"Small Commerical Center" a Oyugis Travel Page by glabah

Not much exists in Oyugis that would be of interest to most travelers. It is a very active commercial center for the surrounding farm and forest lands, and Lake Victoria is nearby.

The community has been one of the hardest hit due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and a very large portion of the children here are orphans due to the loss of both parents. There are a number of different sources out there that discuss the effect of this epidemic on this community, so further research on that may be warrented. At least one source says it is one of the worst in Africa in terms of the number of HIV/AIDS orphans.

This gives a fairly bleak impression of the community, and the unfortunate reality is not far from that impression. This reality first strikes a visitor when they pass through this community of only about 50,000 people and see the sheer number of coffin stores.

The main street through town is paved, and is a fairly important highway for the region. During certain days of the week, the open areas along this road through the central area of Oyugis are turned into an extremely busy open market. Many of the items sold are foods and animals, but you will also find some local crafts that could be of interest. If you decide to make a purchase, get ready to fend off the huge horde of vendors that will gather to try to get you to purchase everything else imaginable.

The countryside around the community is quite attractive, and from some of the hills it is possible to see parts of Lake Victoria.

The region surrounding Oyugis is mostly hilly farmland. The roads are mostly dirt, and most people walk in order to get from place to place. You will find that bundles of all sizes and shapes are carried on heads, on bicycle, and in any other manner you can imagine.

People here generally do not see white people. Throughout the entire visit here, it was not unusual at all for children to come out of houses nearby yelling "Muzungu! Muzungu!" That is to say, "White Person! White Person!" In almost all cases, this was not a matter of hostility, but more a matter that so few of the children had ever seen a white person before that they wanted all their freinds in the surrounding countryside to know we were here as well.