Kenyan counties, found on the map
Find all 47 counties, the units of devolved government under the 2010 Constitution. Zoom in around Nairobi and the smaller western counties.
47 to find, 8 a run.
6 rounds, 6 of 8 to pass each. Pass one and its places are yours.
Every one on the map
Every place listed below can be asked in this game. Places you find in a passed round drop out of your remaining pool.
- Baringo
- Bomet
- Bungoma
- Busia
- Elgeyo-Marakwet
- Embu
- Garissa
- Homa Bay
- Isiolo
- Kajiado
- Kakamega
- Kericho
- Kiambu
- Kilifi
- Kirinyaga
- Kisii
- Kisumu
- Kitui
- Kwale
- Laikipia
- Lamu
- Machakos
- Makueni
- Mandera
- Marsabit
- Meru
- Migori
- Mombasa
- Murang'a
- Nairobi
- Nakuru
- Nandi
- Narok
- Nyamira
- Nyandarua
- Nyeri
- Samburu
- Siaya
- Taita-Taveta
- Tana River
- Tharaka-Nithi
- Trans Nzoia
- Turkana
- Uasin Gishu
- Vihiga
- Wajir
- West Pokot
What the map tells you about each one
The paragraph the game shows when you find each one. Reading them first is not cheating.
- Turkana
- Lodwar is its main town. Dry plains, the lake shore and pastoral livelihoods shape this northwestern county.
- Marsabit
- Marsabit stretches from Lake Turkana across dry northern plains to the Ethiopian border. Its volcanic highlands rise above the surrounding lowlands.
- Mandera
- Mandera sits at Kenya’s northeastern corner. Its border location connects it with communities and trade across Ethiopia and Somalia.
- Wajir
- Wajir occupies dry country between Mandera and Garissa. Livestock keeping is an important part of life across its wide plains.
- West Pokot
- Kapenguria is the county headquarters. The county connects highland farming areas with lower, drier pastoral country.
- Samburu
- Maralal is its headquarters. Samburu National Reserve lies beside the Ewaso Ng’iro in the southern part of the county.
- Isiolo
- Isiolo town stands where routes from the central highlands meet the northern drylands. The county extends far to the east of the town.
- Baringo
- Kabarnet is its headquarters. Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria occupy contrasting freshwater and alkaline lake environments.
- Elgeyo-Marakwet
- Iten is its headquarters and a well-known distance-running centre. The escarpment drops toward the Kerio Valley.
- Trans Nzoia
- Kitale is its headquarters. Farms around the town grow maize, and Mount Elgon rises near the Ugandan border.
- Bungoma
- Bungoma lies in western Kenya’s farming belt. Its northern edge reaches the slopes of Mount Elgon.
- Garissa
- Garissa town lies on the Tana River. Much of the county extends eastward into dry lowlands toward Somalia.
- Uasin Gishu
- Eldoret is its headquarters. The plateau supports grain farming and is closely associated with Kenyan distance running.
- Kakamega
- Kakamega town is its headquarters. Kakamega Forest preserves an important remnant of tropical forest in western Kenya.
- Laikipia
- Laikipia combines ranches, farms and wildlife conservancies on a plateau. Nanyuki lies at the county’s eastern edge near Mount Kenya.
- Busia
- Busia is a major border crossing between Kenya and Uganda. The county’s southern edge reaches Lake Victoria.
- Meru
- Meru town is its headquarters. The county reaches from the mountain’s wetter slopes toward the drier country around Meru National Park.
- Nandi
- Kapsabet is its headquarters. Tea-growing hills and distance-running communities are prominent parts of its landscape.
- Siaya
- Siaya occupies part of the Lake Victoria region. Farming and fishing connect inland settlements with the lake shore.
- Nakuru
- Nakuru county contains both Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha. It connects the Rift Valley’s cities, farms and lake landscapes.
- Vihiga
- Vihiga is a compact, densely settled county of western Kenya. Farms and settlements occupy its green hills.
- Nyandarua
- Ol Kalou is its headquarters. Cool highland farms and the Aberdare slopes distinguish it from the lower Rift Valley to the west.
- Tharaka-Nithi
- Chuka is a major town. The county connects Mount Kenya’s eastern foothills with lower and drier country farther east.
- Kericho
- Kericho’s cool, wet highlands support extensive tea plantations. The county lies west of the central Rift Valley.
