Last updated on May 30th, 2023 at 06:44 pm
In this article i have listed down the seven sub counties in Busia County.
Busia is a county situated in the former Western Province of Kenya. It has borders with Kakamega County to the east, Bungoma County to the north, Lake Victoria and Siaya County to the south, and Busia District, Uganda to the west.
It is one of the smallest counties in Kenya, stretching across 1,700 square kilometers and having a population of approximately 893,000. People of the Luhya tribe, the Teso of Kenya, and small numbers of Luo inhabit the area. The main Luhya communities include the Abakhayo, Marachi, Samia and Abanyala.
According to Wikipedia– Sub-counties are the decentralised units through which county governments of Kenya will provide functions and services. Except for the parts which fall under urban areas, sub-counties will coincide with the constituencies created under article 89 of the Constitution of Kenya. Sub-counties will be headed by a sub-county administrator, appointed by a County Public Service Board.
Here is a list of sub counties in Busia County
1. Teso North sub county
It has a population of 117,947 as per the last census. The sub-county covers an area of 236.8km2 and is administered by Zipporah Amoit, Sub County Administrator.
2. Teso South
Teso South is an administrative district made up of six wards: Amukura West, Amukura East, Amukura Central, Angorom, Chakol North and Chakol South, with the main town, Amukura, serving as the administrative headquarters.
It attracts a large population due to trading opportunities and social amenities.
Christantus Okwara is the current Sub County Administrator. The majority of residents are youthful and the consistent rainfall makes rain-fed agriculture the main economic activity, with maize, nuts and sugarcane all being grown.
3. Nambale Sub county
Nambale Sub County is administratively divided into four wards: Nambale Township, Bukhayo East, Bukhayo North/Walatsi and Bukhayo Central, occupying an area of 237.8Km2.
The main town of the sub county is Nambale, a vibrant town along the Busia-Mumias highway; it is known for its dark clay soils, which make it suitable for both large-scale cash crop farming and small-scale subsistence farming.
Tobacco, maize, coffee, cotton and sugarcane are some of the crops that are grown, and livestock keeping and trading are also popular. Fridah Nekesa is the Sub County Administrator.
4. Matayos Sub county
Matayos Sub-County, located in the lower region of Busia County, is the heart of Busia County, currently administered by Mr. Daniel Okana.
It is occupied by Bakhayo sub tribe, Teso and Luo tribes, and has five wards: Mayenje, Burumba, Matayos South, Busibwabo and Bukhayo West.
As the gateway to East and Central Africa due to its Kenyan-Ugandan border, Matayos is the most economically active sub-county with Busia Town as the largest municipality.
Cross border trading is the most dominant economic activity, while farming and industrialization are also prominent. Furthermore, the hospitality industry has made a mark in the sub-county, with big hotels found in Busia Town.
Also Checkout: Sub-Counties in Kisii
5. Butula sub county
Butula Sub County, located in the lower region of Busia County, is bordered by Siaya County and Kakamega County and is administered by Mr. David Sibeyo.
It is mainly occupied by the Marachi and Luo tribes and is known for its cultural activities such as traditional dances, pottery, and the making of Marachi sofas.
With Bumala market as one of the biggest markets in Busia, it is one of the best revenue generation areas, and the main economic activities include trading, farming both crop (with sugarcane as the main cash crop) and livestock farming.
Additionally, there is a cultural center at Sikarira and a variety of tourism attraction sites in the Sub County. Thus, it has a lot of potential in economical development.
6. Samia Sub county
Samia Sub County is located in the lower region of Busia county and is administered by Ms. Caroline Oduor as Sub County administrator.
It comprises four wards: Bwiri, Agenga/Nanguba, Namboboto/Nambuku and Nangina and it borders Siaya County, Bunyala Sub-County and Uganda.
Fishing is the main economic activity due to its proximity to Lake Victoria, with other activities such as farming (horticulture, poultry, pig farming), mining (rock crushing) and construction (sand harvesting and brick making) also taking place.
For sight-seeing, there are good sceneries such as Samia Hills and lake Victoria, as well as beaches like Bumbe, Buyukha, Sio Port and Busijo.
Culturally, the Abasamia of Kenya and Uganda have ties that bring them together to annual festivals.
7. Bunyala Sub county
Bunyala Sub County is located in the lower region of Busia county. It borders SamiaSub County, Siaya county and Uganda.The Sub County is administered by a Sub County Administrator, Mr.Nelson Otando.
It comprises of four wards namely:Bunyala West, Bunyala Central, Bunyala South and Bunyala North wards.
It is one of the most economically vibrant Sub Counties in Busia where fishing is the most dominant economic activity since part of Lake Victoria extends to the Sub County.
Other complementing economic activities in the Sub County include; large scale irrigation-farming (Bunyala irrigation scheme where rice is the mainly produced) and small scale subsistence farming.
Bunyala Sub County is home to the largest fish farming project at Mulukoba Beach with modern fish cages rearing 10,000 fingerlings per cage. This project is facilitated by the County Government of Busia.
These are the 7 sub counties in Busia County and their administrators.