Kericho County
Kericho County | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
Location in Kenya | |
| Coordinates: 0°24′S 35°18′E / 0.4°S 35.3°E | |
| Country | Kenya |
| Formed | 4 March 2013 |
| Capital | Kericho |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Dr. Erick Mutai Equalizer |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,454.5 km2 (947.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2019) | |
• Total | 901,777 |
| • Density | 367.40/km2 (951.55/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Website | kericho |
Kericho County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. The county seats between longitude 35°02' and 35°40' East and between the equator and latitude 0°23' South with an altitude of about 2002m above sea level. It borders Uasin Gishu County (Eldoret County) to the North, Baringo County to the North-East, Nandi County to the North-West, Nakuru County to the East and Bomet County to the South, Kisumu County to the Northwest and Nyamira County to the West. It had a population of 901,777 (2019 census) and an area of 2,111 km². Its capital and largest town is Kericho.
Kericho is the leading tea-producing region in the country, widely recognized as Kenya`s "tea capital" and ancestral heartland of the Kipsigis sub-tribe of the Kalenjin tribal group indigenous to the region. Situated in the highlands west of the Rift Valley, the county is home to some of the largest and most productive tea estates in Africa. It is also home to the popular Ketepa brand, one of the major local tea companies based in the region.
The defunct Buret District is now part of Kericho County.