Major Towns

Kakamega town and municipality is the headquarters of Kakamega County and has a population of 188,212 (2019 census). It lies about 30km north of the Equator on latitude and longitude. The town’s altitude is 1563 m above sea level. Kakamega town is 52 km north of Kisumu which is the third largest city in Kenya. The average elevation of Kakamega is 1,535 metres. Kakamega was so named because the word “Kakamega” translates roughly from Luhya word ‘khakhamega’ which implies ‘to pinch’. The word was used by Abaluhya people to describe how European colonists would eat the staple food ugali, known in the local dialect as, Obusuma. of Nabongos (kings) of Abawanga sub tribe of Abaluhya community.

 

Mumias is a town in Kakamega county of Kenya. The town has an urban population of 116,358 (2009 census). Mumias was the center of the Mumias district. The town is linked by road to Kakamega (in east), Busia (west), Bungoma (north), Butere (south). The town is home to Mumias sugar company, the biggest sugar miller in the country. Five minutes outside Mumias town, on the road to Kakamega. The town is capital of the Luhya kingdom of Wanga. Mumias has a noticeable muslim community, unique in western Kenya. The town was known as Lureko until it was renamed Mumias. The Nabongo cultural center in Matungu showcasing the Wanga kingdom is located in the outskirts of Mumias, near the traditional homestead of Wanga Kings (Nabongos).

 

Shinyalu is a town in Kakamega County 13.4 km from Kakamega Town. Agriculture is the major economic activity with tea and maize being the major produce. A number of Tea collection centres occur within the Township with the bulk of the delivery being to Mudete Tea Factory. The Township has a sizable number of shops and a trading centre. Among the traded items include farm produce like maize, beans and fresh produce. It also has a marketplace for trading in domestic animals notably cattle, sheep and goats.

 

Butere is a town in Kakamega County of the former Western Province of Kenya. It has an urban population of 4725 (2009 census). Until 2010, the town was the capital of the former Butere/Mumias District.

Butere is linked by road to Mumias (in the north) and Kisumu (SE). A branch railway line from Kisumu ends at Butere. Passenger service on the branch line was resumed in January 2007 after a lengthy suspension.

The name Butere comes from one of the main clans in the division the Abatere subclan who reside in areas such as Muyundi, Masaba and around the township. Abatere were the inhabitants of Butere before the whites made the town its administration station.

 

Matungu is one of the towns in Kakamega County located in the southern region of the county.

The Matungu Constituency carved out of the larger Mumias Constituency in 1997. It was created following complaints by a section of residents of Mumias that they felt unrepresented due to the large size of the constituency. It was first represented in Parliament in 1998 by Joseph Wamukoya on a Kenya African National Union (KANU) ticket. In 2002 they elected David Were to represent them on a NARC ticket. Historically Matungu is the burial grounds of the Nabongo's (Kings) of the Wanga Kingdom. Today it is mainly a sugarcane growing area and many of its residents are farmers who supply the Mumias Sugar Company with its raw material.