Kisumu

Kisumu (/kiːˈsuːmuː/ kee-SOO-moo) is the third-largest city in Kenya 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

When Europeans first settled in the area in the late 19th century, Kisumu became a trading post – attracting 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", and 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 Luo arrived in the area, the Maragoli were already trading with other people in the area like the Nandi and the Maasai. Some Luo words were acquired from the Maragoli.^{[citation needed]}