The End of the Road
A Summa Digest of Busia County
Situated in extreme western Kenya, along the boundary with Uganda, Busia County resembles a bulb syringe; bulbil in the north and narrowed as you go south with the end tapering to a rounded end. The boundary follows the Kenya-Uganda border from Sio Port on Lake Victoria, northwards. The altitude is almost homogenous, rising from 1,130 m above sea level at Lake Victoria to a maximum of 1,500 m in the Kocholia and North Teso Hills. Much the same, the ecology of Busia is more or less homogenous, typical for the counties around Lake Victoria.
Economically, Busia County depends largely on agriculture, subsidized by farming and fishing. The poor soils are the main problem, often underlain by hard-pans. The stumbling-block is that much of Busia County is granite country, typified by the presence of tors and widespread bouldery outcrops. Inversely, the presence of these massive tors and rock formation lends a hand to Busia’s touring circuit.
The county’s capital is also named Busia, best known for its diverse culture and vibrant cross-border trade with Uganda. Thanks to the two border points in Busia County, Malaba and Busia, it is fairly well supplied with roads, though access to the interior areas may often be hard, and treacherous during the rains. If you leave Mombasa town travelling north westerly via the A104 Mombasa-Uganda Road, you will find yourself on a good road crossing through Kenya’s ecological gamut.
920 km from Mombasa city, going through Nairobi, Eldoret and Bungoma, you finally reach Malaba, the gateway out of Kenya into Uganda. Here, you go across one of Kenya’s busiest border points. On most days, for mile upon mile, it is lined with hundreds of dumper cargo trucks. On average, 600 trucks cross here every month en-route Tororo and Kampala towns in Uganda. In the distance are the iconic hillocks of Uganda, and Tororo Town lies just 17 km from Malaba Town.
25 km south of Malaba on a good road going through Amukura and Alupe, or via C31 Mumias-Busia Road through Nambale, is Busia town, the larger and busier of the two border points in Busia County. It, too, is a round-the-clock hive of activity, and on average 700 transit cargo truck cross Busia border point aiming for Tororo, Kampala and beyond. It is a longer journey to Tororo from Busia, of about 51 km.
Getting to Busia town is mainly by road, although the non-functioning railway to Tororo in Uganda passes through the northern part of Busia County at Malaba. It is hoped that new Nairobi to Malaba standard gauge railway – connecting to various rails in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and DRC – will ease traffic along A104 Road, and the two border points. There is an unused airstrip at Busia town.
Busia County is busier and more populous in the central area, where the main roads and two border towns sit. South to north, the 80 km western border of Busia County – southerly from Sio (Port Bunyala) to Malikisi in the north – marches on with Uganda. Its eastern border marches with Siaya, Bungoma and Kakamega counties. The principal sources for water are Nzoia in the south, Sio and Walatsi in the mid, and Malakisi in the north. Lake Victoria is an all-important resource, too.
These goodly perennial rivers are reinforced by some seasonal streams. The trademark feature in Busia County, especially dominant in north, are the extensive granitic outcrops. These granitic outcrops are essentially part of the peneplain, interspersed by sizeable rocky hillocks including those seen at Amukura and Chelelemuk. The two main ethnic communities in Busia County are the Teso (also known as the Iteso), who inhabit much of the northern area, and the Luhya.
Salient Features of Busia County
- County Number 40
- Area – 1694 km2
- Altitude – 1200 ms
- Major Towns – Busia, Malaba, Nambale
- Borders – Bungoma, Kakamega, Siaya
Enjoy the warm hospitality of the people of Busia County while exploring its diverse attractions. Busia County offers a blend of cultural experiences, natural beauty, and historical sites. Visit the lakeshore to enjoy serene views, take boat rides, and possibly visit fishing communities to learn about their way of life.
You Are Here: Busia County
Where to Next?
Explore Destinations in Busia County
A Guide to Busia County
A Summa Digest of Busia
About Busia Way Back When
22 Destinations in Busia County, arranged as one would visit these - east, south then north - with the aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Sio Port, Samia Hills, Bakhulo Shrines in Samia, Budalang'i Forest, Port Victoria, Namenya Hills, Marenga Beach, Muhondo Conservancy, Budalang'i Delta, Che's Bay Resort, Bunyala Rice Scheme, River Nzoia, Yala Swamp, Sio Siteki Swamp, Kavirondo Rocks, Emakina Hills, Alupe Leprosy Center, Busia Border Point, Kocholia Irrigation Scheme, Kakapel Rock, Kakapel Cultural Centre, Malaba Sanctuary
Know More About Busia County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including strip maps, Airports, Climate and National Monuments
What’s The Air Like In Busia?
The temperature around Busia is more or less homogeneous. Mean maximum temperature ranges yearly between 26°C and 30°C while the average minimum temperature ranges yearly betwixt 14°C and 22°C.
What’s The Lay Of The Land In C.40?
Both the geography and the natural conditions of Busia are largely reflective of the relief features of the surroundings Lake Victoria Catchment, in that much of the county falls within the Lake Victoria Basin.
Abiri Kenya 