KISUMU CITY

In the still, sultry atmosphere of KISUMU, the

regional capital and Kenya's third largest
town, a distinctive smell off the lake – not
unpleasant – blows in on a vague breeze
from central Africa, but the layout of the
town turns its back on the water, focusing
instead on its commercial centre and land
links to the rest of Kenya. In the well-to-do
residential district, guarded mansions are
discreetly spaced along quiet, fragrant
avenues and occasional expensive cars cruise
the broad, colonnaded commercial streets.
Even in the poorer quarters, Kisumu retains a
great deal of tattered charm.
Kisumu fortunes were founded on the
lucrative lake shipping business, funneling
goods between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania,
and the town suffered badly following the
East African Community's break-up. During
the 1980s and early 1990s, the port was
practically dormant, with little or no
merchandise passing through and signs of
dereliction everywhere – empty warehouses,
broken windows, deserted dockworkers'
houses. Commercial shipping services have
now resumed on a modest scale and the
port sporadically buzzes with activity, but it
will take a long stretch of sustained growth
to restore Kisumu City to its former affluence.

  




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