Kisumu County is one of 47 counties in the Republic of Kenya. Its borders follow those of the original Kisumu District, one of the former
administrative districts
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
of the former
Nyanza Province
Nyanza Province (; sw, Mkoa wa Nyanza) was one of Kenya's Provinces of Kenya, eight administrative provinces before the formation of the Counties of Kenya, 47 counties under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 constitution. Six counties were organis ...
in western
Kenya
)
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. Its headquarters is
Kisumu
Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...
City which is the third largest city in Kenya after the capital
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
and the coastal city of
Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
. It has a population of 1,155,574 (according to the 2019 National Census). The land area of Kisumu County totals 2085.9 km
2.
Kisumu County's neighbours are
Siaya County
Siaya County is one of the Counties of Kenya, counties in the former Nyanza Province in the Western part of Kenya. It is bordered by Busia County to the north, Kakamega County and Vihiga County's to the northeast and Kisumu County to the southe ...
to the West,
Vihiga County
Vihiga County is an administrative region in the former Western Province of Kenya whose headquarters are in Mbale, the largest town in the county. The county has a population of 554,622 (2009 census) and an area of 563 km2. Formally a di ...
to the North,
Nandi County
Nandi County is a county in Kenya in the North Rift, occupying an area of 2,884.4 square kilometres. Its capital, Kapsabet, is the largest town in the county while other towns include Mosoriot, Tinderet, Kobujoi, Kaiboi, Kabiyet and Nandi ...
to the North East and
Kericho County
Kericho County is one of the 47 Counties of Kenya, counties in Kenya. The county seats between longitude 35°02' and 35°40' East and between the equator and latitude 0°23' South with an altitude of about 2002m above the sea level. It borders ...
to the East. Its neighbour to the South is
Nyamira County
Nyamira County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya
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and
Homa Bay County
Homa Bay County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Homa Bay. The county has a population of 1,131,950 (2019 census) and an area of 3,154.7 km2. Lake Victoria is a major source of livelihood ...
is to the South West. The county has a shoreline on
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...
, occupying northern, western and a part of the southern shores of the
Winam Gulf
Winam Gulf is a significant extension of northeastern Lake Victoria into western Kenya. Formerly known as Kavirondo Gulf, Nyanza Gulf, and Lake Nyanza Gulf, it is a shallow inlet and is connected to the main lake by Rusinga Channel ( wide), w ...
.
Etymology
The name Kisumu comes from the
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
word "Kisuma"Kikelo. Generally, Kisuma means "a place where people meet to exchange goods" but it does not necessarily mean the same word as "market" (chiro in Luo). The term was especially used during famine where a person could " visit" relatives who had some short of harvest where the "visitor" when going back to his/her place could be "escorted with" or given some grains and dried meat (aliya in Luo). The word originally comes from the verb "sumo", which means "getting material want through exchange or as an assistance when one has minimal ability then, it should be differentiated from 'fulo' where one rummages through the farm of someone else after the harvest to pick dropped or omitted crops to collect and take home for consumption". When Europeans and Indians came to the area of the present-day city of Kisumu, pronouncing the name "Kisuma" correctly proved difficult, and the name evolved into the current Kisumu. The local people however, now popularly call the place "Kisumo".
Geography
Kisumu County is located in western Kenya, far from the nation’s capital. (To the southwest, in neighboring Siaya County, lies the village of
Nyang’oma Kogelo
Nyang'oma Kogelo, also known as Kogelo, is a village in Siaya County, Kenya. It is located near the equator, 60 kilometres (37 mi) west-northwest of Kisumu, the former Nyanza provincial capital. The population of Nyangoma-Kogelo is 3,64 ...
, birthplace of
Barack Obama Sr.
Barack Hussein Obama Sr. (; 18 June 1934 – 24 November 1982) was a Kenyan senior governmental economist and the father of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. He is a central figure of his son's memoir, '' Dreams from My Fa ...
) The city of Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria, has historically functioned as a major center of Western Kenya commerce. Because of its location along Africa’s largest lake, the area is ideally situated for fishing and fish processing, but the central government has long controlled key concessions on the lake, and economic development has left many of the inhabitants behind. Fishing, sugarcane farming, and rice farming are the county’s principal industries.
Climate
The climate of the whole county is modified by the presence of
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...
