Welcome to Taveta Town. We are a leading border town in Kenya, located only 30 minutes away from Moshi Tanzania.

Vision
“to be best local authority in provision of sustainable services to the residents of Taveta”

Mission
“To provide quality services to the residents and sustainable development through participatory planning.”

Core Values
The Town Council of Taveta will uphold the following core values:

•    Professionalism
•    Team work
•    Integrity and Good Governance
•    Customer focused
•    Transparency and Accountability
•    Unity of purpose
•    Respect
•    Commitment to duty

OVERVIEW OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF TAVETA

Historical Background

The Town Council of Taveta is a Local Authority established under the Local Government Act Cap 265, laws of Kenya.  The Council started as a Local Native Council (TLNC) and subsequently became Taita Taveta African District Council (TTADC).  After independence, it was renamed County Council of Taita Taveta. Later Town Council of Voi and Urban Council of Taveta were carved out of it to cover the areas around Voi and Taveta Township. The Council was established in 1991 as an urban Council which was later upgraded to a Town Council in 1993, when the Ministry of Local Government abolished the classification category of Urban Councils.

Geographical Conditions

    Town Council of Taveta Headquarters is about 102km North from Voi via Nairobi Mombasa Road and is the main commercial and administrative centre of the newly created Taveta District. It’s situated in the South Western part of Kenya and in the Southern part of Coast Province. It lies between latitude 3016’ and 40 south and longitude 390 5’ and 40o west. The Council covers entire Taveta district and hence covers 3,953 square kilometer under which 62 square kilometer is under Tsavo West National Park on the South. The Council borders County Council of Taita Taveta to the East, the Republic of Tanzania to the West, County Council of Olekejuado to the North and County Council of Kwale to the South.

    Administrative wise the Council is divided into three (3) administrative divisions and six (6) electoral wards and lies at the border between the Republic of Kenya and Tanzania at the foothills of Mount Kilimajaro a factor that encourages flow of goods and people between Taveta and major urban centers of the district. Economic Interdependence arising from this interaction supports and has helped to transform farming and tourism in the district especially in the southern part. Major urban centers within the Council are linked to other important market centres within the region by all weather roads.

The major landmark in the district is a number of notable geographical features and tourist attractions like Mt. Kilimanjaro, Usambara mountains, Lake Challa which is a crater like on Mt. Kilimajaro, Lake Jipe which serves as a water hole for wildlife, the Taita wildlife sanctuary, Tsavo West National Reserve, Serengeti National Reserve in Tanzania which is an extension of the Mara National Reserve and Amboseli National that located in the neighboring Kajiado District.

Taveta district has several distinct topographical features that interrupt the fairly plain terrain that gently slopes towards the south. On the western side of the district is Lake Challa, a fresh water crater lake that also forms an international boundary between Kenya and the Republic of Tanzania. The lake has great tourist potential that has not yet been exploited though some fishing activities are carried out in the lake. The major rivers in the district are Tsavo River, Lumi River, Njoro River and Mabatini (Kitobo). These rivers have been exploited for irrigation purposes through the construction of canals.

The major irrigation canals in the district are Njoro Kubwa canal and the Grogan canal. The main hills in the district are Mwakine, Salaita, Lotima, Kitoghoto, Challa and Kidong’u that have rich historical connotations dating back to the First World War. Salaita hill “slaughter hill” and Kidong’u hill are known to have provided an effective barrier and hideout to the British and German soldiers during the war. However the increased de-vegetation of the hills has resulted in them aggravating the siltation of Njoro Kubwa and Grogan canals due to erosion of the bare surface leading to extensive flooding in the low lying areas. The district also has Kitobo forest being a source of fresh water for domestic and livestock use, the forest also provides a good habitat to a wide range of attractive and rare species of wild animals.

Rainfall in the district is inadequate, bimodal and very erratic. The mean annual rainfall ranges between 200 mm and 1200mm. The long rains fall between March and May while the short rains occur between November and December. Temperature ranges from 31.0 degrees and 21.2 degrees. Average relative humidity is 5%. Highest evaporation rate is experienced during the months of January to March in all parts of the district.

The drainage pattern in the district also consist several rivers and springs. The springs provide sufficient water for drinking and irrigation. These springs are usually permanent in nature since they are fed by the hydrological system that emanates from the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Land has continued to be a major development challenge in the district with a squatter population that stands at 40%. Three settlement schemes of Lake Jipe, Taveta squatter and Lumi-timbwani have however assisted in the settlement of most of the squatters. The soils in the district are predominantly black cotton and clay which exhibits the characteristic of hardening and cracking during the dry seasons and water logging during the rainy season. The Low Mid land 4 zone is the marginal cotton or sisal zone at the foot slopes of the mountain, North West of the district. The Low Mid land 5 is the livestock or millet zone, north and central of the district.

Population
The estimated population within the area under the Council is 53,046 people based on 1999 Housing Census at an annual growth rate of 1.7 per cent. This is projected to rise 63,950 and 66,166 by 2010 and 2012 respectively. The increase is due to the high fertility rate, decline in the mortality rates against children’s below five years, increased access to health facilities, reduced incidences of malaria and fight against HIV/AIDS. The female population is the same as that of male with a sex ratio of 1:1. The total number of households in the district is 17,185. 70% is headed by the male and 25% is female headed while 5% is child headed the average size of house hold is 5 persons. Fertility is an important aspect of demographic change. Fertility level is one of the main factors that determine the rate of population growth.  In 1999 the fertility rate in Taita Taveta District was 6.0 per 1000 women of childbearing age.  The increase in fertility levels in the district is attributed to lack of use of contraceptives and the increased level of illiteracy among the population.

Only three age groups, 0-4, 5-9 and 45-49 have higher male than female population. This could be attributed to the fact that infant mortality is lower in male than female’s children.