Hamisi Constituency
Encyclopedia
Hamisi Constituency is within the area covered by the newly created Hamisi District of Western Province
in the Republic of Kenya. The name "Hamisi" comes from an old rural shopping centre situated about 15 kilometres from the main Kisumu
-Kakamega
Road. The first shopkeeper to settle here was a Mr. Hamisi, who traded here for many years, thus the place came to be known as Hamisi Trading Centre. This then became the Constituency headquarters, and now, the District Headquarters.
Originally, Hamisi Constituency was part of the larger Vihiga District
. In the spirit of "bringing government services closer to the people", the President of the Republic of Kenya created this new district in the year 2007. The current Member of Parliament for Hamisi is Hon. George M. Khaniri
, who inherited the seat from his late father, Nicodemus Khaniri. The late Hon. Nicodemus khaniri died of a heart attack in 1994 as he was opening the new residence of a constituent, Dr. Tom Mulusa.
Hamisi District is a hilly terrain straddling the Equator
, from east to west. The majority of the inhabitants are poor peasant
farmers who eke out a living from a harsh, rocky land. Although this region has adequate annual rainfall, the inhabitants lack skills and tools to harvest the rainwater. Thus, water shortage is a perennial problem here. The main cash crop
is tea
, which is grown at higher altitudes in the region. Other crops are maize
, millet
, banana
s, avocado
, papaya
, sweet potato
es and cassava
. The inhabitants also rear cattle
, goat
s, sheep and chicken
s. This District is rated as one of the poorest in the country due to the high population growth
and alcoholism
amongst the youth.
Hamisi is headquarters to four main Christian Churches; the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) at Nyang'ori, Friends' Church (Quackers) at Kaimosi
,the African Divine Church at Boyani near Gamalenga and Israel (Nineve) Church at Jebrok. The prevalence of religious activities has not reduced undesirable delinquencies in this region. Literacy
rates are above Kenyan Rural average; but a serious lack of educational tools to push this resource to the next level is the main challenge.
Kaimosi, one of the notable towns in Hamisi, has been a major attraction to international visitors who come as students, Peace Corps
volunteers, and missionaries
. Some of the major schools in Hamisi are Kaimosi High Schools for boys and girls, Kaimosi Teachers College, Friends College Kaimosi, Kaimosi Special School, and Kaimosi Friends Primary School
. Another attraction is the "Hill of Vision" or Javujiluachi in local dialect,Tiriki.
The Tiriki
community,majority of the people who inhabit Hamisi District are cultural diehards who practice traditional circumcision
rites of passage
into manhood, where initiates spend a month in the bush being taught Tiriki community values.
Youth unemployment
is rampant although many young people have resorted to motorcycle transport for income generation. HIV
-AIDS
is one of the leading causes of death in Hamisi District. The spread of HIV-AIDS has been attributed to the presence of institutions in the Kaimosi Complex and Market Centers such as Cheptulu, Serem, and Shamakhokho.
Western Province (Kenya)
The Western Province of Kenya, bordering Uganda, is one of Kenya's seven administrative provinces outside Nairobi. It is west of the Eastern Rift Valley and is inhabited mainly by the Luhya people. Quakerism is widely practised here. Kenya's second highest mountain, Mount Elgon is located in...
in the Republic of Kenya. The name "Hamisi" comes from an old rural shopping centre situated about 15 kilometres from the main Kisumu
Kisumu
Kisumu is a port city in western Kenya at , with a population of 355,024 . It is the third largest city in Kenya, the principal city of western Kenya, the immediate former capital of Nyanza Province and the headquarters of Kisumu County. It has a municipal charter but no city charter...
-Kakamega
Kakamega
Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of . The town has a population of 73,607 ....
Road. The first shopkeeper to settle here was a Mr. Hamisi, who traded here for many years, thus the place came to be known as Hamisi Trading Centre. This then became the Constituency headquarters, and now, the District Headquarters.
Originally, Hamisi Constituency was part of the larger Vihiga District
Vihiga District
Vihiga District is an administrative district in the Western Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Mbale, which is located in Vihiga Division. The district has a population of 498,883 and an area of 563 km²...
. In the spirit of "bringing government services closer to the people", the President of the Republic of Kenya created this new district in the year 2007. The current Member of Parliament for Hamisi is Hon. George M. Khaniri
George Khaniri
George Haniri is a Kenyan politician. He belongs to the Orange Democratic Movement and was elected to represent the Hamisi Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya since the Kenyan parliamentary election, 2007.-References:...
, who inherited the seat from his late father, Nicodemus Khaniri. The late Hon. Nicodemus khaniri died of a heart attack in 1994 as he was opening the new residence of a constituent, Dr. Tom Mulusa.
Hamisi District is a hilly terrain straddling the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, from east to west. The majority of the inhabitants are poor peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
farmers who eke out a living from a harsh, rocky land. Although this region has adequate annual rainfall, the inhabitants lack skills and tools to harvest the rainwater. Thus, water shortage is a perennial problem here. The main cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
is tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
, which is grown at higher altitudes in the region. Other crops are maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
, papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
, sweet potato
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
es and cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
. The inhabitants also rear cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, sheep and chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s. This District is rated as one of the poorest in the country due to the high population growth
Population growth
Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....
and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
amongst the youth.
Hamisi is headquarters to four main Christian Churches; the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) at Nyang'ori, Friends' Church (Quackers) at Kaimosi
Kaimosi
Kaimosi is a town in western Kenya, heavily influenced by Quakers.It is located along the C39 road, 10 kilometres east of Chavakali and 30 kilometres west of Kapsabet...
,the African Divine Church at Boyani near Gamalenga and Israel (Nineve) Church at Jebrok. The prevalence of religious activities has not reduced undesirable delinquencies in this region. Literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
rates are above Kenyan Rural average; but a serious lack of educational tools to push this resource to the next level is the main challenge.
Kaimosi, one of the notable towns in Hamisi, has been a major attraction to international visitors who come as students, Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
volunteers, and missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. Some of the major schools in Hamisi are Kaimosi High Schools for boys and girls, Kaimosi Teachers College, Friends College Kaimosi, Kaimosi Special School, and Kaimosi Friends Primary School
Kaimosi Friends Primary School
Kaimosi Friends Primary School, is the oldest formal school in Kenya. It is located in Kaimosi in Western Province. The school was established in 1903 as Friends Africa Industrial Mission by the Quaker Missionaries of the United States of America, who left South Africa to spread Quaker mission...
. Another attraction is the "Hill of Vision" or Javujiluachi in local dialect,Tiriki.
The Tiriki
Tiriki tribe (Luhya)
The Tiriki are one of sixteen tribes of the Luhya people. The word Tiriki is also used to refer to their geographical location in Vihiga district, Hamisi Division in the Western province of Kenya...
community,majority of the people who inhabit Hamisi District are cultural diehards who practice traditional circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
rites of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
into manhood, where initiates spend a month in the bush being taught Tiriki community values.
Youth unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
is rampant although many young people have resorted to motorcycle transport for income generation. HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
-AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
is one of the leading causes of death in Hamisi District. The spread of HIV-AIDS has been attributed to the presence of institutions in the Kaimosi Complex and Market Centers such as Cheptulu, Serem, and Shamakhokho.