Kokir Gedebano Gutazer is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Gurage Zone, Kokir Gedebano Gutazer is bordered on the south by Ezhana Wolene, on the west by Goro, on the north by the Oromia Region, and on the east by Meskanena Mareko. The administrative center of Kokir Gedebano Gutazer is Mehal Amba.
The highest point in this woreda, as well as in the Zone and Region, is Mount Gurage (3719 meters).
Two varieties of subsistence agriculture are practiced in this woreda: one, in the middle elevations, is based on growing enset and kat; the other, in the higher elevations, is based on enset and barley. Important cash crops in the middle elevations include teff and kat, while in the higher elevations they are wheat and barley. Other important non-agricultural sources of income include selling butter and remittances.[1]
Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 95,645 , of whom 49,974 were males and 45,671 were females; 219 or 0.23% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 6.3%. With an estimated area of 533.44 square kilometers, Kokir Gedebano Gutazer has an estimated population density of 179.3 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 278.3.[2]
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 67,862 of whom 32,411 were males and 35,451 were females; 121 or 0.18% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Kokir Gedebano Gutazer was the Silte (97.26%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.74% of the population. Silte was spoken as a first language by 97.65% of the population; all other primary languages were spoken by the remaining 2.35%. 98.68% of the population said they were Muslim, and all other religions were observed by the remaining 1.32%.[3] Concerning sanitary conditions, 50% of the urban houses and 4.47% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; 29.17% of the urban and 1.42% of all houses had toilet facilities.[4]
Concerning education, 7.19% of the inhabitants of Kokir Gedebano Gutazer were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 20.62%; 3.12% of children aged 7–12 were in primary school, 0.34% of the children aged 13–14 were in junior secondary school, and 0.15% of the inhabitants aged 15–18 were in senior secondary school.[5] The woreda has a total of 18 primary schools with 165 teachers. There is a primary school, staffed with 40 teachers, and one secondary school, with 10 teachers, in Mehal Amba.[6]