- Kisumu
- Kisumu city is its headquarters. The lake shore links fishing communities with a major commercial centre of western Kenya.
- Nyeri
- Nyeri town sits in the central highlands. The county reaches toward both Mount Kenya and the Aberdare forests.
- Tana River
- Hola is its headquarters. The Tana River flows through dry lowlands before spreading into a delta near the Indian Ocean.
- Kitui
- Kitui town is its headquarters. The county extends across dry inland country toward the Tsavo landscape in the south.
- Kirinyaga
- Kirinyaga reaches from Mount Kenya’s slopes to the Mwea rice-growing lowlands. Kerugoya is one of its main towns.
- Embu
- Embu town stands on Mount Kenya’s southeastern side. The county descends from greener highlands toward drier eastern lowlands.
- Homa Bay
- Homa Bay town faces Lake Victoria. Fishing, farming and lake islands form important parts of the county’s geography.
- Bomet
- Bomet occupies highland country west of the Rift Valley. Farming and tea growing connect its towns with surrounding rural areas.
- Nyamira
- Nyamira is its headquarters. Small farms occupy densely settled highland country close to Kisii and Kericho.
- Narok
- Narok contains the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Its southern grasslands form part of the wider Mara–Serengeti ecosystem.
- Kisii
- Kisii town is its headquarters. The surrounding hills support small farms and the region is known for soapstone carving.
- Murang'a
- Murang’a occupies the central highlands south of Nyeri. Farming areas descend eastward toward the Tana River system.
- Migori
- Migori connects western Kenya with Tanzania. Its western part reaches Lake Victoria and its eastern part rises into hills.
- Kiambu
- Kiambu includes Thika and much of Nairobi’s northern commuter belt. Coffee farms and growing towns share the highland landscape.
- Machakos
- Machakos town lies among hills southeast of the capital. The county also includes Athi River and parts of Nairobi’s growing metropolitan edge.
- Kajiado
- Kajiado includes Amboseli and the plains south of Nairobi. Farming, pastoral livelihoods and expanding towns meet in this border county.
- Nairobi
- Nairobi is both a city and a county. Its southern edge includes much of Nairobi National Park, alongside a major urban economy.
- Makueni
- Wote is its headquarters. The county lies on the inland corridor toward the coast, with dry lowlands and cultivated hills.
- Lamu
- Lamu includes mainland settlements and an offshore archipelago. Lamu Old Town preserves a long history of Swahili urban life.
- Kilifi
- Kilifi contains Malindi, Watamu and the archaeological site of Gede. Creeks, coastal towns and inland farms shape its landscape.
- Taita-Taveta
- Voi is a main transport centre. The Taita Hills rise above the plains, and the county includes large parts of the Tsavo parks.
- Kwale
- Kwale includes Diani Beach and the Shimba Hills. Its coast and uplands connect tourism with farming and other local livelihoods.
- Mombasa
- Mombasa’s island, mainland neighbourhoods and harbour form one county. The port connects Kenya and inland East Africa with overseas trade.
How this one works
How many counties are on the map?
47. Every one of them is on the map, and a run asks 8 of them. Pass a round and the places you found in it drop out of the pool, so the next run is what you have left.
What is a round?
A run of 8 questions, and 6 right passes it. 6 rounds cover the whole map, and the counter at the top of the Kenya page counts the ones behind you. Passing is what banks a round's finds: miss the mark and nothing is taken off the map, so every place that round asked about is still there to be asked again. A round is always the places you have not found yet, and when fewer than five are left it is topped up with a few you have found as review, so the last round is never one or two questions. Three quarters of it passes it.
Can I start the map over?
Yes. "Reset this map" under the counter puts all 47 back in the pool and sets the rounds to zero the moment you press it, so the whole map is there to be found again from nothing. It clears this map only; the other maps of Kenya keep their progress.
Do I need an account?
No. The game plays in the page, and a guest's progress is kept in their own browser. Signing in carries it between devices and earns XP for a run.
What happens when I get one wrong?
The map names what you actually hit, then lights up the right answer in green and tells you something about the place. Missing one is how most of this map gets learned.
The other maps of Kenya
Hungary has the same map in Hungarian counties and Budapest. Ireland has the same map in Irish counties. Norway has the same map in Norwegian counties. Romania has the same map in Romanian counties and Bucharest. Sweden has the same map in Swedish counties. All three together on the Kenya atlas page, the country itself on the Kenya guide, and the other two hundred on the world map.