Wajir County is county 008 of Kenya’s 47, in the former North Eastern Province. Its capital is Wajir town, an old caravan and administrative centre built around shallow wells that gave the place its name. The county recorded 781,263 residents in the 2019 census across 55,841 square kilometres.
Wajir is flat, dry and almost riverless. Settlement follows the water: shallow wells, boreholes and seasonal pans decide where towns stand and where herds move.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Capital | Wajir |
| County code | 008 |
| Population (2019 census) | 781,263 |
| Area | 55,840.6 km² |
| Former province | North Eastern |
| Constituencies | 6 (Wajir North, Wajir East, Wajir West, Wajir South, Tarbaj, Eldas) |
| Sub-counties | 7 |
| County assembly wards | 30 |
| Main languages | Somali, Swahili, English |
Under Kenya’s devolved system the county governor is Ahmed Abdullahi, and the county assembly sits at the capital.
Towns and Villages in Wajir County
Wajir town and Habaswein hold most of the county’s urban population. The towns below carry recorded populations; the remaining settlements are wells, market points and grazing centres.
| Town | Role | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Wajir | County capital | 90,116 |
| Habaswein | Town | 49,599 |
| Bute | Sub-county centre | 14,108 |
| Eldas | Sub-county centre | 12,270 |
| Griftu | Sub-county centre | 7,935 |
| Tarbaj | Sub-county centre | 3,146 |
The full A–Z list of recorded towns and villages in Wajir County follows. Somali place names are transliterated in several ways, so some settlements appear elsewhere under variant spellings.
- Ajao
- Biyamathow
- Buna
- Bute
- Bute Helu
- Dad Dogh
- Dadaj-Bula
- Dif
- Dilmanyaley
- El Ben
- Eldas
- Griftu
- Habaswein
- Hara
- Hungai
- Khorof Harar
- Kotulo
- Meri
- Sabule
- Sarif
- Tarbaj
- Wajir
- War Dirsame
Geography
Wajir is a featureless plain lying between about 150 and 400 metres above sea level, with no permanent river and no highland. Red and brown sandy soils cover most of it, broken by limestone outcrops and seasonal swamps. The largest is the Lorian, which fills from the Ewaso Nyiro in wet years.
Rainfall averages roughly 240 millimetres a year and is erratic, arriving in March to May and October to December. Flat ground and hard soils mean the same county floods and dries within weeks: pans and lagas hold surface water briefly, then vanish. Shallow wells around Wajir town, and boreholes elsewhere, supply water year-round. Vegetation is acacia and commiphora bushland with open grass after rain.
Wajir borders Mandera County to the north-east, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia to the east. Garissa County lies to the south, Isiolo County to the west and Marsabit County to the north-west.
Demographics
The 2019 census counted 781,263 people, up from 661,941 in 2009. Density averages about 14 people per square kilometre, though the figure means little in a county where herds and households move with the seasons.
Residents are overwhelmingly Somali, mainly Degodia, Ajuran and Ogaden lineages, with smaller Borana and Garre communities in the west and north. Somali is the home language; Swahili and English are used in school and administration. The 2019 census recorded 98.97 per cent of residents as Muslim.
Economy and Local Life
Pastoralism accounts for most household income. Camels, goats, sheep and cattle are raised on communal rangeland and trekked to markets at Wajir, Habaswein, Griftu and Bute. From there stock moves by lorry to Nairobi and into the Somali border trade. Camel milk from Wajir supplies traders as far as Eastleigh in Nairobi.
Crop farming is marginal and confined to small irrigated plots and shallow-well gardens growing vegetables, watermelon and fodder. Wajir town runs on trade, transport, the county government, health services and schools. Gum arabic, resins, hides, skins and honey provide additional cash. Livestock losses in drought years are the main economic shock.
Getting There
The main road runs from Isiolo through Modogashe to Habaswein and Wajir town, then north-east to Mandera. Wajir town is roughly 700 kilometres from Nairobi by that route. A southern road links Wajir to Garissa via Habaswein. Most of the network is earth and murram; sections become impassable within hours of heavy rain.
Wajir Airport, a former military field with a long runway, handles scheduled flights to Nairobi and charter and relief traffic. Airstrips serve Bute, Griftu and Eldas. Buses and lorries run to Nairobi, Garissa and Mandera, but schedules shift with road and security conditions.
FAQ
What is the capital of Wajir County?
Wajir town is the county capital, with 90,116 residents at the 2019 census. Habaswein is the second largest town.
How many towns and villages are in Wajir County?
This directory lists 23 gazetted towns and villages. The county is arid, so recorded settlements are few and centre on wells and boreholes.
Which constituencies make up Wajir County?
Six: Wajir North, Wajir East, Wajir West, Wajir South, Tarbaj and Eldas. The county is administered as seven sub-counties with 30 wards.
What is the population of Wajir County?
781,263 at the 2019 census, across 55,841 square kilometres — about 14 people per square kilometre.
How far is Wajir from Nairobi?
Roughly 700 kilometres by road via Isiolo, Modogashe and Habaswein. Wajir Airport also runs scheduled flights to Nairobi.
What is Wajir County code?
Wajir is county 008 of Kenya’s 47 counties, in the former North Eastern Province.