Photos of Nairobi and west to Kisumu, Kenya

Nairobi is Kenya’s capital and largest city, with almost 4.5 million people and twice as many in the metropolitan area. The name is derived from the Maasai “Enkare Nairobi”, meaning “cool water”, referring to the Nairobi River flowing through the city. It was founded in 1899 by the British as a camping ground for Indian labourers working on the Uganda Railway, built from Mombasa to Kisumu.

Heading northwest, Nakuru is in the Rift valley, 166 kilometres from Nairobi. About 108 kilometres further west is Kericho, in the highlands, a centre for the cultivation of tea. Awasi, a small market town, is a further 42 kilometres northwest and already in Kisumu County.

On the shores of Lake Victoria, the city of Kisumu is a major commerce centre. It comes from the Luo word “Kisumo”, a trading post. It was founded in 1901 as the terminal of the Uganda Railway and was initially named Port Florence. A ferry sails from here to Mwanza and Bukoba in Tanzania.