Home stays in Western Kenya
The people of western Kenya, the Luo around Lake Victoria, The Luhya, the Nandi, the Turkana and the Kisii and the Kuria, are a welcoming populace. In view of this, the western Kenya stands best for home stays and tribal and cultural tours. The luo of Lake Victoria are referred to as the remaining whites in Kenya due to their eloquent dialect and command in speaking English language and their lifestyle both in the rural and the urban centres. This pleasant good living has encouraged the volunteers and tourists preferring village and rural home stays to lodge and hotel accommodation while visiting the Lake Victoria region.
Agricultural and Aquaculture Farming at Dominion Farms in Siaya
Dominion group of companies settled in Siaya a few years ago and has turned the former idle Yala swamp at the delta of river Yala into a training, pilot and agricultural and aquaculture producing centre in western Kenya. Scholars in both agriculture and aquaculture studies come world over for research and educational tours of this remotely situated but important farm in western Kenya. With the help of the owner of the group, Calvin Burgess, the dominion farm has contributed a lot in the alleviation of poverty in the western Kenya region.
Western Kenya is also the bread basket of Kenyan populace since the 80% of corn consumed in Kenya comes from western Kenya. The 90% sugar farms in Kenya are within western Kenya not to mention the tea plantations in kericho and Nandi regions with a 95% tea production for export to the world consumers coming from western Kenya.
Bull Fighting in Western Kenya - Shinyalu
Is an ancient Luhya custom which is still being practiced at Shinyalu. Unlike the bullfight of Spain and Mexico where bulls contest with people (matadors) the bulls at shinyalu fight against other bulls. The bulls belong to individuals who in turn belong to the village. At shinyalu, the villagers will escort their bulls with singing and dancing up to the arena. This is after an all night of preparing the bulls for exhortation, praise and endearments, which they believe the bull fully understands. The meeting of the bulls in the field is electrifying. The community signs and dances their famous Isikhuti as they cheer their bull. The bull that is defeated runs for it, often going through a crowd of people amid laughter and derision. The victorious bull is escorted with garlands by its proud villagers. It is a fun event which provides great entertainment.
The cork fighting in Western Kenya - Lurambi
This is a custom which has been practiced in western Kenya for a long time but has never been perfected as a tourist attraction. In Lurambi, Western Kenya, villagers meet at a cork fighting ceremony whereby an individual come carrying his Cork for a Cork fight against the cork of another villager. The corks will be placed on the opposite sides as the villagers cheer and sing for the attack and consequently the corks fight as the villagers cheer as they do during the Bull fighting. The cork that is defeated runs for it and is caught by the owner for slaughter later in the village. The victorious cork is praised and the villagers carry it victoriously as they sing and dance back to their homesteads.
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