By Stephen Makabila and Robert Wanyonyi

Bungoma is among five towns that will benefit from a multi-million project under the Urban Development Programme.

Mayor Majimbo Okumu says the redesign plan would cost Sh30 million and give the town a new lease of life.

The road from Kakamega to Bungoma town. [PHOTOS: BENJAMIN SAKWA/STANDARD]

"We are grateful to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government Musalia Mudavadi for including the town in this programme," says Mr Okumu.

Other towns benefiting from the programme are Othaya, Garissa, Mtwapa and Eldoret.

Diminished status

However, Bungoma’s status has diminished after the big district was split. The town now only serves two constituencies.

In recent years, Bungoma District has been sub-divided into five: Bungoma East (headquarters at Webuye), Bungoma North (Mukuyuni), Bungoma West (Sirisia), Bungoma Central (Chwele) and Bungoma South (Bungoma).

The population of the five districts is estimated to be 1.4 million.

This large population coupled with rural unemployment has started to put pressure on land and other natural resources.

There is hope that if more provinces are created as promised by leaders, the town may become the headquarters of a new province to be hived off Western Province.

Many residents say the town would have developed better were it not associated with opposition politics for nearly two decades.

Politically, for a long time, the residents have been members of Ford-Kenya, the party formerly headed by the late Wamalwa Kijana.

But community members now have MPs drawn from ODM, PNU and Ford-Kenya.