Laikipia District Kenya
Encyclopedia
Laikipia District is one of the seventy-one districts
of Kenya
, located on the Equator
in the Rift Valley Province of the country. The district has two major urban centres: Nanyuki
to the southeast, and Nyahururu
to the southwest. Its capital is Nanyuki
.
The Kikuyu form about 60% of the population, with the balance composed of several other ethnic communities, including Laikipia Maasai, Samburu
, Meru, Borana
, Kalenjin, Somali
, European, Asian, and Turkana
, giving the district a diverse population. Most of the land is owned by a small population of old Kenyan settler families, and increasingly non-Kenyan wealthy landowners and international organizations..
Economic activity in the district consists mainly of tourism
and agriculture
, chiefly grain crops, ranching and greenhouse horticulture.
The district has a cool, temperate climate with both rainy and dry seasons.
The district has two constituencies:
Districts of Kenya
The provinces of Kenya are subdivided into number of districts .- List of districts of Kenya :Following a High Court ruling in September 2009, there are 46 legal districts in Kenya :Coast Province:...
of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, located on the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
in the Rift Valley Province of the country. The district has two major urban centres: Nanyuki
Nanyuki
Nanyuki is a market town in central-east Rift Valley region of Kenya lying northwest of Mount Kenya along the A2 road and at the terminus of the branch railway from Nairobi. It is situated just north of the Equator . It was founded in 1907 by British settlers, some of whose descendants still live...
to the southeast, and Nyahururu
Nyahururu
Nyahururu is a town in Kenya, lying east of Nakuru. It is part of Laikipia District in Rift Valley Province. Despite this, Nyahururu formerly functioned as the administrative capital of Nyandarua District, one of seven districts that constitute Central Province in Kenya, until the headquarters...
to the southwest. Its capital is Nanyuki
Nanyuki
Nanyuki is a market town in central-east Rift Valley region of Kenya lying northwest of Mount Kenya along the A2 road and at the terminus of the branch railway from Nairobi. It is situated just north of the Equator . It was founded in 1907 by British settlers, some of whose descendants still live...
.
The Kikuyu form about 60% of the population, with the balance composed of several other ethnic communities, including Laikipia Maasai, Samburu
Samburu
The Samburu are a Nilotic people of north-central Kenya that are related to but distinct from the Maasai. The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and camels. The name they use for themselves is Lokop or Loikop, a term which may have a variety of...
, Meru, Borana
Borana
The Borana Oromo, also called the Boran, are a pastoralist ethnic group living in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. They are a moiety of the Oromo people, the other being the Barentu Oromo.-Profile:...
, Kalenjin, Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
, European, Asian, and Turkana
Turkana
Turkana may refer to:* Turkana people of Kenya and Ethiopia* Turkana language of Kenya and Ethiopia* Lake Turkana in Kenya* Lake Turkana National Parks* Turkana District in Kenya* the fictional world of Turkana IV in a Star Trek Next Generation episode...
, giving the district a diverse population. Most of the land is owned by a small population of old Kenyan settler families, and increasingly non-Kenyan wealthy landowners and international organizations..
Economic activity in the district consists mainly of tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, chiefly grain crops, ranching and greenhouse horticulture.
The district has a cool, temperate climate with both rainy and dry seasons.
| Local authorities (councils) | |||
| Authority | Type | Population* | Urban pop.* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanyuki Nanyuki Nanyuki is a market town in central-east Rift Valley region of Kenya lying northwest of Mount Kenya along the A2 road and at the terminus of the branch railway from Nairobi. It is situated just north of the Equator . It was founded in 1907 by British settlers, some of whose descendants still live... |
Municipality | 39,838 | 31,577 |
| Nyahururu Nyahururu Nyahururu is a town in Kenya, lying east of Nakuru. It is part of Laikipia District in Rift Valley Province. Despite this, Nyahururu formerly functioned as the administrative capital of Nyandarua District, one of seven districts that constitute Central Province in Kenya, until the headquarters... |
Municipality | 32,120 | 24,751 |
| Rumuruti Rumuruti Rumuruti is a settlement in Kenya's Rift Valley Province.... |
Town | 31,649 | 4,249 |
| Laikipia | County | 218,580 | 3,610 |
| Total | - | 322,187 | 64,187 |
| Administrative divisions | |||
| Division | Population* | Urban pop.* | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | 77,478 | 28,489 | Nanyuki Nanyuki Nanyuki is a market town in central-east Rift Valley region of Kenya lying northwest of Mount Kenya along the A2 road and at the terminus of the branch railway from Nairobi. It is situated just north of the Equator . It was founded in 1907 by British settlers, some of whose descendants still live... |
| Lamuria | 38,517 | 0 | Lamuria |
| Mukogondo | 13,176 | 624 | Dol Dol |
| Ngarua | 65,545 | 2,813 | Kinamba |
| Nyahururu | 37,412 | 22,459 | Nyahururu Nyahururu Nyahururu is a town in Kenya, lying east of Nakuru. It is part of Laikipia District in Rift Valley Province. Despite this, Nyahururu formerly functioned as the administrative capital of Nyandarua District, one of seven districts that constitute Central Province in Kenya, until the headquarters... |
| Olmoran | 11,069 | 0 | |
| Rumuruti | 78,894 | 4,061 | Rumuruti |
| Total | 322,187 | 58,466 | - |
The district has two constituencies:
- Laikipia East ConstituencyLaikipia East ConstituencyLaikipia East Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of two constituencies in Laikipia District, Rift Valley Province. The constituency was established for the 1966 elections.- Members of Parliament :- Wards :...
- Laikipia West ConstituencyLaikipia West ConstituencyLaikipia West Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of two constituencies in Laikipia District, Rift Valley Province. The constituency was established for the 1966 elections.- Members of Parliament :- Wards :- External links :...