The Bukusu who occupy much of the county are resilient and flamboyant people who stood up against British rule in the late 19th century.
The area is inhabited by the Bukusu people and there is a growing populations of Saboats, Tesos and even Kikuyus.
Misikhu is populated by the Bukusu tribe although there are a number of other smaller Luhya clans bordering Misikhu.
Musikari Kombo hails from the larger Luhya community Bukusu sub tribe Balunda clan (descendants of Mulunda, believed to have migrated into Congo from East Africa).
the area around the town is inhabited by both the Bukusu and the Tachoni.
Bukusu |
Because it borders the nilotic Kalenjin languages of the Pokot, Nandi and Sebei to the north, east and west, the Bukusu language spoken in Kitale area has largely retained its original form, save for a number of loan words from those languages.
The Bukusu have produced many prominent people that have served in the Kenyan public life among them the late Hon Wamalwa Kijana (former vice president), the late Cardinal Maurice Michael Otunga (head of the Catholic Church in Kenya), the late Elijah Masinde (founder of Dini ya Musambwa), Sudi Namachanja (chief during colonial days), Luka Namulala (community fore teller), among others.