Bungoma

Bungoma is a town in western Kenya and the seat of Bungoma County. It began as a trading centre in the early twentieth century and sits at the foot of Mount Elgon, Kenya's second-highest mountain, in a district with some of the highest average rainfall in the country, which makes the surrounding farmland one of the national food baskets. Sugarcane is the main cash crop, tied to the Nzoia Sugar Company and many small mills, while maize, pearl millet, sorghum, dairy and poultry farming supply local food. The town also has maize mills, bakeries, dairy plants and a plastic factory, and the Kenya-Uganda Railway passes through it. Its name is said to come from the Bong'omek people of the Kalenjin community who once lived there before the Bukusu displaced them. Education institutions in the area include Kibabii University and the Friends School Kamusinga.