KISUMU

town, capital of Nyanza Province, Kenya, East Africa, on the northeastern shore of Lake Victoria. It is the commercial, industrial, and transportation centre of western Kenya, serving a hinterland populated by almost 4,000,000 people. Kisumu is an important link in the Lake VictoriaMombasa trade because of its water and rail connections. It is also the chief terminus for the agricultural produce of the Nyanza and Western provinces. In 1979 a brewery and a plant to convert molasses to power alcohol were under construction. Kisumu is Kenya's third largest city. Asians once constituted more than a quarter of the population, but this segment has declined since independence in 1963. Pop. (1983 est.) 167,100.