The Biggest Cities in Kenya

Kenya is an East African state that is surrounded by Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. The country occupies an area of 224,445 sq miles with over 48 million people. Nairobi is the largest and capital city of Kenya while Mombasa is the oldest Kenyan city. The Kenyan economy is the biggest in central and eastern Africa.

Nairobi

The Nairobi Metropolitan area has a population of over 6,547,547 people, and this includes five of the forty-seven counties. Core Nairobi is the most populous of the five regions within the Metropolitan followed by Northern Metro (Kiambu County), North Eastern Metro (Murang’a County), Southern Metro (Kajiado County), and Eastern Metro (Machakos County). The Nairobi city proper has over 3,138,369 people. The colonial authorities established the city in 1899 and replaced Machakos as the country’s capital in 1907.

Nairobi is the second biggest African city with a growth rate of about 4.1% annually. It is home to the fourth biggest African stock exchange by volume known as the NSE (Nairobi Securities Exchange). The Kenyan capital city is the regional headquarters of various international firms including Airtel, Coca Cola, Google, IBM Services and General Electric. Nairobi is one of the world’s few cities which have a national park in its borders. The city also has numerous monuments, museums, and sites including the Nairobi National Museum.

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second biggest city in Kenya. It is found in Mombasa County (the smallest county in Kenya). Mombasa is the regional economic and cultural hub. Mombasa is home to the only huge seaport in the country known as Kilindini Harbor. It is the center of coastal attraction with the northern parts of the city having vibrant 24-hour entertainment offerings including nightlife (bars and clubs), culinary offers, sports, and family entertainment. Other industries in Mombasa include a cement factory which produces over 1.1 million tons annually and an oil refinery.

Eldoret

Eldoret is the third biggest Kenyan city and the principal city in the western parts of the country. Eldoret is the capital of Uasin Gishu County. Currently, Eldoret is the fastest growing city in the country. Eldoret serves as the county’s trading center with its economy being driven by horticultural farming, dairy, and large-scale grain farming. The most popular sport in Eldoret is Athletics with some of the locals having won various long-distance races in the World Athletic Championship and Olympics.

Kisumu

Kisumu, previously known as Fort Florence, is an inland port city situated on the banks of Lake Victoria. Kisumu city has over 500,000 residents while the Kisumu metropolitan area has about 1.5 million people. Kisumu is the biggest city in the western part of the country and the second main city in the Lake-Victoria basin right after Kampala. Port Florence, currently known as Kisumu Port, was founded in 1901. It is one of the oldest settlements in the country which the British identified as a railway terminus in 1898. Kisumu became the leading center of commerce in East Africa by the 1930s and 40s. Currently, it’s listed as one of the fastest growing Kenyan cities that are thriving with rich rice irrigation and sugar industries.