Bungoma County
| Bungoma County | |
|---|---|
| County | |
 Location in Kenya |
|
| Country |
 Kenya
|
| Formed | March 4th 2013 |
| Capital | Bungoma |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Ken Lusaka |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,206.9 km2 (852.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 1,375,063 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
| Website | bungoma.go.ke |
Bungoma County is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya. Its capital is Bungoma or Bungoma Town. It has a population of 1,375,063 and an area of 2,069 km². In 2010, the neighbouring Mount Elgon District was eliminated and its lands merged with Bungoma District to form Bungoma County.
The economy of Bungoma County is mainly agricultural, centering on the sugarcane and maize industries. The area experiences high rainfall throughout the year, and is home to several large rivers, which are used for small-scale irrigation.
The Bukusu who occupy much of the county are resilient and flamboyant people who stood up against British rule in the late 19th century. In a war that erupted at Lumboka and eventually ended at Chetambe near Webuye, the Bukusu bitterly resisted British rule. They are farmers who practice both livestock and crop farmers. And an early British traveler described them as such when he visited in 1876 "on the East of the Mountain, there are the Bukusu who are greater livestock breeders and keepers".
The Bukusu have produced many prominent people that have served in the Kenyan public life among them H.E. Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi (Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD), the late Hon Masinde Muliro( Founder Member of original KADU independence party, Founder member of FORD party) late Hon Wamalwa Kijana (former vice president), the late Cardinal Maurice Michael Otunga (head of the Catholic Church in Kenya), the late Elijah Masinde (founder of Dini ya Musambwa), Sudi Namachanja (chief during colonial days), Hon.Lawrence Sifuna( Second-Liberation hero in the struggle for multiparty democracy in Kenya),Luka Namulala (community fore teller), among others. Among the women that have stood out include Dinah Khayota (former women leader), Justice Ruth Nekoye, lawyer Nancy Barasa and Beatrice Kituyi ( a prominent lawyer and former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour), Dr Eusebius Juma Mukhwana (agriculture/Educationist) and Prof Adrian Mukhebi (agriculture) among others.
In Business, Notable figures include Makhanu Munata, Maurice Butala, Vincent Naliakho, mama Dinah Kibunguchy, Henry Wakwabubi, Tom Katenya, Mama lutia (Nalondo), Dimina Agencies, Mwalimu Kokonya, Moses Simiyu, Luketelo, Mbaya and Didimo Satia among others.
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Wikipedia