A travel visit and stay in Kakamega County reveals the most diverse and memorable tourism experience. Kakamega County is one of the 47 counties established under the Constitution of Kenya. It is located in the western region of the country.
The population of Kakamega County is 1,867,579 according to KNBS 2019 census. Population density is 618.4/km2 consisting of 897,133 males and 970,406 females. It is the fourth most populous county.
Kakamega County is administratively divided into twelve (12) sub counties, sixty (60) wards, one hundred and eighty seven (187) Village Units and four hundred (400) Community Administrative Areas. Politically, it comprises of twelve (12) constituencies and sixty (60) wards. The constituencies are Butere, Mumias East, Mumias West, Matungu, Khwisero, Shinyalu, Lurambi, Navakholo, Ikolomani, Lugari, Likuyani and Malava.
Kakamega County is located in Western region of Kenya The county borders Vihiga County to the South, Siaya County to the West, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia Counties to the North and Nandi and Uasin Gishu Counties to the East. Kakamega County’s geographical area is 3,051.3 sq. km; it is the fourth most populous county and has largest rural population in Kenya. The county lies between latitude N 0o16’.00’ and longitude E 34o45’.00”
Physical and Topographic features
Altitude for the county ranges from 1,240 metres to 2,000 metres above sea level. The southern part of the county is hilly and is made up of rugged granites rising in places to 1,950 metres above sea level. The Nandi Escarpment forms a prominent feature on the county’s eastern border, with its main scarp rising from the general elevation of 1,700 metres to 2,000 metres. There are also several hills in the county such as Misango, Imanga, Eregi, Butieri, Sikhokhochole, Mawe Tatu, Lirhanda, Kiming’ini hills among others.
There are two main ecological zones in the county namely; the Upper Medium (UM) and the Lower Medium (LM). The Upper Medium covers the Central region of the county with Ikolomani, Lurambi, Malava, Navakholo and Shinyalu constituencies where intensive maize, tea, beans and horticultural production mainly on small scale is practised; and Lugari and Likuyani constituencies where large scale farming is practised. The second ecological zone, the Lower Medium (LM), covers a major portion of the southern part of the county which includes Butere, Khwisero, Mumias East, Mumias West and Matungu constituencies. In this zone, the main economic activity is sugarcane production with some farmers practising maize, sweet potatoes, tea, ground nuts and cassava production.
The climate in this region is very conducive for many activities including crop and animal production. Annual rainfall in the county ranges from 1280.1mm to 2214.1 mm per year. The rainfall pattern is evenly distributed all year round with March and July receiving heavy rains while December and February receives light rains. The temperatures range from 18 0C to 29 0C. January, February and March record the highest temperatures whereas July and August have relatively cold spells. The county has an average humidity of 67 per cent. Since the early 1960s both minimum (night) and maximum (day) temperatures have been on a warming trend. Current projections indicate increases in temperature.