Kakamega

Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of Kakamega County. The town has a population of 99,987 (2009 census).

Kakamega is 52 km north of Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya and a port city on Lake Victoria. The average elevation of Kakamega is 1,535 metres.

Kakamega county is Kenya's second most populous county after Nairobi. The county has 9 constituencies in total, namely Butere, Mumias East, Matungu, Khwisero, Shinyalu, Lurambi, ikolomani, Lugari and Malava.

Kakamega was so named because the word "kakamega" translates roughly to "pinch" in Kiluhyah, which was used to describe how European colonists would eat the staple food, ugali.

Kakamega derives its modern name from the local dialect. The story goes that when European settlers first visited the area now known as Kakamega and were offered maize meal, the local staple food called Obusuma, they tried to emulate the eating style for which the tribe was famous. To the hosts though, the visitors were more like ‘pinching’ the Obusuma. The resulting administrative area was named ‘Kakamega’, which roughly translates to ‘pinch.’

Local Inhabitants are mostly the Luhya tribe, whose economic activity is mainly farming and fishing.

Kakamega serves as the headquarters of Kenya's largest sugar producing firm, Mumias Sugar, located in the town of Mumias.

Kakamega was the scene of the Kakamega gold rush in the early 1930s, fueled partly by the reports of the geologist Albert Ernest Kitson.

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology is a new institution of higher learning created by an act of parliament in December 2006 which is in the heart of Kakamega town on the Kakamega-Webuye road. It is expected to spur growth in this capital of Western Province.

Kakamega Forest is the main tourist destination in the area. Another attraction is the Crying Stone of Ilesi located along the highway towards Kisumu. It is a 40 metres high rock dome resembling a human figure whose "eyes" drop water.

...
Wikipedia