Mbale, Kenya | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Mbale, Kenya Location in Kenya | |
| Coordinates: 00°04′54″N34°43′17″E / 0.08167°N 34.72139°E | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| County | Vihiga County |
| Elevation | 3,900 ft (1,200 m) |
| Population (2017 (Estimate)) | |
| • Total | 60,000 [1] |
| Climate | Af |
Mbale is a town in Kenya and is the capital and largest town of Vihiga County. It is also called Maragoli, after the indigenous inhabitants of the area. [2]
The town is located on the Kisumu–Kakamega–Webuye–Kitale Road, approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi), north of Kisumu, [3] and about 26 kilometres (16 mi), south of Kakamega. [4] The coordinates of Mbale, Kenya are: 0°04'54.0"N, 34°43'17.0"E (Latitude:0.081667; Longitude:34.721389). [5]
Mbale's population is estimated at 60,000 people [1] of different races and ethnicities, which include the Luhya, Kikuyu, Kisii, Luo and Asians.
Mbale has five major hotels and four major bars that serve people from as far as Kisumu and Kakamega. Mbale has four major banks, namely Barclays Bank, Equity Bank, Co-operative Bank, and KCB Bank Kenya Limited. It also has one Sacco bank, namely Kakamega Teachers Sacco Society, which is yet to be officially launched but is operational at the moment. Mbale has over a hundred small businesses such as shops, tailoring, bread distribution, cyber cafe services, healthcare services, construction, real estate, property management and hotels. It is home to the annual Maragoli Cultural Festival, which is held every 26 December. [2] [6]
The town has nearly a dozen primary schools, including Hambale Primary School, Idavaga Muslim Primary School, Shalom Academy and Mukuli Primary School. The five secondary schools are Mbale High School, St. Clares Maragoli Secondary School, Kegoye Friends' Secondary School and Mbihi Secondary School. The former Vihiga County Governor, Moses Akaranga is an alumnus of Mbale High School. [7]
Mbale, Kenya is home to two hospitals; (a) Mbale Rural Provincial Health & Training Centre, and (b) Vihiga District Hospital [8]
There are many places of worship in the town, including The Salvation Army Church, Anglican, Episcopal, African Israel Church Nineveh, Muslim and Roman Catholic [9] and others.
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 30% of the entire Luhya population.
Vihiga is a town in Kenya located on the eastern side of the Kakamega Forest.
Kisumu County is one of 47 counties in the Republic of Kenya. Its borders follow those of the original Kisumu District, one of the former administrative districts of the former Nyanza Province in western Kenya. Its headquarters is Kisumu City which is the third largest city in Kenya after the capital Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa. It has a population of 1,155,574. The land area of Kisumu County totals 2085.9 km2.
Vihiga County is a County located in the former Western Province of Kenya with its headquarters in Mbale, the largest town in the county. According to the 2009 census,the county has a population of 554,622 and an area of 563 km2. Vihiga was formerly a district, split from Kakamega District in 1990. The 2019 census recorded a population of 590,013, an increase of 35,391 from the 2009 count.
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The Maragoli, or Logoli (Ava-Logooli), are now the second-largest ethnic group of the 6 million Luhya nation in Kenya, numbering around 2.1 million, or 15% of the Luhya people according to the last Kenyan census. Their language is called Logoli, Lulogooli, Ululogooli, or Maragoli. The name Maragoli probably emerged later on or after interaction of the people with missionaries of the Quaker Church.
Held in Mbale town every 26 December, the Maragoli Cultural Festival was for a long time, in decades gone by, the biggest event of the year in the region - coming a day after Christmas: probably the biggest holiday in Kenya; and frequently attended by the former president Daniel Arap Moi.
Luanda is a market town in the Vihiga County of Kenya, located along the Kisumu-Busia highway. It was one of the administrative divisions in Emuhaya district between 2007 and 2009. Luanda has grown over the past ten years with several banks, and supermarkets establishing within the locality. Luanda serves as the main town for Emuhaya and Luanda subcounties. The predominant tribe in Luanda are the Banyore people.
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Tiriki Clan
Kakamega Airport is a small airport in Kenya. It serves the town of Kakamega. At 1,530 metres (5,020 ft) above sea level, the airport has a single asphalt runway which measures 4,200 feet (1,300 m) in length and 49 feet (15 m) in width.
Sub-counties, formerly 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.
Vihiga District was an administrative district in the Western Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Mbale. The district had a population of 498,883 and an area of 563 km2. Vihiga District was split from Kakamega District in 1990. By the 2009, Vihiga itself had been split into three smaller districts of Vihiga, Emuhaya, and Hamisi. All with a combined population of 554,622; the smaller Vihiga District with a population of 221,294.
Suam, Uganda is a border crossing between Uganda and Kenya. The settlement sits directly across the Suam River from Suam, Kenya.
The Kisumu–Kakamega–Webuye–Kitale Road, is a rural road in Kenya. The road links Kisumu, in Kisumu County, to the towns of Kakamega, in Kakamega County, Webuye in Bungoma County, and Kitale in Trans-Nzoia County.
The Sondu Miriu Hydroelectric Power Station is a hydroelectric power station on the Sondu River in Kenya.
The Nairobi–Malaba Road, also Nairobi–Uganda Road or A104 Road (Kenya) is a major highway in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. The road connects Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya, with the border town of Malaba at the international border with Uganda.
Kakamega Waste To Energy Plant, also Kakamega Solid Waste Power Station, is a 10 MW (13,000 hp) solid waste-fired thermal power plant under development in Kenya. VR Holding AB, a Swedish energy company, has been awarded the concession contract to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the power station. As raw material, the power station is designed to use solid waste gathered from homes, businesses and industries in Kakamega County and neighboring counties in south-western Kenya, including the counties of Bungoma, Busia, Homa Bay, Trans Nzoia, Vihiga and others.
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