VIHIGA COUNTY ASSEMBLY Vihiga County is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Vihiga. The County borders Kakamega County to the north, Nandi County to the east, Kisumu County to the south and Siaya County to the west. The County has a population of 554,622 (2009 census) and covers an area of 563 km². There are four major townships: Luanda, Majengo, Chavakali and Mbale Town which serves as the administrative headquarters. The County has four districts headed by district commissioners and three sub-counties headed by sub-county administrators. The Governor, Hon. Rev. Moses Akaranga heads the executive and is assisted by 10 cabinet secretaries and other senior county staff. The County Assembly is the legislative arm and is headed by the Speaker, Hon. Daniel Chitwah and the Clerk Mr Josephat Musambayi. The Assembly Clerk is assisted in his duties by other assembly staff from different departments, notably Administration, ICT and Hansard, Finance, audit and Procurement. The Assembly is close to Majengo township along the Majengo- Luanda road opposite Vihiga police station. K E N Y A Geographically, a larger part of the County is hilly terrain. It also has a good amount of forest cover such as the Kibiri Forest, which is an extension of Kakamega Forest. Economy Agriculture is the main economic activity. Crops planted include maize, millet, bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes and cassava. Main economic activities include tea farming, eucalyptus tree farming, sand and stone quarrying, dairy farming and horticulture. Apart from those in formal employment most residents engage in informal trade, with Luanda market being the largest in the region. Education • Number of institutions: Primary 412; Secondary 214 • School enrolment: Primary 180,112; Secondary 38,413 • Teacher to pupil ratio stands at 1:50 for public schools Health Notable hospitals in the County include the Vihiga District Hospital, Emuhaya and the Hamisi Health Centres. Contact Tel: +254 723 037 863 Email: josephatsamba@yahoo.com VIHIGA Governor Moses Akaranga has an open-door policy and has invited young people with problems to visit him in his office so that ‘they can find a solution to issues facing them instead of engaging in crime’ ‘Unemployment is the major challenge and reason why the majority of the residents of Vihiga County are living in poverty. I will ensure that we have job centres where our people will be able to access jobs. This will ensure that our people are recruited in their fields of specialisation.’ Governor Moses Akaranga Josephat Musambayi, Clerk to the Assembly The Hon. Daniel C. Chitwa, Speaker
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