Mombasa County


Mombasa County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya. Its capital city is Mombasa. In terms of economy, it is second most developed after Nairobi City County. Mombasa was one of the districts of Kenya until 2013 when it was reconstituted as a county on the same boundaries. It is the smallest county in Kenya, covering an area of 229.7 km2, excluding 65 km2 of water mass. The county is situated in the southeastern part of the former Coast Province, bordering Kilifi County to the north, Kwale County to the south west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Administratively, the county is divided into seven divisions, eighteen locations and thirty sub-locations.
Prior to 2013, Kenya was divided into eight provinces, which were subdivided into 47 counties. The former Coast Province contained six counties, of which Mombasa was one. It is situated in the southeast of Coast Province, and is the smallest county in size, covering an area of 212.5 km2. The county lies between latitudes 3°56′ and 4°10′ south of the equator and longitudes 39°34′ and 39°46′ east.

Geographical area

The county and the city are divided into four divisions:
  • Mombasa Island:
  • Changamwe:
  • Likoni:
  • Kisauni:

    Demographics

Mombasa is an urban city county and for this reason, there is a large population of both local and immigrant communities. The local communities include the Mijikenda, Swahili and Kenyan Arabs. The Mijikenda is the largest community in Mombasa County making up almost 35% of the total population in the county. The immigrant Kamba community is the second largest ethnic community in the county making almost 30% of the total population of the county. The Kamba people have been known for their expansive knowledge of business and trade ranging from small scale to large scale followed closely by their GEMA counterparts. Other significant immigrant communities include the Luo, Luhya and Somali communities.

Religion

Constituency

The county is composed of six Parliamentary constituencies:
Constituency namePop. 2009 CensusArea coveredNo. of wardWards
Changamwe147,613165Port Reitz, Kipevu, Airport, Changamwe, Chaani
Jomvu102,566293Jomvu Kuu, Miritini, Mikindani
Kisauni194,06588.77Mjambere, Junda, Bamburi, Mwakirunge, Mtopanga, Magogoni, Shanzu
Nyali185,99022.885Frere Town, Ziwa la Ngombe, Mkomani, Kongowea, Kadzandani
Likoni166,00841.105Mtongwe, Shika Adabu, Bofu, Likoni, Timbwani
Mvita143,12814.805Mji wa Kale/Makadara, Tudor, Tononoka, Majengo Ganjoni/Shimanzi
Total939,370212.4830

Mombasa County lies within the coast lowland, which rises gradually from the sea level in the east to slightly over 76 m above sea level in the mainland west. The highest point is at Nguu Tatu hills in the mainland north that rises up to 100 m above sea level.

Services and urbanisation