Kericho County
Kericho County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. The county seats between longitude 35°02' and 35°40' East and between the equator and latitude 0°23' South with an altitude of about 2002m above sea level. It borders Uasin Gishu County to the North, Baringo County to the North-East, Nandi County to the North-West, Nakuru County to the East and Bomet County to the South, Kisumu County to the Northwest and Nyamira County to the West. It had a population of 901,777 and an area of 2,111 km². Its capital and largest town is Kericho.
Kericho is the leading tea-producing region in the country, widely recognized as Kenya`s "tea capital" and ancestral heartland of the Kipsigis sub-tribe of the Kalenjin tribal group indigenous to the region. Situated in the highlands west of the Rift Valley, the county is home to some of the largest and most productive tea estates in Africa. It is also home to the popular Ketepa brand, one of the major local tea companies based in the region.
The defunct Buret District is now part of Kericho County.
Physical and topical features
County slopes gently from 2500m to about 1,800m above the sea level. The county is surrounded by a number of hills such as Tinderet Hills to the North, Mau Escarpment and Londiani hills. A good number of rivers emanate from the county including Chemosit, Kiptaret, Kipsonoi, Timbilil, Maramara, Itare, Nyando, Kipchorian and Malaget.Climatic conditions
County has a temperature range between 10C - 29C and rainfall of 2,125mm p.a being highest in central part of county where they plant tea and 1,400 mm p.a. in lower parts of Soin and parts of Kipkelion. County has rainy seasons April to June and October to December.Demographics
According to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Kericho County had a total population of 901,777 of which 450,741 are males, 451,008 females and 28 intersex persons. There are 206,036 household with an average household size of 4.4 persons per household and a population density 370 people per square kilometre.The total population of Kericho is estimated to have grown significantly. Official projections from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics suggest that the county's population will reach approximately 1.2M by 2030-40, with a 2026 estimate of roughly one million people.
| Sub-County | Male | Female | Intersex | Total |
| Belgut | 72,508 | 72,564 | 145,072 | |
| Buret | 98,823 | 100,642 | 5 | 199,470 |
| Kericho East | 86,671 | 83,947 | 7 | 170,625 |
| Kipkelion | 61,066 | 61,460 | 4 | 122,530 |
| Londiani | 68,570 | 69,000 | 10 | 137,580 |
| Soin Sigowet | 63,31036 | 63,395 | 2 | 126,500 |
| Total | 450,741 | 451,008 | 28 | 901,777 |
Source
Religion
Religion in Kericho County| Religion | Number |
| Catholicism | 99,191 |
| Protestant | 396,003 |
| Evangelical Churches | 262,307 |
| African instituted Churches | 55,903 |
| Orthodox | 2,949 |
| Other Christian | 38,915 |
| Islam | 2,423 |
| Hindu | 461 |
| Traditionists | 1,358 |
| Other | 11,322 |
| No ReligionAtheists | 25,030 |
| Don't Know | 838 |
| Not Stated | 163 |
Administrative and political units
Administrative units
There are six sub counties, thirty county assembly wards, eighty five locations and two hundred and nine sub-locations.Electoral constituencies
The county has six constituencies:- Ainamoi Constituency
- Belgut Constituency
- Bureti Constituency
- Kipkelion East Constituency
- Kipkelion West Constituency
- Sigowet–Soin Constituency
Political leadership
Prof. Paul Kiprono Chepkwony was the Governor serving his last term in office after being elected twice, and his deputy is Lily Kirui. Sen. Aaron Cheruiyot Aaron Cheruiyot is the Senator and was elected in 2015 after the first senator Charles Keter was appointed as the by President Uhuru Kenyatta. He was also re-elected in 2017. Florence Bore is the women representative and was elected in 2017 after winning against the who was the first women representative for the county.For Kericho County, the County Executive Committee comprises:-
| Number | |
| The Governor | 1 |
| The Deputy Governor | 1 |
| The County Secretary | 1 |
| The CEC Members | 10 |
| Total | 13 |
Source
Members of Parliament in Kericho County 2017-2022
- Hon. Maritim, Sylvanus of Jubliee Party Member of Parliament Ainamoi Constituency.
- Hon. Koech, Nelson of Jubliee PartyMember of Parliament Belgut Constituency.
- Hon. Mutai, Japheth Kiplangat of Jubliee Party Member of Parliament Bureti Constituency.
- Hon. Limo, Kirui Joseph of Jubliee Party Member of Parliament Kipkelion East Constituency.
- Hon. Kosgei, Hilary Kiplang’at of Jubliee Party Member of Parliament Kipkelion West Constituency
- Hon. Koros, Benard Kipsengeret of Jubliee Party Member of Parliament Sigowet–Soin Constituency.
Economy
The county hosts 25 trading centres, 5,813 registered businesses, 5807 licensed retail traders and 5,740 licensed wholesale traders. In 2022, the county produced 432 million kilos of tea. The acquisition of these lands has long been controversial, particularly as it relates to the eviction of Kipsigis and Talai people from their land by British forces when Kenya was a British colony. The United Nations has criticised the British government for not providing "effective remedies and reparation" for colonial-era crimes, with representatives for these communities attempting to sue the British government through the European Court of Human Rights.There are a number of industries in Kericho such as cement industry and steel industry, Soin Sugar Company all three of them located in Soin ward, 18 tea processing factories, in various sub-counties, dairy processing plants in various sub-counties and Kipkelion District coffee union process coffee in Fort Ternan, Kipkelion Sub-county. The use of tea plucking machines has been controversial in the area, leading to acts of industrial sabotage by disaffected youths.
Education
There are 1,222 ECD centres, 1,059 primary schools, and 494 secondary schools. The county has also teachers training colleges, 43 Youth Polytechnics, 80 adult training institutions and 11 technical training institutions.Source
Health
Kericho County has a total of 435 operational health facilities. This total includes public, private, and faith-based providers that have been integrated into the national Social Health Authority framework for service delivery. The county has achieved an immunization coverage of 90% for essential vaccines like the third dose of the pentavalent vaccine. In July 2025, Kericho rolled out a massive 10-day integrated campaign targeting 95% coverage for measles, rubella, and typhoid to close the immunity gaps that widened during the COVID-19 pandemic.| Government | *FBO | Private | NGO | TOTAL | |
| Hospitals | 7 | 2 | 5 | 14 | |
| Health centres | 136 | 8 | 2 | 36 | 181 |
| Dispensaries/Clinics | 148 | 11 | 76 | 5 | 240 |
Source
Transport and communication
The county is covered by 1,110.7 km of road network. of this 411.1 km is covered by earth surface, 484.7 km is murram surface and 214.9 km is covered by bitumen.There are 8 Post Offices with 2,299 installed letter boxes, 2,079 rented letter boxes and 220 vacant letter boxes.