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Kisumu
Sign in to saveAlso known as Kisii, City of Kisii, Kisumu City, Port Florence
Kisumu ( ) is the fifth-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the third-largest city in the Lake Victoria Basin after Kampala, and Mwanza. The city has a population of 438,588 according to the recent 2026 population estimates. The metro region, including Maseno and Ahero, had a population of 6,771 (Maseno) and 11,801 (Ahero) people respectively, totaling to a combined population of 457,160 people, according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census which was conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
Kisumu is Kenya's fifth-largest city, located on Lake Victoria in the former Nyanza Province, with a population of around 438,588 people. It serves as a major urban center in the Lake Victoria region and is part of a larger metropolitan area that includes surrounding towns like Maseno and Ahero.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
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Place details
- Locality
- Kisumu
- Region
- Kisumu
- Country
- Kenya
- Population
- 397,957
- Timezone
- Africa/Nairobi
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Key facts
- Settlement.official_name
- Kisumu
- Settlement.settlement_type
- City
- Settlement.flag_size
- 100px
- Settlement.shield_size
- 130px
- Settlement.nicknames
- "Lakeside City", "Kisumo","Kisumu Dala","Kisumo Pacho","Mboka"
- Settlement.map_caption
- Location of Kisumu
- Settlement.pushpin_map
- Kenya#Horn of Africa#Africa
- Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
- Location within Kenya##Location within the Horn of Africa##Location within Africa
- Settlement.pushpin_relief
- 1
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Country
- Settlement.subdivision_name1
- Kisumu County
- Settlement.established_title
- Founded
- Settlement.established_date
- 1901
- Settlement.governing_body
- Kisumu County
- Settlement.leader_title
- Legislature
- Settlement.leader_title1
- Governor
- Settlement.leader_name1
- Anyang' Nyong'o
- Settlement.area_total_km2
- 297
via Wikipedia infobox
Travel guide
Understand
The city was founded by the British as "Port Florence" in 1901 as a stop on the railway between Mombasa and Uganda. A year later, the city was renamed Kisumu, from a Luo word meaning "market, trading place".
In 2006, Kisumu was designated one of Africa's 11 'Millenium Cities' by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
Get around
Despite being Kenya's third-largest city the traffic in Kisumu isn't all that bad. You can use the notorious boda boda (bicycle taxi), pikipiki (motorcycle taxis), matatus, buses, or you can rent a car.
Do
thumb|320x320px|Cruise on Lake Victoria with the MV Kipepeo luxury boat
Buy
Many local crafts can make good souvenirs. Musical instruments such as nyatiti and orutu, typical of the Luo's musical culture. Soapstone objects. The historical centre of soapstone crafts is in Kisii, about 100 km south of Kisumu. Objects woven from sisal (such as kiondo handbags), papyrus or water hyacinth. Loincloths: vikoi (singular kikoi) for men, kanha for women.Batik (paintings on textile). Household wood items.
Eat
Aside from the town centre there are a number of places to eat and drink in the evenings in the Kondele region on Kibos Road and on Jomo Kenyatta Highway with guest houses close by.
Drink
Aside from the town centre there are a number of places to eat and drink in the evenings in the Kondele region on Kibos Road and on Jomo Kenyatta Highway with guest houses close by.
Sleep
It is common for hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation to be called a guest house in Kisumu Kenya. They are the most common and best value places to stay — hotels seem to ramp up their prices just because they are a hotel — beware.
Stay safe
Kisumu is less stressful than Nairobi or Mombasa. However pickpockets are common, especially around Kibuye Market. If you are driving, you should lock the car doors.
All public buildings (airport, post office, banks, shopping centers, etc.) are watched by security guards wearing a blue uniform. Private estates are generally guarded as well.
Kisumu police : Phone: (20 is the national prefix for police forces) +254 20 465767 (provincial headquarters); +254 20 333151 (Kisumu division) There are police stations all over the city and policemen are clearly visible. The headquarters are located on Nairobi Road near the long distance bus terminal.
Go next
Kakamega Rainforest: the last remains of tropical rainforest in Kenya Jinja, Uganda Mwanza, Tanzania Nairobi
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~24 min read
Encyclopedic overview
31 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Culture and languages
- Climate
- Agriculture
- Aquaculture
- Points of interest
- Town Clock
- Kisumu Museum
- Dunga Beach and Wetland
- Kisumu Impala Sanctuary
- Hippo Point
- Kit Mikayi
- Ndere Island
- Sport
- Transport
- Air
- Water
- Rail
- Road
- Rail and air accidents
- Education
- Primary education
- Higher education
- Places of worship
- In popular culture
- Notable natives and residents
- Sister cities
- Gallery
- References
- External links
Kisumu ( ) is the fifth-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the third-largest city in the Lake Victoria Basin after Kampala, and Mwanza. The city has a population of 438,588 according to the recent 2026 population estimates. The metro region, including Maseno and Ahero, had a population of 6,771 (Maseno) and 11,801 (Ahero) people respectively, totaling to a combined population of 457,160 people, according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census which was conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
Apart from being an important political city, it is one of the premier industrial and commercial centres in Kenya. It is also an intellectual city with many PhDs. The city is currently undergoing an urban rejuvenation of the downtown and lower town which includes modernizing the lake front, decongesting main streets, and making the streets pedestrian-friendly.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kisumu” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
Gallery (30)
On the map
3 mapped locations