Kenya’s population has been growing steadily over the past few decades, driven by natural increase, urbanisation, and internal migration. Understanding these shifts at the county level is vital for effective planning and service delivery. The table below compares the 2019 census figures with 2023 population projections for each county. These estimates reflect trends in birth rates, migration, and development, highlighting counties with the fastest growth and emerging demographic pressures. County 2019 (Actual) Population 2023 (Projected) Population Nairobi City 4,397,073 4,750,056 Kiambu 2,417,735 2,652,880 Nakuru 2,162,202 2,347,849 Kakamega 1,867,579 2,002,435 Bungoma 1,670,570 1,786,973 Meru 1,545,714 1,625,982 Kilifi 1,453,787 1,577,335 Machakos 1,421,932…
Author: Special Correspondent
A growing online movement is calling for the retirement of Francis Atwoli, the long-serving Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU), after 24 years in office. An online petition titled ‘Request Francis Atwoli to Retire from COTU’, launched on May 11, 2025, by activist Elvis Kimanga on Change.org, has garnered over 13,000 signatures within just 48 hours — a sign of widespread demand for generational leadership renewal. The calls gained momentum following Atwoli’s remarks on Labour Day (May 1), where he hinted at a potential retirement. However, the COTU Executive Board has rallied behind him, stating it…
President William Ruto has confirmed that all abducted individuals have been reunited with their families, but his comments have drawn sharp criticism from former Chief Justice David Maraga and rights advocates. Speaking during a joint press briefing with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who is on a two-day state visit, President Ruto responded to a journalist’s question about recent reports of enforced disappearances in Kenya. “All the people who disappeared or were abducted have been brought back to their families and their homes. I have given clarity and firm instructions that nothing of that kind will happen again,” Ruto said. The…
Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki had an altercation with the Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku over what he claimed to be inciting the public on May 11. This happened in Embu where the CS made an appeal to the Deputy President asking him to prioritize the tarmacking of roads in the constituency of Siakago. His request seemed to annoy the Deputy President, who did not hide his vexation with the CS. This took place during a meeting with over 5,000 elders from Embu. Kindiki said, “My younger brother, Ruku, that flag is not just a piece of cloth—it’s a…
A man suspected of being the shooter in the murder of Kasipul MP Ongondo Were was arrested on Sunday by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). The suspect, identified as Isaac Kuria, alias Kush, was apprehended in Isebania, near the Kenya-Tanzania border, while allegedly planning to flee the country. He was arrested at a local lodging in the town as he prepared for his escape. Kuria is believed to have travelled to Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD), where he trailed MP Were with the intention of assassinating him on the same day. He reportedly cornered the MP at…
Mexico is suing Google for ignoring repeated requests not to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America on Google Maps for US users, President Claudia Sheinbaum has said. She did not say where the lawsuit had been filed. Google did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment. On Thursday, the Republican-led House of Representatives voted to officially rename the Gulf for federal agencies. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office in January. He argued the change was justified because the US “do most of the work there, and it’s ours”. However…
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated sharply following deadly cross-border attacks, with both sides reporting casualties and accusing each other of aggression. Pakistan’s military said it shot down 25 Indian drones that allegedly violated its airspace, while India claimed to have intercepted a Pakistani drone and missile attack targeting its military installations. In a statement issued Thursday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed retaliation, saying, “We will avenge the blood of our innocent martyrs.” His remarks came after at least 31 people were reportedly killed and dozens injured in Indian strikes on Pakistan’s Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Meanwhile,…
For over 30 years, refugees in camps across Kenya have received consistent support in the form of food, healthcare, shelter, and education. They also benefit from monthly cash transfers and access to legal and protection services. In earlier years, some Kenyan residents in the northeastern region registered in the refugee database to gain access to these services. However, following the inauguration of the new US administration, the situation has shifted dramatically. Dadaab town in Garissa County, once a hub of activity with red number-plated Land Cruisers frequently escorted by Special Operations Group police units, now appears significantly quieter. Business activity…
US President Donald Trump’s call for free passage of American ships through the Suez Canal has triggered widespread condemnation in Egypt, where legal experts, political leaders, and citizens have denounced his remarks as legally groundless and a serious threat to the international order. On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social, a social media platform he majority-owns, that US military and commercial vessels should be allowed to travel through both the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal free of charge. He claimed both routes would “not exist” without the United States and said he had asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio…
Brice Oligui Nguema, who led a coup in Gabon in August 2023, won Saturday’s presidential election with 90.35 per cent of votes cast, according to provisional results, the Central African country’s interior minister said on Sunday. The result cements Nguema’s grip on power 19 months after the coup ended more than half a century of rule by the Bongo family in Gabon, an oil producer with a population of around 2.5 million. Nguema’s most prominent opponent in the eight-candidate race was Alain Claude Bilie By Nze, who was serving as prime minister under President Ali Bongo at the time of…
