Kamtyong is one of the smallest sub-locations in Mt. Elgon District. It was carved out of the Kibuk sub-location. Its inhabitants are mainly Sabaot, Teso, Bukusu and, to a smaller extent, Luo. The Sabaot are indigenous to the area whereas the rest of the communities are immigrants. The only time of unrest was during the infamous tribal clashes of 1991-92. All the communities now live in harmony after settling back on their farms in 1993.
The sub-location has been exposed to various development interventions and natural environmental phenomena from as far back as the community can remember. Between 1910 and 1911, Murunga was installed as the chief by the colonial government. The Mt. Elgon Forest boundary was established between 1922 and 1924. Young men of this area were taken to World War II after which some worked in the European farms in Trans Nzoia District. Some of them returned at the time of land adjudication in 1965 after independence. Throughout their history, there have been natural catastrophes like the locust invasion of 1930-31, famine in 1932, severe drought of 1945, floods of 1961 coupled with army worm attack, the famine of 1968 -72 and 1980-82, and most recently, the El Nino rains of 1997.
