Kisumu

**Kisumu** is a city located on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya. It has a population of just over a million. This means that it is the third largest city in Kenya after Mombasa and the capital Nairobi.

Kisumu was founded in 1901 as the main terminal of the Uganda Railway named "Port Florence". Kisumu is about 320 km (200 mi) northwest of Nairobi. Since Kisumu is a few kilometers south of the Equator, daytime there always lasts about 12 hours. Local sunset always occurs between 18:28 and 18:58 local time.

## History

Kisumu city is one of the oldest settlements in Kenya. Historical records indicate that Kisumu has been
dominated by diverse communities. The people from the Nandi, Kalenjin, Kisii, Maasai, Luo and Luhya
communities lived near Lake Victoria. They called this place "sumo" which literally means _a place of barter trade_.

## Languages

Most people prefer speaking in the English Language in Kisumu. The English language is one of two national languages of Kenya. Most people in Kisumu also speak Dholuo which is the local dialect and Kiswahili. English and Swahili are national languages.

## Transport

Kisumu is served by Kisumu International Airport which has international status, with regular daily flights to Nairobi and Mombasa.

As mentioned above, the Uganda Railway from the port of Mombasa reached Kisumu in 1901. Currently (2013) no passenger trains are operated between Nairobi and Kisumu.

Kisumu is connected to the cities of Nakuru, Nairobi and Mombasa via the A104 highway and to the north city of Eldoret via the B1 highway.
A 450 km lake Victoria ring road along the shores of the lake is currently under construction and will pass by the city.

## Points of interest

Hippo Point is a  viewing area on Lake Victoria. Despite its name, it is better known as a viewing point for sunsets over the lake than for its occasional hippos. Hippo point is located near the village of Dunga, a few kilometres South West of Kisumu. The village also has a fishing port and a camping site.

## In popular culture

- The book _“Kisumu”_ (by Okang'a Ooko) describes the story about the musicians in Kisumu (2018).

- Part of the events in the 2017 story _“Consummation in Mombasa”_ (by Andrei Gusev) takes place in Kisumu. The plot describes the Catholic wedding of the main characters (Russian writer Andy and Jennifer) in Mombasa and their trip to Kisumu, where Jennifer was born.

- The song _“Kisumu”_ (by Zack Okello) talks about how Kisumu is growing (2015).

## Infobox (settlement)

- **official name**: Kisumu
- **settlement type**: List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, City
- **image skyline**: Kisumu montage.png
- **image caption**: Clockwise: Lake Victoria Panorama, Kisumu Panorama, sunset at Oginga Odinga street, Downtown, #Hippo Point, Kiboko Point, Nighttime in Kisumu and Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground
- **flag size**: 100px
- **pushpin map**: Kenya
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision type1**: County
- **subdivision name1**: Kisumu County
- **leader title**: Governor
- **leader name**: Anyang' Nyong'o
- **population as of**: 2017
- **population metro**: 1,068,826
- **population total**: 500,000
- **timezone**: East Africa Time, EAT
- **utc offset**: +3
- **elevation m**: 1131
- **website**: [http://kisumu.go.ke kisumu.go.ke]