The Kisumu War Cemetery in Kisumu is an important historical site as it represents the sordid history of Africa’s military service in World War II. While the Commonwealth Graves Commission established the cemetery in 1915 for war burials that occurred during World War I, the vast majority of those buried there served in World War… Read more »
Stories
The Ramogi Press
Customers today venture into a small, non-descript printing shop on Accra Street in downtown Kisumu thinking of little besides the business cards and letterheads they hope to purchase. Most would be surprised to learn that Ramogi Press has an illustrious history and played a large role in the tumultuous politics of Kenyan independence. The brainchild… Read more »
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and the Rise of Opposition Politics in Kisumu
Many political parties were formed in Africa during the colonial period. The Kenya African National Union [KANU] was one such party. The other was the African National Congress in South Africa. KANU was one of the strongest and most organized political parties in Kenya. Among some of its most important bases, where it enjoyed an… Read more »
The Kisumu Port
On December 20, 1901, Florence Preston, the wife of the engineer building the Kenya-Uganda Railway, drove the last nail in the last sleeper (crosstie) of the railway by the shores of Lake Victoria. Port Florence thus came into being. However, the city was only called Port Florence for one year; it then reverted to its… Read more »
The Bombay of East Africa
The subject matter of race relations has remained a controversial issue world-wide. This issue continues to attract enormous attention from scholars of all sorts. This is anchored on the premise of the extent to which dependent groups can harmoniously work together, while at the same time minimizing conflicts that could possibly cause social stagnation and… Read more »
Miracle Healers in Kisumu
Religious healing has been a facet of the Christian faith for centuries. The New Testament’s gospels of Christ declare that Jesus performed many miracles during his lifetime, and it was these miracles that bore witness to his godliness. Since his death, many religious branches of Christianity have highly revered the notion of miracle healing and… Read more »
The Mamboleo Murram Extraction Site
The mining industry is a major driving force behind many large-scale economies worldwide. Since the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1867, many other precious metals such as gold, chrome, and platinum have been found throughout South Africa. The discovery of these precious resources helped South Africa’s economy boom and gave the residents there… Read more »
The East African Community and the South African Development Community
Beginning in the 20th century, countries began to form organizations and unions with one another in the hope of achieving peace and strong economy for their people. Some examples of these organizations and unions are the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization of the African Unity [now African Union], the East African Community, and… Read more »
From Single-faith-based Religious to Multi-faith-based, Integrated Education
On July 21, 1951, the first foundation stone of Victoria Primary School was laid by John Riddoch, one of the leading white residents of Kisumu. Although the inscription marking the foundation of the school does not say much about the target audience of the school, the history of the school attests to the fact that… Read more »
Political Protests, Resistance, and Unrest in Kisumu
Since the arrival of the Europeans in Africa, Africans have generally organized protest and resistance movements against their social, economic, and political agendas. They have also organized protest and resistance movements against bad leaders who have emerged in Africa since independence. This essay attempts to provide a historical perspective on the activities of those who… Read more »