. The county has an annual relief rainfall that ranges between 1200 mm and 1300 mm in different sectors. The rain mainly falls in two seasons. Kisumu is known for its thunderstorms, which are the major type of precipitation and normally occur in mid-afternoon during the rainy season.
The temperature of the surrounding towns and regions can vary greatly. On the western side, which includes the constituencies of Kisumu West and Seme, temperatures tend to be cooler than the adjacent lake basin. Maseno Division and Nyahera division are known for moderate weather conditions. On the Eastern side, Nyabodo plateau is cooler than the neighboring Kano Plains.
Kisumu is warm throughout the year with a mean annual temperature of 23. 0C. The temperature ranges between 20 0C and 35 0C but seldom falls below 19 0C. The humidity is relatively high throughout the year.
Political leadership
The second and current Governor of Kisumu County is
Anyang' Nyong'o
Peter Anyang' Nyong'o (born 10 October 1943) is a Kenyan politician and author who is the Governor of Kisumu County. He is a former Secretary-General of Orange Democratic Movement (the current Secretary-General is Edwin Sifuna). Professor Nyong' ...
, and the Deputy Governor is
Dr. Mathews Owili. Before the election of Prof. Nyong'o and Dr. Owili in August 2017, the First Governor from 2013 to 2017 was
Mr. Jack Ranguma whose Deputy was
Ms. Ruth Odinga. Fredrick Otieno Outa is the second senator after the first senator Anyang Nyong ran for governor in 2017. Rozaah Akinyi Buyu is the women representative and join office in 2017, she is the second women representative after winning against first women representative Rose Nyamunga.
The legislature of the county is called the
County Assembly and has 35 representatives.
Administrative and political units
Administratively, the county is divided into 7 constituencies which share common boundaries and names with 7 of the 8 sub-counties, the eighth Kadibo sub-county was created by President
Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.
Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
's administration and was gazetted on 29 October 2021, with the headquarters of the sub-county to be at
Rabuor. It was split from Nyando Sub-county The sub-counties are further divided into 35 wards, which also forward representatives to the County Assembly in Kisumu City.
Economy
Fishing
![Kenya Kisumu Harbour Hyacinths 1997ke09b21](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Kenya_Kisumu_Harbour_Hyacinths_1997ke09b21.jpg)
Kisumu County sits on the shores of Lake Victoria, providing it with the potential to be a major centre of fishing. However, the use of old technologies hampers the full development of the industry. Also, the recent water hyacinth menace on the lake has reduced fish catches significantly. The new
county government
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
has provided equipment which currently rolling out the floating hyacinth on the surface of the lake. This has led to an increase in the movements of the transportation vessels including waterbuses and ships.
Agriculture
Rice is grown under irrigation in the
Kano Plains. Most of the water for irrigation comes from
River Nyando, whose annual floods displace huge numbers of people but also deposit a lot of fertile silt all across the plain. The northern and eastern fringes of the
Kano Plains also play host to some of Kenya's most productive
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
fields. Towns like Kibos, Miwani and Chemelil are centres of sugarcane production. Kisumu County also produces maize, beans, sweet potatoes, poultry and fresh vegetables.
Industry
Kisumu city and the surrounding areas have several light industries. These include textiles, molasses, fish processing plants and agricultural produce processors. Kisumu has 4 sugar factories, at Chemelil, Muhoroni, Kibos and Miwani. However, the mill at Miwani is not operational after its original owners abandoned it in the year 1988. Also present in the main industrial area is a large scale maize milling company. Several backyard industries also thrive in the county, including tailoring, making of handicrafts and boat-building.
Services
Kisumu city is the major commercial centre in Western Kenya. Service industries like wholesale & retail trade, bicycle repair, car repair, entertainment centres and low scale IT services abound within and outside the city. Several banks have their regional offices in the city, servicing the entire western Kenya region.
Transport and Communications
Transport
![Boat ride](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Boat_ride.jpg)
Kisumu county has several paved roads, the major one being the Nairobi-Bondo road, which has a branch at Kisian heading to Busia. Important roads are paved with asphalt. County roads are mostly murram but provide all weather movement all year. Public transport services are provided by
matatus and
buses
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
either operating singly or as parts of franchises and companies. Bicycle and motorcycle
boda-bodas also exist in significant quantities for short distance travel. From
Kisumu County’s road department, the county is determined towards advancing its transportation by spending sh600 million in renovating old roads and building new ones within 2018 to 2019 financial year.
