in 2022.
Machakos also had a food poverty rate of 31.8%, with 482,000 people estimated to live in food poverty. Kenya had a food poverty rate of 31.7% in the same year.
The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Machakos County in 2019: Kangundo 21%, Kathiani 20.6%, Machakos 21.6%, Masinga 26.1%, Matungulu 23.5%, Mavoko 18.3%, Mwala 33.6%, and Yatta 27.2%.
The mean monthly food and non-food expenditure in Machakos County was Ksh 3,581 and Ksh 3,843 in 2022. The share of expenditure on food was 56.1%, while the share on non-food items was 43.9%.
The major source of household food consumption in Machakos was purchase or stock 89.8%, own production 8.9%, and gifts 1.4%.
The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure was Ksh 7,425 and Ksh 5,463 in 2021.
Machakos County Demographics
Machakos County had a population of 1,421,932 in 2019, consisting of 710,701 males, 711,191 females, and 31 intersex. Machakos had a median age of 22 years in 2019.
The table below shows the distribution of the population of Machakos County by sex and sub-county in 2019.
|
Sub county |
Male |
Female |
Inter sex |
Total |
|
Athi River |
164,322 |
158,172 |
5 |
322,499 |
|
Kalama |
26,764 |
27,692 |
6 |
54,462 |
|
Kangundo |
48,697 |
49,219 |
1 |
97,917 |
|
Kathiani |
54,910 |
56,976 |
4 |
111,890 |
|
Machakos |
85,486 |
85,114 |
6 |
170,606 |
|
Masinga |
73,519 |
75,001 |
2 |
148,522 |
|
Matungulu |
81,145 |
80,407 |
5 |
161,557 |
|
Mwala |
90,427 |
91,466 |
3 |
181,896 |
|
Yatta |
85,437 |
87,144 |
2 |
172,583 |
|
Total |
710,707 |
711,191 |
34 |
1,421,932 |
Marital Status
The percentage of women aged 12 and above in Machakos County who were never married in 2019 was 37.2%, while those in monogamous unions were 52.4%. On the other hand, the distribution of the population in polygamous marriages was 1% in 2019, while the widowed in Machakos were 6.5%. The share of the divorced and separated in Machakos was 0.9% and 1.9%, respectively.
Among men aged 12 and above, the percentage of those who were never married in Machakos was 46.9%. In comparison, those who were married monogamous were 48.4%. Men in polygamous marriages in the county were 1%, while the widowed were 1.2%. The percentage of divorced or separated men in Machakos County was 0.7% and 1.7%, respectively.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in 2022 was 22.2 years. In contrast, the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 in 2022 was 25.4 years.
Polygyny
The percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Machakos County who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 2.6%, while those without a co-wife were 84.7%.
Among married men aged 15-49 in 2022, those with more than two wives in Machakos were 1.8%, while those with one wife were 98.2%.
Marriage Registration
The percentage of currently married women in Machakos whose current marriage was registered with the civil authorities in 2022 was 17.4%. Those whose current marriage was registered with the civil authority and who had a marriage certificate were 15%.
Teenage Marriages in Machakos County
The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Machakos County was 3.6% in 2019, while the proportion of married females of the same age group was 3.7%. The proportion of married females aged 12-18 in the county was 4.6%.
The rate of teenage pregnancies in Machakos County, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 11.3% in 2022.
Total Fertility Rate
The Total Fertility Rate in Machakos County was 2.7 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 25.6% from 3.6 births in 2009. By comparison, Kenya had a Total Fertility Rate of 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a drop of 28.6% from 4.8 births per woman in 2009.
The total youth fertility rate in Machakos County in 2019 was 0.9 births per woman. The national youth fertility rate in the same period was 1 birth per woman.
Machakos County had a Crude Birth Rate of 22.1 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 39% from 36.2 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Overall, Kenya’s Crude Birth Rate was 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 27.2% from 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.
