Idakho

The Idakho (Abitakho, Idakho, Abidakho) are a Luhya sub-group that reside primarily in the fertile Kakamega District, Western Kenya. Idakho is administratively known as Ikolomani, Ikolomani being the only Constituency in the region.

As is the case with the wider Western Province, Idakho, Kakamega is densely populated with its 2007 population estimated at having surpassed 150,000.

The Idakho people a subgroup of the Luhya ethnic group were estimated in the 2019 Census of Kenya to number 59,661 people.[1]

It is widely believed that the Bidakho are descendants of Mwitakho.[2]

Scarcity of land and the Bidakho's changing lifestyles have made the people diversify with many today engaging in dairy farming and on a smaller scale, tea farming. Maize however is the most widely grown crop, supplying their staple food, bushuma. It is harvested bi-annually.They are known for Isukuti (Mwinuyu) Dance, drum making, and bullfighting.

The traditional life however only serves as a supplement to their 'modern' family life.

Enjoying good levels of literacy (72%), Bidakho today are actively engaged in business, the civil service and private enterprise in all major East African towns.

  1. ^ "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics". December 2019.
  2. ^ Abeingo Community Network. "Abeingo Community Network". Abeingo.org. Archived from the original on 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2014-04-21.