About Migori County

County 044. Headquarters in Migori Town. Created with Kenya’s counties on 4 March 2013.

Place

Lake on one side, Tanzania on the other

Migori covers about 2,586 km² in south-western Kenya, in the old Nyanza Province.

It borders Homa Bay County to the north, Kisii County to the northeast, Narok County to the southeast, the Republic of Tanzania to the south and west, and Lake Victoria to the west. The Kuja and Migori rivers drain the county. The shore includes Muhuru Bay, a fishing beach on the lake.

The A1 Nairobi–Tanzania road cuts through Rongo, Awendo and Migori Town and leaves Kenya at Isebania. That border post is one of the busiest land crossings in this part of East Africa.

Landscape published by Migori County Government
  • 2019 census1,116,436 people — 536,187 male, 580,214 female, and 35 intersex. Up from 917,170 in 2009.
  • AgeAbout 49 percent of residents were under 15 in that census.
  • GovernmentEight sub-counties, which are also the eight constituencies, and 40 electoral wards.
People and work

A diverse county that farms, fishes and trades

Communities

Luo, Kuria, Suba and Abagusii communities form the core, alongside Luhya, Somali, South Asian, Arab, Kikuyu and Nubian residents. Kuria East and Kuria West are the Kuria heartland; the lake constituencies are largely Luo and Suba.

Farms

Agriculture accounts for most employment. Food crops include maize, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes and vegetables. Sugarcane and tobacco are the main cash crops. Sony Sugar at Awendo is the large mill. Kuria and Suna West also raise livestock.

Lake, gold and the border

Fishing on Lake Victoria, artisan gold mining along the Macalder belt, and trade through Migori Town and Isebania. Workshops — mechanics, furniture, tailoring, welding — fill the towns.

Eight constituencies

2019 population

Figures are from the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census. Ward counts are the current electoral wards.

Kuria West

208,513 people · 7 wards · Kehancha and the Isebania border.

Nyatike

176,162 people · 7 wards · Macalder, Muhuru Bay and the lake shore.

Uriri

141,448 people · 5 wards.

Suna West

128,890 people · 4 wards · Part of Migori Town.

Rongo

124,587 people · 4 wards · Rongo Town, on the A1.

Suna East

122,674 people · 4 wards · County headquarters.

Awendo

117,290 people · 4 wards · Sony Sugar and the sugar belt.

Kuria East

96,872 people · 5 wards · Kegonga and Ntimaru.

The plan, then the vote

The county’s own 2023–2027 plan sets the development campaigns. The General Election that chooses the next leadership is on 10 August 2027.

Campaigns