Pupils during a classroom session. Nairobi County leads in literacy levels while Garissa comes last. [Photo: nadinegriffeyacademy.com]Garissa county has the lowest literacy level at 8.2 percent while Nairobi leads at 96.1 percent compared to the national average at 72.2 percent. This is according to the state of the counties report by economist Ken Gichinga.Isiolo, Makueni, Wajir, Trans Nzoia and Mandera have relatively low literacy levels where Isiolo ranks at 15 percent, Makueni at 22.41, Wajir at 23.8, Trans Nzoia at 27 while Mandera ranks at 25.4, reports the Friday Star.According to the paper, the report intends to provide a holistic exposure of the socioeconomic situation across the 47 counties, while assessing emerging risks and opportunities.The report lists Kiambu and Nyeri among the counties with the highest literacy levels with Kiambu ranking at 95.4 percent and Nyeri at 91.8.This is attributed to continued investment in education.Turkana, on the other hand, has 46 percent and has the highest rate of unemployment which stands at about 70 per cent, compared to the national rate of 42. In Isiolo, more than 70 percent of the labour force is not formally employed, as 85 percent of residents can neither read nor write.The report further says 83.1 percent of the populations of Kisumu and Kakamega can read and write, but the level of unemployment is at 22.04 percent in Kakamega and 12.5 percent in Kisumu.Nairobi has the highest concentration of colleges but has an unemployment rate of 14.7 percent while Mombasa’s unemployment is at 15 percent and literacy at 85.8.

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