Busia District was an administrative district in the Western Province of Kenya. It bordered Kakamega District to the east, Bungoma District and Teso district to the north, Busia District, Uganda to the west, and Lake Victoria to the south.
In 1956, Elgon Nyanza District was split from North Nyanza District. The new district was headquartered at Bungoma. [1] In 1963, the district was split into two districts: Bungoma and Busia, all within Western Province. [2]
Though most residents of Busia District are ethnically Luhya, there is also a substantial population of Luo and Iteso residents. [3]
The district had a total population of 370,608, without the Teso District, in the 1999 census. [4] By 2005, Busia had been split into five districts: Busia, Bunyala, Samia, Teso North, and Teso South; all with a population of 743,946. [5]
In 2010, after the promulgation of the new constitution of Kenya, counties were to be created based on the districts of Kenya as at 1992. This effectively led to the creation of Busia County.
Local authorities (councils) | |||
Authority | Type | Population* | Urban pop.* |
---|---|---|---|
Busia | Municipality | 44,766 | 30,777 |
Funyula | Municipality | 18,043 | 1,242 |
Nambale | Town | 26,168 | 1,005 |
Port Victoria | Town | 18,472 | 5,917 |
Busia County | County | 263,159 | 5,516 |
Total | - | 370,608 | 44,457 |
* 1999 census |
Administrative divisions | |||
Division | Population* | Urban pop.* | Headquarters |
---|---|---|---|
Budalangi | 53,356 | 5,417 | |
Butula | 95,489 | 4,805 | Butula |
Funyula | 73,875 | 1,106 | Funyula |
Matayos | 56,186 | 0 | Matayos |
Nambale | 67,544 | 0 | Nambale |
Township | 25,158 | 15,695 | Busia |
Total | 370,608 | 27,022 | - |
* 1999 census |
Busia district had four constituencies:
The Luhya are a Bantu people and the second largest ethnic group in Kenya. The Luhya belong to the larger linguistic stock known as the Bantu. The Luhya are located in western Kenya and Uganda. They are divided into 20 culturally and linguistically united clans. Once known as the Kavirondo, multiple small tribes in North Nyanza came together under the new name Baluhya between 1950 and 1960. The Bukusu are the largest Luhya subtribe and account for almost 50% of the entire Luhya population, dominating other Luhya subtribes. They live in both Bungoma and Trans-Nzoia counties.
Western Province was one of Kenya's seven administrative provinces outside Nairobi. It is inhabited mainly by the Luhya people. Quakerism is widely practised here. Kenya's second highest mountain, Mount Elgon is located in Bungoma District. The Kakamega Forest rainforest is part of the area. The province capital was Kakamega. After the 2013 general election, and the coming into effect of the new constitution, provinces became defunct and the country is currently divided into 47 counties. Each county has its own government and therefore there is no central regional capital. Western Province became the Western region, comprising four counties: Kakamega, Bungoma, Vihiga, and Busia.
Bungoma is the capital of Bungoma County in Kenya. It was established as a trading centre in the early 20th century. It is located in Kenya's fertile Western region and at the foot of Mount Elgon, Kenya's second-tallest mountain. The town and the surrounding areas boast one of Kenya's highest average rainfalls, making Bungoma one of the nation's most important food baskets.
Busia is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya. It borders Kakamega County to the east, Bungoma County to the north, Lake Victoria and Siaya County to the south and Uganda's Busia District to the west. The county population was 893,861, as of 2019. It spans about 1,700 square kilometers, making it one of the smallest counties in Kenya. Busia is inhabited by the Luhya tribe and the Teso of Kenya, and small groups of the Luo. The Luhya communities include the Abakhayo, Marachi, Samia and Abanyala communities.
Bungoma County is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya with its capital in Bungoma town. It has a population of 1,670,570 of which 812,146 are males and 858,389 are females as per the 2019 census and an area of 2,069 km2. It has nine constituencies, namely: Bumula, Kabuchai, Kanduyi, Kimilili, Mt. Elgon, Sirisia, Tongaren, Webuye East, and Webuye West.
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Bunyore is a locality in the Vihiga County in the western province of Kenya. It is largely inhabited by Luhya, who speak the OLunyole dialect of the Luhya language. In the local language, the place is known as Ebunyore and its people as the Abanyore. It is divided into eight locations namely Central Bunyore, West Bunyore, South Bunyore, South-West Bunyore, East Bunyore, North Bunyore, North East Bunyore, and Wekhomo. Prior to 1990, Bunyore was under Kakamega District, divided into East and West Bunyore locations. As population increased, the former West Bunyore was split into Central, West, South and South West locations while the former East Bunyore was split into North, North East, Wekhomo and East Bunyore locations in order to better serve the people.
Sub-counties, also known as Districts, are the decentralised units through which government of Kenya provides functions and services. At national level, sub-counties take a more administrative function like security, statistical purposes, provision of government services, etc. Even though the sub-counties are divisions of counties, powers to create new national sub-counties lies with the national government. As of 2023, there are 314 sub-counties, compared to 290 constituencies. A deputy county commissioner is appointed by the state to lead each sub-county. The sub-counties are further divided into divisions, locations and sub-locations.
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