The city of Kisumu was founded as a terminal for the railway, and therefore has an important railway station. The narrow gauge railway moves both passengers and cargo, linking Kisumu with other cities and towns along the line. The new national government has pledged to build a new modern metro network for the city.
Water transport on the lake is provided mostly by private operators in wooden boats with outboard engines, although a ferry service exists. The services connect towns on the shores and also help in crossing the lake. They also link the county with the other three lakeside counties and the countries of
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
and
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
. The port of Kisumu is very inactive at the moment but has the potential to become a regional centre of lake transport and a gateway for Kenya into the rest of the
African Great Lakes
The African Great Lakes ( sw, Maziwa Makuu; rw, Ibiyaga bigari) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. They include Lake Victoria, the second-largest fresh water lake in the ...
region.
Kisumu International Airport has been upgraded and now has the potential to be an entreport for the entire region. Schedule flights land from Nairobi, Mombasa and several cities in neighbouring countries.
Communications
Mobile phone penetration is high, and the coverage by the major service providers (
Safaricom
Safaricom PLC is a listed Kenyan mobile network operator headquartered at Safaricom House in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the largest telecommunications provider in Kenya, and one of the most profitable companies in the East and Central Africa region. Th ...
,
Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited, commonly known as (d/b/a) Airtel, is an Indian multinational telecommunications services company based in New Delhi. It operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. Current ...
, and
Telkom is basically reliable. The post offices in the county still function. Courier services also exist, providing quick ways of sending parcels and letters outside the county.
Tourism
Kisumu County is fast developing into a major tourist destination in the
Western Tourism Circuit of Kenya. Replete with great scenery and diversity concentrated within a relatively small area, Kisumu County's tourism sector is expected to experience a major boom.
Features like the shoreline of Lake Victoria,
Kit Mikayi and other rocks of similar stature,
Ndere Island
Ndere Island is a small island () in Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria in Kenya. It was gazetted as the Ndere Island National Reserve in November 1986 and has since that time been uninhabited.
''Ndere'' means "meeting place" in Dholuo. According to Lu ...
National Park (which hosts an amazing variety of wildlife within a confined area), the
God Mesa viewpoint in Nyabondo (from which one has a panoramic view of the Nyando Plains and Lake Victoria in the distance, and the inselbergs around the Kisian area provide a great attraction for tourists. The Kisumu Museum and the Impala Park provide further tourist attractions. Kisumu is touted to have one of the best sunsets in the world, and arguably the best in Kenya, with the sun sinking into the horizon over the lake turning the water into many hues, a spectacle that continues to drive up tourist numbers into the county.
The Kisumu International Airport now has the potential to deliver international tourists directly into the county, and it is expected that this will be a major boon for the industry in the county. Tourist infrastructure, like hotels and lodges, are now springing up in many places.
Education
![UON Kisumu](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/UON_Kisumu.jpg)
Maseno University is the crown jewel of higher education in Kisumu county. The university attracts students from all over Kenya who are attracted to the institution due to its excellent infrastructure and lush green environs.
Kisumu County has several colleges and universities, including a campus of Kenya's largest university, Nairobi University. Other universities include
Maseno University
Maseno University is a public university based in the Maseno district of the city of Kisumu, Kenya, situated along the Equator. It was fully fledged as a university in 2001, after being a constituent college of Moi University for a decade. It is o ...
(best known for its IT department), Great Lakes University and several teaching and nursing colleges. Primary and secondary education is provided by 706 primary schools and 173 public secondary schools, including two of the oldest secondary schools in Kenya; Maseno School . A substantial number of private institutions also exist within the county.
The enrolment in primary school and secondary school stood at 240, 538 and 38, 815 as of 2009. The teacher to pupil ratio was 1:51 for primary and 1:30 for secondary.
Kisumu Polytechnic provides several technical courses for young adults and also professionals, including some diploma courses. 5 youth polytechnics also exist in various parts of the county.
