Letter from Webuye: Did Industrial revolution bypass Western Kenya?

Pan African Paper Mills. [File, Standard]

There is something intoxicating about Western Kenya. I never get tired of visiting the place. After visiting Mumias, my next destination was Webuye in Bungoma County. We all knew about it from primary school geography: the home of Pan-Africa Paper Mills, commonly known as PanPaper.

The factory, like Mumias, faced economic headwinds from politics, failure to innovate, and global competition. It closed before reopening as Rai Paper.  The trip from Kakamega to Webuye took me about an hour through Lubao (never saw dogs on sale), Malava (not Malaba), a forest, Butali (very vibrant with foodstuffs) and finally Matete (another dog market?).