Malindi District

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Malindi District is an administrative district in the Coast Province of Kenya. Its capital is the coastal town of Malindi. The district has a population of 544,303 [1]. Malindi Town is increasingly becoming known as Kenya’s version of "Little Italy". Italians now own more than 2,500 properties, [2] and the number of Italian residents in Malindi town and its environs, estimated at slightly over 3,000, is the largest European population compared to other European populations anywhere in Kenya.

The Italian embassy is the only foreign mission with a resident consul in Malindi to aid its population. In the preelections held in November 2007 for the Kenyan general election, 2007 next coming general elections in Kenya, Mr Franco Esposito (Kenyan-Italian), a former chief executive officer with the San Marco Space Centre in Ngomeni area of Malindi District, was elected as a candidate for the Magarini Parliamentary seat and Mr. Gideon Mung'aro, the former Mayor of Malindi, was elected as a candidate for the Malindi constituency. Mr. Mung'aro meanwhile is elected MP of the Malindi Constituency.

Tourism is a major industry while inland areas are rural.

Local authorities (councils)
Authority Type Population* Urban pop.*
Malindi Municipality 117,735 53,805
Malindi county County 163,817 3,854
Total - 281,552 57,659
* 1999 census. Source: [3]
Administrative divisions
Division Population* Urban pop.* Headquarters
Magarini 68,603 3,508
Malindi 168,806 51,100 Malindi
Marafa 44,142 0 Marafa
Tsavo East N.P. 0 0
Total 281,552 54,608 -
* 1999 census. Sources: [4], [5],

Villages of Watamu and Gede are part of the Malindi division.

The district has two constituencies: Malindi and Magarini.

Languages