Kiambu County is the second most preferred by migrants after Kajiado County according to the 2022 Economic Survey released by the Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani on Thursday last week.
The survey done by the Kenya National Bureau of statistics (KNBS) indicates that for every 1000 people migrating from the various places, 72 of them moved to Kiambu county behind 90.2 in Kajiado while Mombasa was placed third with 60.9.
Migration was one of the highlights of the 2022 Economic Survey Report which says that the rate of the recent migrants stood at 42.5 percent with most of those moving citing economic consideration as the main reason for migration.
Kiambu County Kenya National Bureau of Statistics officer William Konde told KNA that despite quite a number of people moving to Kiambu, they still worked in Nairobi.
“Life in Kiambu is a bit affordable and also there is ease of access to the capital city,” he said.
He cited house rent saying it was a major factor in the migration. “One can rent a house in Kiambu for as low as Sh2, 500 and be able to afford transport to and from Nairobi as well as be able to easily access the CBD in time as there is no traffic jam.
Konde added that accessing other amenities such as water and food was also cheaper in Kiambu since most parts of the County have access to underground water and is an agricultural county making food a bit more affordable which is a factor that attracts most people.
On Gender dimensions, the survey found that 56.9 percent of males are the ones who migrated due to economic reasons while 36.5 percent female migrated due to marriage and family related issues.
In Kiambaa Constituency for example, Konde noted most landlords have drilled boreholes for their tenants to access water which is a scarcity within Nairobi.
Simon Wanyoike, a landlord in Gachie, told KNA that since he drilled a borehole for his tenants, his houses enjoy 100 percent occupancy.
“People like to live in places where they can use water freely and to their satisfaction. Water ensures hygiene, which is a very important factor to consider for your rentals,” he said.
Migration to Kiambu has also led to the booming of businesses that offer daily services like hardware, barber shops, beauty shops, restaurants and clubs.
Real estates and construction of houses have also grown. Access to healthcare and education is also easy since there are several health facilities and education centers in the county.
Small enterprises like fruit vending, fast food joints and mobile money transfer shops have also boomed in Kiambu following a wide and ready market for such services
According to the KNBS report, the country’s economy grew to 7.5 percent in 2021 from -0.3 percent in 2020, as most economic sectors recorded growth. This was enabled by the recovery process from Covid -19 and sound macroeconomic environment for business.
