The 15 Historical Facts About Kisumu

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1. Kisumu is the largest city in western Kenya region and second most important city after Kampala in the greater Lake Victoria basin.
2. Kisumu came from the Luo word “sumo” which literally means “a place of barter trade”.
3. Historically, Kisumu has been dominated by diverse communities (Nandi, Abagusii, Maasai, Luo and Luhya) at different times long before the white man arrived.
4. Kisumu replaced Port Victoria in Busia County in 1898 as an alternative railway terminus and port for the Uganda railway.
5. In July 1899, the first skeleton plan for Kisumu was prepared. Another plan was later prepared in May, 1900.
6. Kisumu town was originally designed to be where the airport is but it was realized that the site was unsuitable for the town’s expansion, due to its flat topography and poor soils.
7. Provincial Commissioner’s Office and Kisumu State lodge were among the first buildings in Kisumu
8. In October 1900, the 62-ton ship SS William Mackinnon was reassembled and registered in Kisumu, and made its maiden voyage to Entebbe. The SS Winifred (1901) and the SS Sybil (1901)were later added to the fleet in 1902 and 1904
9. On Friday, 20th December 1901, Florence Preston the wife of the engineer drove the last nail in the last sleeper by the shores of Lake Victoria and Port Florence came into being. However it was only called Port Florence for a year, and then it reverted to Kisumu
10. Winston Churchill visited Kisumu in 1907
11. Kisumu was also privileged to host the first flight in East and Central Africa. The current police workshop was the first hangar in Kenya and entire East Africa
12. In the 1960s the population of Asians in relation to Locals was significantly higher.
13. The famous town clock on Oginga Odinga street was unveiled on 19 August 1938 by the then Governor of Kenya Sir Robert Brooke-Popham.
14. The Town Clock was built in memory of Kassim Lakha who arrived in East Africa in 1871 and died in Kampala in 1910. It was erected by his sons Mohamed, Alibhai, Hassan and Rahimtulla Kassim,
15. During the British rule, Impala Park now sanctuary was called Connaught Parade .Measuring just 1.0 km2 making it one of Kenya’s smallest wildlife preserves.

adopted from Kenyawest