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Kisumu

Kisumu
City
Clockwise: Lake Victoria Panorama, Kisumu Panorama, sunset at Oginga Odinga street, Downtown, Kiboko Point, Nighttime in Kisumu and Jomo Kenyatta Stadium.
Clockwise: Lake Victoria Panorama, Kisumu Panorama, sunset at Oginga Odinga street, Downtown, Kiboko Point, Nighttime in Kisumu and Jomo Kenyatta Stadium.
Kisumu is located in Kenya
Kisumu
Kisumu
Coordinates: 0°6′S 34°45′E / 0.100°S 34.750°E / -0.100; 34.750
Country  Kenya
County Kisumu County
Government
 • Governor Jackson Nyanungo Raguma (ODM)
Elevation 1,131 m (3,711 ft)
Population (2009)
 • Total 409,928
 
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)
Website kisumu.go.ke

Kisumu (formerly known as Port Florence) is a port city in Kisumu County, Kenya. It is the size of 1,131 m (3,711 ft), with a population of 409,928 according to the 2009 census. It is the third largest city in Kenya, the principal city of western Kenya, the immediate former capital of Nyanza Province and the headquarters of Kisumu County. It has a municipal charter but no city charter. It is the largest city in Nyanza region and second most important city after Kampala in the greater Lake Victoria basin.

The port was founded in 1901 as the main inland terminal of the Uganda Railway named "Port Florence". Although trade stagnated in the 1980s and 1990s, it is again growing around oil exports.

Kisumu literally means a place of barter trade "sumo". The city has "Friendship" status with Cheltenham, UK and "sister city" status with Roanoke, Virginia and Boulder, Colorado, USA.

When the Europeans first settled in the area in the late 19th century, Kisumu became a trading post – attracting the Luo people from as far as Migori and Siaya County. The Kisumu region was then occupied by the Luo community. A person going to Kisumu at that time would say, "Adhi Kisuma" to mean I'm going to trade. Derived from the word "Kisuma", the word for a trading post in Luo is "Kisumo". In Nandi "Kesumett". The current name Kisumu is an English corruption of the word "Kisumo" or "Kesumett".

An opposing theory states that Kisumu acquired its name from 'Kusuma.' The Maragoli word for 'trading.' Because, before the Luo arrived in the area, the Maragoli were already trading with other people in the area like the Nandi and Maasai. It should be noted that some Luo words were acquired from the Maragoli.


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