Ugunja town is 72 km north of the nearest city, Kisumu, which sits on the shores of Lake Victoria.
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.
Also in the area are a bank, a post office, transport service companies, supermarkets, chemists, three health centers, dispensaries, and some private clinics.
Ugunja town is also the location of the Ugunja Community Resource Centre.Some of the notable personalities from Ugunja include General (Rtd) Pasteur Awitta (former commander of the Kenya Navy), Edward Ouko (former Auditor General in the Government of Kenya), Killen Awitta (Head of Global Rapid Response, Plan International UK).