Tiriki or Hamisi is home to the Tiriki subtribe of the Abaluyia. Hamisi Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of five constituencies in

Vihiga County Vihiga County is an administrative region in the former Western Province of Kenya whose headquarters are in Mbale, the largest town in the county. The county has a population of 554,622 (2009 census) and an area of 563 km2. Formally a dist ...

. Hamisi Constituency includes seven electoral wards: Shiru Ward, Gisambai Ward, Shamakhokho Ward, Banja Ward, Muhudu Ward, Tambua ward, and Jepkoyai Ward.

History

The name Hamisi refers to Hamisi Division or sub-county of Vihiga county which is overseen by a District Officer. The name Hamisi also refers to Hamisi constituency which is represented in the

Kenya National Assembly The National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya. Between 1966 and 2013, it served as a unicameral house. In 2013 ( 11th Parliament), it became the lower house when the Senate was reestablish ...

by a Member of Parliament. The name Hamisi also refers to the Administrative Capital of Hamisi Constituency where majority of government offices in the Division are located. The name Hamisi itself was derived from a trader who run a shop in the area from the early days of colonialism. The typical way the Tiriki refer to Hamisi is "Wa-Hamisi" which means the place of Hamisi.

Administrative

Tiriki is located in the Republic of Kenya in

. Vihiga County is one of the five counties that formed the former Western Province. The other counties in the former Western Province are

Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of Kakamega County that has a population of 1,867,579 (2019 census). Kakamega is 52 km north of Kisumu, the tenth largest city in Ken ...

(which Vihiga was previously a part of),

Bungoma Bungoma is the county town of Bungoma County in Kenya. It was established as a trading centre in the early 20th century. Naming Bungoma, was named from eng'oma—the Bukusu word for drums. The town was originally a meeting place for Bukusu ...

, and Busia.

Trans-Nzoia County Trans-Nzoia County is a county in the former Rift Valley Province, Kenya, located between the Nzoia River and Mount Elgon, 380 km northwest of Nairobi. At its centre is the town of Kitale which is the capital and largest town. The count ...

is located in the former Rift Valley but has a majority Abaluyia population. Nandi County in the former Rift Valley province also has a sizable but minority Abaluyia population.

Location and altitude

Hamisi lies at a latitude of 0.09°N and a longitude of 34.85°E. The average altitude is 1740 m above sea level.

Weather

Daily temperatures average a low of and a high of meaning the weather is very pleasant and mild. Rainfall ranges from a low of about 4 cm in February to a high of about 12 cm in October. October and April have over 20 days of rainfall. January and February average about 10 days of rainfall.

Agriculture

The main

cash crop A cash crop or profit crop is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate marketed crops from staple crop (or "subsistence crop") ...

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

, which is grown at higher altitudes in the region. Other crops are

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for i ...

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

es and

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

. The inhabitants also rear

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

and

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

Religion

Hamisi is headquarters to four main Christian Churches; the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) at Nyang'ori, Friends' Church (Quackers) at

Kaimosi Kaimosi is a town in western Kenya, heavily influenced by Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements (" ...

, the African Divine Church at Boyani near Gamalenga and Israel (Nineve) Church at Jebrok. The prevalence of religious activities has not reduced undesirable delinquencies in this region.

Literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

rates are above Kenyan Rural average; but a serious lack of educational tools to push this resource to the next level is the main challenge.

Demographics

Kaimosi, one of the notable towns in Hamisi, has been a major attraction to international visitors who come as students,

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

volunteers, and

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

. Some of the major schools in Hamisi are Kaimosi High Schools for boys and girls, Kaimosi Teachers College, Friends College Kaimosi, Kaimosi Special School, and

Kaimosi Friends Primary School Kaimosi Friends Primary School is the oldest formal school in Kenya. The primary school is located in Kaimosi in the Western Province. History and operations The school was established in 1903 as the Friends Africa Industrial Mission by the Qua ...

. Another attraction is the "Hill of Vision" or Javujiluachi in local dialect, Tiriki. Unlike many other communities, the

Tiriki Tiriki is one of sixteen clans and dialects of the Abaluyia people of Western Kenya. The word ''Tiriki'' is also used to refer to their Geographical Location in Hamisi Division, Vihiga County, in the Western province of Kenya. Hamisi Constitue ...

have been able to preserve major aspects of their cultural heritage including their age group initiation rituals and rites. Unemployment patterns in Hamisi mirror those of other similar areas in rural Kenya. Employment levels are low because of low agricultural production and an absence of other sectors such as manufacturing, retail, or transportation.

Politicians

The current Member of Parliament for Hamisi is Charles Gumini Gimose of Amani National Coalition(ANC). The former Member George Khaniri inherited the seat from his father, Nicodemus Khaniri, who died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in 1994 as he was opening the new residence of a constituent, Dr. Tom Mulusa.

Notable persons

* Kenya's most famous musician, Daudi Kabaka * Cyrus Jirongo, the politician who was one of the founders of Youth For Kanu in 1992 * Philip Kisia, former Nairobi Town Clerk * Johnston Kavuludi, the first Chairman of the National Police Service Commission * Cliff Mukulu, founder of Rentworks * Adema Sangale, former CEO of Proctor and Gamble East Africa * Beverly Amira, notable media personality

References

{{reflist Constituencies of Western Province (Kenya) 2007 establishments in Kenya Constituencies established in 2007 Constituencies in Vihiga County