Baringo County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. It is located in the former Rift Valley Province. Its headquarters and largest town is Kabarnet. The county is home to Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria and Lake Kamnarok.
Eldama Ravine and Mogotio sub counties combined was formerly Koibatek District*
Administrative and electoral units in Baringo County
Baringo county has a total of thirty electoral wards and one hundred and sixteen locations.[2] The electoral wards is run by an elected member of county assembly where-areas location is led by Chief appointed.
The county is largely occupied by the Tugen and Pokot people, which are subtribes of the Kalenjin people. The Tugen people include the Arror, Samor, Torois, Keben, Kakimor, Bokor, Lembus, Chapchap and the Sachek of Sacho. Other communities residing in Baringo County include the Ilchamus, Turkana, Kikuyu, Numbians, and others. Christianity is the most practiced religion in the county. Traditionally, Baringo people believed in a Supreme Being known as Asis, who is represented by the sun; however, currently, most individuals in the county believe in Christianity.[9] The well-known Christian denominations within Baringo County include the African Inland Church (AIC), Anglican Church of Kenya(ACK), FGCK and Roman Catholic.[9]
County government
The current County Governor is Benjamin Chesire Cheboi,[10] the deputy governor is Eng. Felix Kipngo'k who is the eldest son of the former deputy governor Charles Kipng'ok[11] who collapsed and died on September 14, 2022 at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while boarding a plane to Mombasa; barely a month after taking oath of office.
The current Senator is William Kipkorir Cheptumo[12] after overwhelmingly defeating the former senator Gideon Moi[13] on August 9 polls. The current County Women Representative is Flowrence Jematiah Sergon.[14]
The County Executive Committee [15] consists of the following:
CEC Member
Docket
Mrs. Scola Jepkesei Kimeli
Devolution, Public Service Management and Administration, e-government and ICT
Mr. Richard K Rotich
Health Services & Ag. CEC Land, Housing and Urban Development
Ms. Mary Chebet Panga
Environment, Natural Resources, Tourism and Wildlife Management
Dr. Maureen Jemutai Rotich
Water and Irrigation & Ag. CEC Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries
Mr. Elijah Kiprop Kipkoros
Environment and Natural Resources
Mr. Enock Keston
Transport, Public Works and Infrastructure & Ag. County Secretary
Mr. David Sergon Chesire
Education, Sports, Youth, Gender Affairs,Culture and Social Services & Ag. CEC Industry , Commerce, Enterprise and Co-orperative Development
Other CEC Positions shall be updated by Ruzeki[16] once they are filled.
Economics
The economy of the county is mainly agro-based. The main food crops grown are maize, pigeon peas, beans, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, sorghum, cassava and finger millet while the cash crops are coffee, cotton, macadamia and pyrethrum.[17] Livestock products include honey, beef, mutton as well as hides and skins. However, little value addition is done to these products.
Lake Bogoria Game Reserve is home to rare kudus, antelopes, zebras, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, mongoose, monkeys, baboons and jackals. At the shores of Lake Bogoria are more than two million lesser flamingoes and 350 bird species total.
Lake Baringo Snake Park has many snake species such as the black mamba, puff adder, boomslang and spitting cobra, monitor lizards, crocodiles and tortoises.
Lake Kamnarok(2nd largest Crocodile Habitat in Africa)
Kabarnet National Museum and Kipsaraman Community Museum
Secondary schools include Kabarnet High School,solian girls, Baringo High School, Kapropita High School, and Kituro High School, Tabagon Girls, Pemwai Girls, Tenges Boys among others
There are six hundred and eighty seven primary schools, out of this 601 are public and 86 are private schools.[2] In Secondary school category they are a total of one hundred and fifty nine (159) schools; one hundred and forty seven being public secondary schools and twelve being private public secondary schools.[19]
Health
Kabarnet County Referral Hospital is the largest and best public hospital in the county. There are a total of 172 health facilities; seven level four, 25 level three and 140 level 2 centres.[20]
Transport and infrastructure
The county headquarters is linked to Nakuru and Eldoret by class C roads which fall under the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA).
There are 339 kms of bitumen, 2141km of murram and 995 km of earth roads in the county.[22][23] As at 2014 a total of 9 postal offices were spread across the county with letter boxes of 2950 installed. 2510 of them were rented and 440 remained vacant.[24]
Kenya
