Butere

Butere is a town in the Western Province of Kenya. It has an urban population of 8636 (1999 census) [http://www.ilri.cgiar.org/html/Urban%20Poverty%20all%20Kenya%20Province%20through%20Location%20Final.xls] The town is the capital of Butere/Mumias District, although Mumias is a larger town. Butere is linked by road to Mumias (in north) and Kisumu (SE). A branch railway line from Kisumu ends at Butere. Passenger servive on the branch line was resumed in January 2007 after lengthy suspension [http://eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143963523] .

The name Butere comes from one of the main clans in the division the aBatere subclan who reside in areas such as Muyundi, Masaba and around the township.

Economy

Butere's: Ecomomic Mainstay is subsistence maize production though the division is an important supplier of raw sugar cane to Mumias sugar company. Residents of this division are also small scale cattle keepers.

The people of Butere have traditionally been small scale farmers planting soghum, millet and vegetables which they traded with their neighbours from south Nyanza with fish from lake victoria.

The introduction of maize saw a change of staple food from ugali made from soghum to maize meal.

Inharbitants

The division is inharbited by the Marama clan of the larger Luhya tribe with a significant element of Luo immigrants from the neighbouring Siaya District. The Marama's most popular dance is the lipala dance which seems to be vanishing with modernity.

Prominent Personalities

Current Kenyan vice president Moody Awori was born in Butere. Other notable figures who hail from Butere include politician Martin Shikuku, Prof. George Eshiwani, Communications expert and video producer Abwao Peter, musician Sukuma bin Ongaro and Prof Ruth Oniango, currently a nominated MP.

PoliticsThe politics of Butere have been dominated by clan rivalries. Martin Shikuku the area MP since independent represented the constituency with short breaks until he was ousted by former University of Nairobi Lecturer, Dr. Amukowa Anangwe in the 1997 general elections. Anangwe was however in 2002 austed by flamboyant Wycliffe Oparanya whose popularity was boosted by his youth soccer programme in the division.

The 2007 elections remains open with no clear front runner though the constituency seems to have abandoned Musikari Kombo's Ford Kenya in favour of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)now lead by Langata MP Raila Odinga. This is evidenced by an apparent rush by most politicians to troop to the party with the lates defector being former Ministr Dr. Amukowa Anangwe.

ReligionThe division is predominantly Anglican though other denominations claim a significant percentage of followers. The outgoing Bishop of Butere ACK diocese, Horace Etemesi successfully used the ACK influence to plant Dr. Anangwe as area MP in 1997 over Martin Shikuku a catholic but his influence was insignificant in the wake of the 2002 NARC wave.