Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has announced that the county's economy has grown by 66% under her leadership. The county's Gross County Product (GCP) has increased from Ksh114.9 billion in 2017 to Ksh190.79 billion in 2025. This growth rate of 8.7% in 2025 outperformed the national growth rate of approximately 6%. Waiguru made this announcement during her final State-of-the-County Address before the County Assembly.
Waiguru attributed the growth to sustained investments in various sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, water, education, industrial development, and social empowerment. The county's own-source revenue has also improved, tripling from Ksh344.4 million in the 2017/18 financial year to Ksh1.11 billion in 2025/26. This increase is due to the digitization of revenue collection and management, as well as the operationalization of the Facility Improvement Fund.
The governor highlighted that the county has undergone significant transformation over the past nine years, with a focus on building a diversified economy beyond traditional agriculture and trade. The emerging Sagana Industrial City is a key investment in this effort, aiming to position Kirinyaga as an industrial and investment destination. The city has already generated over 2,650 jobs and is projected to create over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational.
Agriculture, which contributes approximately 42% to Kirinyaga's economy and supports 87% of its population, has also seen significant transformation under the Wezesha Kirinyaga programme. The programme has supported over 100,000 farming households across various value chains, shifting the focus from fragmented smallholder production to organized farming and commercial agriculture.
The programme has led to remarkable growth in production across major agricultural value chains. Rice output has increased from 65,000 metric tonnes in 2017 to 210,000 metric tonnes annually, generating approximately Ksh16 billion for farmers. Tomato production has grown from 46,000 to 116,000 metric tonnes, with an estimated annual value of Ksh6.9 billion. Coffee production has also risen from 28,000 to 49,100 metric tonnes.
In healthcare, Waiguru pointed to the construction of the Kerugoya County Referral Hospital Complex in 2023 as a landmark achievement, expanding access to specialized medical services within the county. The near-completion of the Kianyaga, Kimbimbi, and Sagana hospital complexes will also elevate the respective Level 3 facilities to Level 4 hospitals.
Infrastructure development has been another major pillar of the transformation, with the county strengthening connectivity across its rural and urban areas through the Nyorosha Barabara Mashinani programme. Over 50,000 additional households have been connected to clean water, significantly improving access to basic services.
Key points
- Kirinyaga County's GDP has grown from Ksh114.9 billion in 2017 to Ksh190.79 billion in 2025.
- The county's own-source revenue has tripled from Ksh344.4 million in 2017/18 to Ksh1.11 billion in 2025/26.
- The Sagana Industrial City has generated over 2,650 jobs and is projected to create over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational.
