Busia District was an administrative district in the Western Province of Kenya. It bordered Kakamega District to the east, Bungoma District and Teso district to the north, Busia District, Uganda to the west, and Lake Victoria to the south.
In 1956, Elgon Nyanza District was split from North Nyanza District. The new district was headquartered at Bungoma.[1] In 1963, the district was split into two districts: Bungoma and Busia, all within Western Province.[2]
Though most residents of Busia District are ethnically Luhya, there is also a substantial population of Luo and Iteso residents.[3]
The district had a total population of 370,608, without the Teso District, in the 1999 census.[4] By 2005, Busia had been split into five districts: Busia, Bunyala, Samia, Teso North, and Teso South; all with a population of 743,946.[5]
In 2010, after the promulgation of the new constitution of Kenya, counties were to be created based on the districts of Kenya as at 1992. This effectively led to the creation of Busia County.
| Local authorities (councils) | |||
| Authority | Type | Population* | Urban pop.* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Busia | Municipality | 44,766 | 30,777 |
| Funyula | Municipality | 18,043 | 1,242 |
| Nambale | Town | 26,168 | 1,005 |
| Port Victoria | Town | 18,472 | 5,917 |
| Busia County | County | 263,159 | 5,516 |
| Total | - | 370,608 | 44,457 |
| * 1999 census | |||
| Administrative divisions | |||
| Division | Population* | Urban pop.* | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budalangi | 53,356 | 5,417 | |
| Butula | 95,489 | 4,805 | Butula |
| Funyula | 73,875 | 1,106 | Funyula |
| Matayos | 56,186 | 0 | Matayos |
| Nambale | 67,544 | 0 | Nambale |
| Township | 25,158 | 15,695 | Busia |
| Total | 370,608 | 27,022 | - |
| * 1999 census | |||
Busia district had four constituencies: