Economy
Farming is the main economic activity in the province.
Bungoma district is sugar country, with one of the country's largest sugar factories, as well as numerous small-holder sugar mills. Maize is also grown for subsistence, alongside pearl millet and sorghum. Dairy farming is widely practised, as well as the raising of poultry. There is a small but important tourist circuit, centering on the biennial circumcision ceremonies.
Kakamega district has a mixture of both subsistence and cash crop farming, with sugar cane being the preferred medium to large scale crop. The district has two sugar factories. There is also a significant tourism industry centering on Kakamega Forest.
Busia district experiences perennial floods from the Nzoia River, and the dominant economic activity is fishing on Lake Victoria. Limited commercial farming is also practiced, mainly of sugar cane. Subsistence farming of cassava is widely practiced.
Vihiga district has large tea plantations, and is the most densely populated rural area in Kenya. Quarrying for construction materials is a significant activity in the hilly district. Dairy farming is also widely practiced in Vihiga.
Western Kenya has many large factories, including sugar processing plants (4 factories). The largest of these is Mumias Sugar, based at Mumias, to the west of Kakamega. This factory produces the dominant sugar brand in Kenya and is an economic success story. Also in Western Kenya is the largest paper factory in Africa (Pan Paper Mills in Webuye) and chemical processors. Despite this, living standards are generally low and social amenities like running water and electricity are not available to the majority of the province's residents.
Read more about this topic: Western Province (Kenya)
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