![KE-Webuye](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/KE-Webuye.png)
Webuye, previously named Broderick Falls, is an industrial town in
Bungoma County
Bungoma County is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya. Its capital is Bungoma town. It has a population of 1,670,570 of which 812,146 are males 858,389 females as per the 2019 census and an area of 2,069 km2. It has nine constitu ...
,
Kenya
)
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. Located on the main road to
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
, the town is home to the Pan African Paper Mills, the largest paper factory in the region, as well as a number of heavy-chemical and sugar manufacturers. The area is heavily populated and is used mainly for
subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...
. The area around Webuye is home to the
Bukusu
The Bukusu people ( Bukusu: ''Babukusu'') are one of the seventeen Kenyan tribes of the Luhya Bantu people of East Africa residing mainly in the counties of Bungoma and Trans Nzoia. They are closely related to other Luhya people and the Gisu ...
and Tachoni tribes. The town has an urban population of 19,600 (1999 census) and 22,507 in total according to the GeoNames geographical database.
Villages near Webuye include
Lugulu
Lugulu is a settlement in Busia County, Kenya
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Milo
Milo may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine
*'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg
* ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...
,
Maraka
The Marka (also Marka Dafing, Meka, or Maraka) people are a Mande people of northwest Mali. They speak the Marka language, a Manding language.
History
Muslim merchant communities at the time of the Bambara Empire, the Maraka largely controll ...
and
Misikhu. Webuye is home to the Broderick Falls of
Nzoia River. In Maraka, there exists the famed "mfunje" suspension bridge which consists of rickety timber strips joined together with some metal wires, precariously dangling across River Nzoia. It attracts a considerable number of both local and foreign tourists who enjoy the thrill of crossing the river on the shaky locally-made bridge.
Webuye has in the recent past also seen the establishment of some important education centres, including a constituent college campus of the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, and a Kenya Medical Training college Campus. The town's economy was hit hard by the dwindling fortunes of Pan African Paper Mills, which was closed down in 2008. Efforts have been put in place by successive regimes since then to reopen the paper mill, but without success.
The nearest tourist attraction is the Nabuyole waterfalls on River Nzoia. The falls are seven kilometres from Webuye and provide a cool breeze to tourists.
Naming
In the pre-independence times, Webuye was known as Broderick Falls, after the first white man to visit the nearby Nabuyole falls on River Nzoia. Today, it's named after a cobbler who repaired shoes for railway workers.
Railways
The town is located on the main railway from
Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
to
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
. The area around the town is inhabited by both the
Bukusu
The Bukusu people ( Bukusu: ''Babukusu'') are one of the seventeen Kenyan tribes of the Luhya Bantu people of East Africa residing mainly in the counties of Bungoma and Trans Nzoia. They are closely related to other Luhya people and the Gisu ...
and the
Tachoni
The Tachoni (meaning "We shall be back") are Kalenjin who were assimilated by the Luhya people of western Kenya, sharing the land with the Bukusu tribe. They live mainly in Webuye, Chetambe Hills, Ndivisi (of Bungoma County) Matete sub-county a ...
.
Statistics
* Webuye has a tropical climate, and the land around it is used mainly for subsistence agriculture. Its latitude is 0.6166667° and longitude is 34.7666667° and elevation is . Average annual temperature is 24 °C / 75.2 °F.
References
Populated places in Bungoma County
{{WesternKE-geo-stub