Mbita Town Suba District

Inhabitants

Most of the inhabitants in Suba District are Luos and Luo Basuba, who are the River Lake Nilotes originally from Southern Sudan and cross section of Bantu and Nilotic mixed race who migrated to Western Kenya through Uganda along lake Victoria in the 15th century. They were called the River Lake Nilotes because they were fishermen from along the River Nile. They speak Dholuo (meaning Luo Language). Luos are the second largest of the 43 main tribes in Kenya. The river Lake Nilotes came to Kenya through 4 main family groups: Jok Jok, Jok Owiny, Jok Omollo and Luo Abasuba leaving the Padhola, Acholi, and Aluru families in Uganda.

Mbita Economy

Rural residents of Mbita mainly depend on agriculture as their main source of food and income. The area receives two rainy seasons a year: March to June and September to December. The farming is mostly subsistence based and major crops grown are sorghum, potatoes, cassava, beans and maize. When farmer's have surplus crops they sell in local markets for income.

In the past some farmers have grown cotton and coffee as cash crops, but the markets unreliability disappointed them. These days most farmers prefer to grow food crops they can put on their table and sell in local markets. Mbita town serves as a trading center for the community around it and the nearby Islands. In the town most people work in small businesses and district offices. There are a number of retail shops, bars, hotels, cafes, and residential houses. There is also (no bank but cooperative society micro credit village banks), a post office, transport service companies, Small supermarket, chemists, 1 health center, and some private clinics.

Poverty in Suba District

Though there are many development initiatives in the area, poverty is still a major challenge. Most families live on less than a dollar a day. Poverty hits hardest in areas facing low rainfall levels and poor soil fertility, such as the lower parts of gembe hills, lower Nyamanga, Rusinga and Waondo Locations.

Poverty was not always a problem. Community elders talk of times when there was plenty of milk and food. Cattle herds were larger and their manure made for fertile soil. Many factors have caused poverty to spread during the last 20 years.

As the local population grew and new land use systems shifted ownership from common to individual, problems began. There was growing pressure on natural resources such as trees (for firewood and building). Deforestation led to erosion and desertification and a decrease in soil fertility. Lack of trees also reduced rainfall and caused rivers and streams to dry up. Soil infertility and other causes led to low crop production and lower animal production.

At the same time, expenses for such things as education and healthcare rose dramatically as Kenya's economy grew. In the past, people could not have imagined needing one cow to pay for one year's worth of school fees for one child, let alone the five cows that are necessary these days.

Climate of Suba district

Suba district has two rainy seasons. The geography of the land influences distribution and amount of rainfall. The district is drier in the Eastern part towards Usao nad waondo locations and is wetter towards the higher altitudes in the western parts of Gwasi hills and Mfangano Island. On the highlands the rainfall ranges between 800-1900mm per annum. The lower areas receive between 800-1200mm.

The long rains fall between March and June, with a peak in April and May. Short rains do not last as long and typically fall from late September to November. In the past the pattern was consistent but now it can be unpredictable, having negative impact on farming.

Temperatures also vary with altitude. The mean minimum temperature is 15'C while the mean maximum temperature is 30'C. The humidity is relatively high with mean evaporation being between 1800mm to 2000mm in a year.

Agriculture activities in Suba district

Many crops are grown in Suba district. There are a small amounts of cotton, sugarcane and pepper as cash crops. Green vegetables such as kale and indigenous greens grow with partial irrigation. Farmers use kitchen water, spring water and intricate systems of trenches for catching rainwater to irrigate, mostly by hand.

Bananas, sweet potatoes and cassava do well when fed by rain and are grown widely as security crops that will withstand drought and feed families during famines. These can also be sold for income, especially bananas.

Local breeds make up most of the livestock in Suba district. Farmers crossbreed cattle and poultry to raise the quality of the local breeds. In the past there was enough land for cows to graze freely in fields and most families had large herds of more than 20 heads. The average family in Suba District has only around 4 cows. Most compounds that you visit will have a flock of free-range chickens.