The 'Nzoia River' is a 160-mile (257 km) long
Kenyan river, rising from
Mount Elgon. It flows
south and then
west, eventually flowing into
Lake Victoria near the town of
Busia.
The river is important to Western Kenya, flowing through a region estimated to be populated by over 1.5 million people. Its waters provide irrigation all year round, while the annual floods around the lowland area of Budalangi deposit sediment that contributes to the area's good agricultural production.
Around the industrial region centred at
Webuye, the river absorbs a lot of effluent from the
paper and
sugar factories in the area. The river has a number of spectacular waterfalls, and is thought to possess a good hydroelectricity generation potential.