Laikipia County

Laikipia County (until 2010 Laikipia District ) is a county in the Kenyan Rift Valley Province. The capital of the county is Nanyuki. In County 2009 399.227 people lived on 8696.1 km ². Laikipia lies northwest of Mount Kenya, about 1700-2000 m above sea level, in the central Kenyan highlands. The people live on livestock (cattle, goats and sheep), often referred to as nomads, and the cultivation of corn, grain and vegetables. Laikipia has been plagued since the mid-1990s by several droughts that have the poverty of the people living there even worse. Because of this drought, many people were settled in the few fertile spots. The natural resources are therefore very stressed, especially since hardly sustainable agricultural practices.

The County has, based on the mammals, the greatest biological diversity in Kenya.

In the county there were 2009 302 primary and 87 secondary schools. Since 1974, the military base of the Kenya Air Force is in the Countyhauptstadt Nanyuki.

Structure

The county is divided into councils and divisions. There are two electoral districts, Lakipia East and Laikipia West.