Kisumu

Kisumu, Kenya.

Kisumu, town, capital of Nyanza province, Kenya, lying on the northeastern shore of Lake Victoria. It is the commercial, industrial, and transportation centre of western Kenya, serving a hinterland populated by almost four million people. Kisumu 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 provinces. Industries are centred on processing agricultural products, brewing, and textile manufacturing. Kisumu is one of Kenya’s largest cities. Asians once constituted more than one-fourth of the population, but that segment declined after independence in 1963. Pop. (1999) 194,390; (2009) 259,258.