NANDI COUNTY REVEIW :

Nandi County is located in the Rift Valley; some of the districts that are mapped in it includes Nandi North, Nandi Central, Tinderet and Nandi East districts. It covers an area of 2,884.2 kilometres and borders Uashin Gishu, Kisumu, Vihiga and Kakamega Counties.

POPULATION

According to the National Census exercise which was carried out in 2009 the number of people living in the county was estimated to be 752,965. 13.6% of the total population was found to be residing in the rural areas while the rest lives in the rural areas.

CONSTITUENCIES

 There are four constituencies that are mapped in Nandi County namely;

• Mosop Constituency
• Aldai Constituency
• Tinderet Constituency
• Emgwen Constituency

GEOGRAPGHY AND CLIMATE

Nandi hills are one of the major geographic features that have an effect on the climate and weather patterns of the county. The mean temperatures range between 12 degrees Celsius and 23 degrees Celsius but this is projected to change as a result of climate change and global warming. Soil erosion and flooding are not a major problem in Nandi County due to the well maintained ground cover that protects the soil from all erosion agents. The soils are also very rich in most of the plant nutrients and this enables the farmers to grow a wide range of crops in their farms for domestic and commercial purposes.

The average amounts of rainfall received ranges between 1200 and 2000mm annually hence most of the crops can be able to grow in this region.

AGRICULTURE

This is one of the main economic activities carried out by most of the residents in Nandi County. Some of the cash crops grown includes tea, coffee and pyrethrum and are mostly practised on large scale. Some of the farmers also practise Dairy farming and this helps in meet the demand for dairy products in the county as well as in the nearby towns and cities.

Other crops that are grown include maize, sorghum, potatoes, beans and millet. The produce is consumed locally while the surplus is transported to other towns or sold in the many markets located in the county.

Some of the contributing factors to livestock keeping are the numerous pastures and water supplies that promote economic growth in the county.

 ECONOMY

Zebra: Nandi County

The main economic activity in the region is agriculture which involves farmers cultivating cash crops and other crops for local and international markets. There are many tea and coffee processing factories that are located near the farms and this enables the farmers to easily transport the farm produce before it can go bad.

Other economic activities include retail and whole sale shops that sell various products and services to the residents. Most of these businesses are located in the urban areas and along the major roads and highways. Hotels and lodges have also being constructed and provide quality accommodation and catering services to the residents of the county.

There are eight commercial banks and seven micro finance institutions that provide financial services to the residents. This in turn helps to foster development and economic growth in the country.

There are number of tourist attraction sites in Nandi County that attracts both local and international tourists. Examples are Chepkiit Waterfall, Kingwai Swamp and Bonjoge Game Reserve. Lodges have being built in and around these sites so as to accommodate the large number of tourists who visit these sites.

HEALTH AND EDUCATION

These are the main factors that promote economic growth and development in the Nandi County. The government and other organisations have built many health facilities that are fully equipped to meet almost all the health services that may be required by the residents. There are a total of 138 district hospitals, 19 health centres, 3 medical clinics and 5 VCT centres that provide counselling and offer drugs to the affected persons.

According to the Ministry of Education there are a total of 744 primary schools and 155 secondary schools. There are also other higher learning institutions that seek to provide scholars with advanced and quality education services. The government however need to build more schools and health facilities in order to meet the needs of the increasing population in the county. Maintenance of the facilities also needs to be carried out so as to improve the quality of services in the long run.