Kisumu | |
|---|---|
City | |
Clockwise from top: View of the CBD from a Rooftop restaurant, Mega Plaza, Kisumu skyline, Oginga Odinga street. | |
| Nickname(s): "Lakeside City", "Kisumo","Kisumu Dala","Kisumo Pacho","Mboka" | |
  Kisumu Location within Kenya  Kisumu Location within the Horn of Africa  Kisumu Location within Africa | |
| Coordinates: 0°05′S 34°46′E / 0.083°S 34.767°E | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Government | |
| • Body | Kisumu County |
| • Governor | Anyang' Nyong'o |
| Area | |
• City | 297 km2 (115 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,085 km2 (805 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,131 m (3,711 ft) |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
| • Urban | 397,957 |
| • Metro | 1,155,574 |
| GDP (PPP) | |
| • Total |  $7.278 billion (7th)(2022)[2] |
| • Per Capita | $5,926 (2022) (8th) |
| GDP (NOMINAL) | |
| • Total | $2.672 billion (2022) (7th) |
| • Per Capita | $2,176 (2022) (8th) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Area code | 042 |
| HDI (2017) | 0.653[3] medium |
| Website | kisumu |
Kisumu (/kiːˈsuːmuː/ kee-SOO-moo)[4] is the third-largest city in Kenya[5] located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The metro region, including Maseno and Ahero, has a population of 1,155,574 people (560,942 males, 594,609 females and 23 intersex) 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[when?] 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.[6]
Culturally, Kisumu serves as the centre of the Luo people of East Africa. It was the most prominent urban centre in the pre-colonial and post-colonial period. It remains prominent in the modern era for natives of the Kavirondo region. It was briefly renamed Port Florence, before its name was reverted back.
The city serves as the capital of Kisumu County and was the immediate former capital of now-defunct Nyanza Province. It is an important link in the trade route between Lake Victoria and Mombasa because of its water and rail connections. It is also the chief terminus for the agricultural produce of Nyanza and Western regions.[7] Kisumu International Airport has regular flights to Nairobi and other neighbouring cities such as Mombasa. According to the United Nations, Kisumu is now recognized as a key city and a "Millennium City" – the first of its kind in the world and also in East Africa.[8]
Kisumu's elevation is 1,131 m (3,711 ft) and is about 320 km (200 mi) northwest of Nairobi, on the shores of Lake Victoria. It lies at the northeastern edge of the Winam Gulf, a long, shallow arm that protrudes from the main body of Lake Victoria.[9] Kisumu is 24 km (15 mi) south of the equator and has, due to its elevation, moderate temperatures.
The metropolitan region comprises the city and its suburbs and satellite towns of Maseno, Kondele, and Ahero.[10]
- ^ Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (21 February 2020). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume II: Distribution of Population by Administrative Units (Report). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. p. 252. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
Distribution of Population by Urban Centres Nairobi City: 4,397,073; Mombasa: 1,208,333; Nakuru: 570,674; Ruiru; 371,111; Eldoret: 475,716; Kisumu: 600,957
- ^ "GCP". Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Kisumu". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
- ^ Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (21 February 2020). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume II: Distribution of Population by Administrative Units (Report). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. p. 241. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
cDistribution of Population by Urban Centres Nairobi City: 4,397,073; Mombasa: 1,208,333; Nakuru: 570,674; Ruiru: 371,111; Eldoret: 475,716; Kisumu: 610,957
- ^ "Nyong'o lauds Uhuru for initiating projects in Kisumu". The Star. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ "Kisumu | Kenya". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Kisumu, Kenya - Millennium Cities Initiative". Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "The Kisumu Port". Macleki. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Kisumu City". africa-expert.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2018.