Webuye

Webuye, previously named Broderick Falls, is an industrial town in Bungoma County, Kenya. Located on the main road to Uganda, 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. The area around Webuye is home to the Bukusu 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, Milo, Maraka and Misikhu. Webuye is home to the Broderick Falls of the river Nzoia.

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 by the same name who used to repair shoes for railway workers.[1]

Railways

The town is located on the main railway from Mombasa to Uganda. the area around the town is inhabited by both the Bukusu and the Tachoni.

Statistics

References

  1. ↑ MORRIS KIRUGA. Daily Nation. How local dialects influenced naming of west Kenya towns. 23 July 2013

Coordinates: 0°37′N 34°46′E / 0.617°N 34.767°E / 0.617; 34.767


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, March 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.