Place of Birth and Notification Status
The share of recent births in Machakos County that occurred in a health facility was 92.3% in 2019, while those that occurred in a non-health facility were 7.7%. In Kenya, the share of recent births occurring in health facilities was 85.8%, while those occurring in non-health facilities were 14%.
The completeness of birth registration in Machakos County was 77% in 2023.
Place of Death and Notification Status
In 2019, 61.7% of deaths in Machakos County occurred in a health facility, while 38% occurred in the community. In Kenya, 59% of deaths in 2019 occurred in a health facility, while 40% did not occur in a health facility.
The completeness of death registration in Machakos County was 42.9% in 2023.
Machakos County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 7.4deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.
Religious Affiliation
The majority of residents of Machakos County are Protestants 582,456, followed by Catholics 500,155, and members of Evangelical Churches 217,122.
|
Catholic |
500,155 |
|
Protestant |
582,456 |
|
Evangelical Churches |
217,122 |
|
African Instituted Churches |
55,175 |
|
Orthodox |
2,405 |
|
Other Christians |
23,935 |
|
12,984 |
|
|
Hindu |
976 |
|
Traditionists |
987 |
|
Other Religion |
6,900 |
|
No religion Atheists |
9,384 |
Machakos County Development
- The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Machakos County was 82%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
- Household access to electricity in Machakos County was 48.2% in 2019, up from 17% in 2009.
- Household access to improved sanitation in Machakos County was 88.8% in 2019, up from 62.7% in 2009.
- Households access to safe drinking water in Machakos County was 56.6% in 2019, up from 39.4% in 2009.
- Households access to piped water in Machakos County was 6.5% in 2019, down from 14.2% in 2009.
- Machakos had 95.8% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 24th nationally in 2019.
The share of the population in Machakos County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 56.4%. Among women, 85.5% owned any type of mobile phone in Machakos County in 2022, while 50.7% owned a smartphone.
Among men, 77.1% in Machakos owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 45.1% owned a smartphone. The percentage of men and women who had used a mobile phone for financial transactions in the year preceding the 2022 KDHS survey was 80.3% and 87%, respectively.
|
Machakos County |
||
|
|
56.40% |
Census 2019 |
|
81.30% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
|
83.65% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
|
% of the Population with Mobile Money Accounts |
83.40% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
% of the Population Using the Internet |
18.10% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population who have Ever Searched and Bought Goods Online |
4.60% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population Using Computer/Tablet/Laptop |
11.80% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of the Population Using a Bank
|
32.45% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
25.40% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
Machakos County Finance
In the financial year (FY) 2024/25, Machakos County approved a supplementary budget of Ksh 15.62 billion, comprising Ksh 10.87 billion and Ksh 4.75 billion allocation for development and recurrent expenditures, respectively.
Other highlights in the FY 2023/2024 included:
- Equitable share – Ksh 9.6 billion
- Conditional grants and additional allocations – Ksh 390.5 million
- Own Source Revenue – Ksh 2.2 billion
- Cash balances – Ksh 783.9 million
- Expenditure on salaries/personnel emoluments – Ksh 7,028,990,000.
- Expenditure on operations and maintenance – Ksh 2,834,900,000.
- Machakos County development expenditures – Ksh 1,943,560,000.
- The total expenditure – Ksh 11,807,440,000.
- Expenditure on Domestic travel – Ksh 532,010,000.
- Expenditure on Foreign travel – Ksh 99,190,000.
- Total expenditure on travel in Machakos – Ksh 631,200,000.
- Machakos County outstanding pending bill – Ksh 6,733,800,000.
- The average MCA sitting allowance – Ksh 49,086.
Machakos County
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Machakos County was 2.36%. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Machakos was 35,035, while the number of HIV-related deaths was 642.
|
HIV/AIDS in Machakos County – 2025 |
|
|
HIV Prevalence (%) |
2.36 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Total |
35,035 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Children |
1,383 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Adults |
33,652 |
|
New HIV Infections - Total |
353 |
|
New HIV Infections - Children |
83 |
|
New HIV Infections - Adults |
270 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Total |
642 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Children |
51 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Adults |
589 |
See Also