Health
Health in Kisumu County is provided by several institutions that are either private or government funded. There is one teaching and referral hospital, 5 County referral hospital, 14 sub-county hospitals, 74 dispensaries and 18 health centres in the county. The naming system has been changed due to the fact that the system of government has changed and Kenya is now operating a devolved system of government. The county government shall now fully responsible for health service delivery to residents in the county through health facilities and pharmacies as enshrined in Schedule 4 of the Constitution of Kenya (2010). . The Infant Mortality Rates for Kisumu County is relatively high, at 95/1000. The under five mortality rates for the county are 149/1000. The maternal mortality has been estimated to be 590 per 100,000 live births
The location of Kisumu County puts it in major breeding ground for mosquitos, and malaria has been a perennial problem since time immemorial. Another health problem that majorly affects the county is the relatively high rates of HIV infection. But the rate has stabilised at 19.0%. Key health facilities in the county are Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (popularly known as Russia since it was built by the
Soviets
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in th ...
), the Kisumu County Referral Hospital and the Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu. All facilities are located in Kisumu City. There are two CDC funded centres in Kisumu, one in Kisian and the other in Kombewa. They engage in research in several diseases which affect the local communities, including HIV and malaria.
People
![Kisumu County](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Kisumu_County.jpg)
Kisumu County is relatively densely populated compared with the rest of Kenya. The 2009 census showed that the county had a population of 968,909. With an area of 2,085.9 km2, Kisumu County has a population density of 460 per square kilometres, comparable to that of the entire South Korea. The vast majority of the people belong to the
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
ethnic community, the third largest tribe in Kenya and one of the largest in East Africa. There are also small numbers of minorities from the other ethnic communities of Kenya, predominantly the
Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to:
* Luhya people
* Luhya language
Luhya (; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya.
Dialects
The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are ...
. Indians came with the railway construction, and now form a substantial Indian community in Kisumu city. The dominant language is
Dholuo
The Dholuo dialect (pronounced ) or ''Nilotic Kavirondo'', is a dialect of the Luo group of Nilotic languages, spoken by about 4.2 million Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania, who occupy parts of the eastern shore of Lake Victoria and areas to the ...
, but Kiswahili and English are also spoken by a majority of the population for non-domestic purposes.
The people of Kisumu eat a lot of fish prepared in a variety of ways. This high consumption has sometimes been touted as one of the causes of the generally higher IQ levels in the region, and the eating of fish has become popular all over Kenya as a result. This is usually accompanied by
ugali
Ugali or Posho or sima (for others, see ) is a type of maize meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour. ...
, a dish made of maize flour which can also be mixed with other grains, mostly millet, sorghum and/or cassava. Vegetables are also eaten.
In the 2019 census, the rural population of the county was estimated to be 714,668; With the city population estimated to be 397,957. The city comprises the majority of the urban residents in the county, whose total population was 1,155,574.
Notable residents
*
Hannington Apudo Hannington may refer to:
Places in England
*Hannington, Hampshire
* Hannington, Northamptonshire
*Hannington, Wiltshire
People
* James Hannington (1847–1885), English bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa
* Henry Hannington (1797–1870), English ...
was the first indigenous military pilot in the
Kenya Air Force
The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or sw, Jeshi la Wanahewa is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya.
The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the he ...
.
*
Robert Ouko from Nyahera was a notable foreign minister under the
Moi Moi or MOI may refer to:
People
* Moi (name), a list of people with the given name or surname
* Moisés Delgado (born 1994), Spanish footballer commonly known as simply Moi
* Moisés Rodríguez (born 1997), Spanish footballer commonly known as s ...
government.
*Prof. Simeon Ominde from Nyahera the first indigenous professor in the University of East Africa and founder of the Population Institute
University of Nairobi
, mottoeng = In unity and work
, image = Uon emblem.gif
, image_size = 210px
, caption = Coat of Arms of the University
, type = Public
, endowment ...
.
*First Kisumu County Governor Mr.
Jack Ranguma
Jack Nyanungo Ranguma, also known as JR, is a Kenyan politician and was the first Governor of Kisumu County, Kenya. He was elected on 6 March 2013.
History
Educational background
Jack Ranguma has a Master of Science (International Accounting a ...
*
Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, politician.
*
Wilson Ndolo Ayah,
Minister for Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...
Kisumu Rural Constituency Kisumu Rural Constituency was a former electoral constituency in Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
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*
Gilbert Oloo Njoga politician
Villages and settlements
*
AssawaKanyakwar village
* Kajulu Hills
* Abwao-Kadiang'a Village
* Kogony village-Where Kisumu International Airport rests.
* Kadeya Village
* Kolwal Village
References
Notes
External links
Map of Kisumu County
{{Authority control
Counties of Kenya
States and territories established in 2013
2013 establishments in Kenya