Meru Central District

The Meru Central District is a district in the province of Eastern in Kenya. The capital is Meru. In District 1999 498.880 people lived at 2982 km ². An estimate of the authorities there as inhabitants in the year 2008 569.662 people. The district lies on the equator. Approximately 41 % of the population live below the poverty line.

Structure

Meru Central District is divided into ten divisions.

Education

In 2005, 367 primary schools were in Meru Central District. The enrollment rate was around 50%. In addition, the District 72 Secondary Schools decreed. In the capital of Meru are the Meru University College of Science and Technology and the Kenya Methodist University.

Health service

Meru Central District decreed in 2005 by more than 160 health care facilities, including 29 hospitals. 11 hospitals are state-run, and another 10 are run by church organizations. The most common diseases in the district are malaria, respiratory diseases and worm infestations. The HIV prevalence rate in 2005 was 38%. About half of the available hospital beds in the district is occupied on average with HIV-positive or suffering from AIDS patients.