Kenya Kisumu people and their culture in Kenya

Are you interested in learning about Kenya Kisumu people and their culture in Kenya? Kenya has the best cultural and customs in Africa. On this page therefore, I’m happy to give you the details about culture and customs of people living in Kisumu district.

History

Kisumu was identified by the British explorers in early 1898 as an alternative railway terminus and port for the Uganda railway, then under construction.

It was to replace Port Victoria, then an important centre on the caravan trade route, near the mouth of Nzoia River.

Kisumu was ideally located on the shores of Lake Victoria at the cusp of the Winam Gulf, at the end of the caravan trail from Pemba, Mombasa, Malindi and had the potential for connection to the whole of the Lake region by steamers.

In July 1899, the first skeleton plan for Kisumu was prepared. This included landing places and wharves along the northern lake shore, near the present day Airport Road.

Demarcations for Government buildings and retail shops were also included in the plan.

Another plan was later prepared in May, 1900, when plots were allocated to a few European firms as well as to Indian traders who had travelled to Kisumu on contracts to build the Uganda Railway and had decided to settle at the expanding terminus.

The plan included a flying boat jetty (now used by the Fisheries Department).

In October 1900, the 62-ton ship Sir William Mackinnon,1st Baronet, built and registered in Kisumu, made its maiden voyage to Entebbe , marking the beginning of the Lake Marine Services.

The Winfred and the Sybil were later added to the fleet in 1902 and 1904, respectively.

On Friday, December 20, 1901, the railway line reached the Kisumu pier, with the centre adopting a new name, Port Florence.

By February, the railway line had been opened for goods and passenger transportation. 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.

Before the jet airline era, the city was a landing point on the British flying boat passenger and mail route from Southampton to Cape Town. Kisumu also linked Port Bell to Nairobi.

More about the culture of akenyan people in Kisumu District

Emergence of the Kenya Nation

• The Great Rift Valley is thought to be one of the places where human beings originated, and archeologists working in the valley have found remains of what they speculate are some of the earliest human ancestors.

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Kenya Culture and Food in Daily Life .

• Corn (or maize) is the staple food of Kenyans. It is ground into flour and prepared as a porridge called posho, which is sometimes mixed with mashed beans, potatoes, and vegetables, to make a dish called irio.

• Boiled greens, called mboga, are a common side dish. Banana porridge, called matoke, is another common dish.

• Kenya Culture and the Relative Status of Men and Women .

• For the most part, women are treated as second-class citizens in Kenya. Despite the disproportionate amount of work that women do, men usually control the money and property in a family.

• Wife beating is common, and women have little legal recourse. Another women's issue is clitoridectomy, or female genital mutilation, which leaves many women in continual pain and vulnerable to infection.

Kenya Culture on Marriage .

Polygamy is traditional, and in the past it was not uncommon for men to have five or six wives.

The practice is becoming less typical today as it has been opposed by Christian missionaries, and is increasingly impractical as few men can afford to support multiple partners.

Kenya Culture on Domestic Unit .

In the traditional living arrangement, a man builds a separate hut for each of his wives, where she will live with her children, and a hut for himself. In a family with one wife, the parents often live together with girls and younger boys, while the older boys have smaller houses close by

Kenya Culture on Inheritance .

According to the tradition, inheritance passes from father to son. This is still the case today, and there are legal as well as cultural obstacles to women inheriting property.

Kenya Culture on Infant Care .

Mothers usually tie their babies to their backs with a cloth sling. Girls begin caring for younger siblings at a very early age, and it is not uncommon to see a five- or six-year-old girl caring for a baby.

Kenya Culture on Child Rearing and Education .

Child rearing is communal: responsibility for the children is shared among aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other members of the community. Boys and girls have fairly separate upbringings.

Kenya Culture on Etiquette

Kenyans are generally friendly and hospitable. Greetings are an important social interaction, and often include inquiries about health and family members.

Visitors to a home are usually offered food or tea, and it is considered impolite to decline. Elderly people are treated with a great deal of respect and deference

Are you a resident of Kisumu town? Many Visitors and in general are always searching for information about customs and beliefs of Kisumu people and on this page therefore, I will welcome any comment about the same. If you are a resident, you can add any comment for free.