Bungoma is a market town 130 kilometers from the Ugandan border in Western Kenya. The diocese of Bungoma stretches from Mt. Elgon in the north to Lake Victoria in the south and has a population of 2.2 million people. The majority of people in this region are of the Luhya Tribe, which is divided into 17 sub-tribes.
In Mt. Elgon, the Sabots, also know as Elgon Maasai, are farmers and herders. Sabots use the cool damp climate to grow potatoes, carrots and cabbage which are then carried down the mountain by oxen, donkeys, bicycles and carts for sale throughout the region. Mt. Elgon is quite cut-off and homogeneous, with practically no infrastructure or employment opportunities.
At Lake Victoria in the south, the appeal of fishing and relative ease of transportation creates a mixed community. The tribe local to Port Victoria are Banyala, but people from all over Kenya come to the area for work. Sadly, this transience brings with it child labour, prostitution, and the spread of HIV. This area has one of the highest levels of HIV in Western Province.
