County of the Week: Siaya ??
The county of Siaya sits in the former Nyanza province, on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. From its once valuable cotton industry to inexpensive apiculture and diverse tourism, the county stands to benefit greatly from its immense potential.
Siaya’s distinct land surface area is divided along geomorphological lines into three main regions which vary in rainfall relief, soil and land use patterns. These variations have been key determinants in the nature of agricultural activity taking place across the county. Towards the high altitude north, favorable rain conditions make diverse agricultural production and livestock rearing possible, while a generally dry climate in the lower south the allows for cotton production yet an albeit smaller range of crop cultivation.
Taking note of this, population distribution in Siaya would be expected to tell the story of a heavily populated and or developed north, especially in light of the declining cotton industry in the south. However this has not been the case. The most populated sub counties in Siaya remain in the eastern, midwest and south regions. According to county statistics, these regions host majority of the industrial sector, along with over half of the distribution markets and health facilities in the county. This, together Siaya’s strong aquacultral production, seems to have settled a large population with these regions as opposed to the land rich north.
Siaya’s demography is also a unique defining feature. The county’s populous is dominated by females, which the local government notes “is due to high mortality rate for males between ages 0 years to 19 years and high life expectancy for females.” In addition, and unlike most counties, Siaya boasts a dependency ratio of 1 which implies that there are sufficient working people who can support the dependent population (0-14 and 65+ years) - a feature which could allow for better healthcare and standards of living.
Also having one of the highest per capita income growth’s in the country, Siaya is well placed to take advantage of its unique economic situation. According to its Annual Development Paper of FY 2019/20, the county government has prioritized health and sanitation above all others with the aim of improving health infrastructure and reducing the burden of communicable diseases.
References
- https://www.cog.go.ke ? cog-reports ? category ? 106-county-integrated-dev…
- https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/datahub/Siaya-tops-uptake-of-high-yielding-cage-fishing/3815418-4810624-format-xhtml-14kjx13/index.html
- https://siaya.go.ke ? county-government-of-siaya-adp-2019-2020
- https://siaya.go.ke/county-overview/
- https://softkenya.com/cotton/
- https://www.knbs.or.ke/download/gross-county-product-2019/