Nakuru County

About Nakuru County, Kenya

Known as a center for business and trade, Nakuru contributes significantly to Kenya’s GDP. The County’s headquarter is in Nakuru Town, and it is divided into 11 sub-counties/constituencies and 55 wards.

The primary economic activities include agriculture, financial services and tourism. Nakuru County is home to Lake Elmenteita, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Nakuru, known for the flamingoes that nest along its shores.

Electricity is the main source of energy for lighting in the County (55.4%), while firewood and charcoal are the major sources of energy for cooking (42.6% and 30.7% respectively). Demand for wood fuel and other timber products has caused deforestation leading to aridity and increased soil erosion within the County, although encouragingly efforts are underway to encourage the use of alternative sources of energy to save Nakuru’s forest cover.

Electricity coverage in the County stands at 80%, with most of these connections being in urban areas. Renewable energy sources like wind, solar and biogas account for less than 3% of electricity generation. However, underground hot springs in Olkaria are an important source of geothermal power; the 140MW Olkaria plant is the single largest geothermal plant in Africa.