Maseno Town Guide
Maseno town is located in Kisumu County, Nyanza province Kenya. Maseno town is named after a type of a common tree in the area known by the Luo tribe as “Oseno” and the Abaluhya as “Oluseno”. The growth of Maseno town is often attributed to the coming of missionaries in Kenya and the contributions of the African people who donated land and helped construct the town itself.
It is located along the Kisumu – Busia highway 20 kilometers northwest of Kisumu, the provincial capital. Another road connects Maseno to Vihiga town, located 15 kilometers east of Maseno.
Maseno Town Climate and Geography
Maseno town lies at an altitude of about 1,503 meters or 4,934 feet above sea level. The town has a total population of about 2199 people according to the country’s census data carried out in 2009.
The climate in Maseno town is tropical. There is a great deal of rainfall in Maseno even in the driest month. The average annual temperature in Maseno town is 20.6 °C whereas the average annual rainfall is about 1820 mm.
The town’s driest month is January, with about 70 mm of rain whereas the greatest amount of precipitation occurs in April with an average of 278 mm. In Maseno town, February is the warmest month of the year with an average of 21.4 °C. The lowest average temperatures in the year are recorded in July with 19.6 °C.
Economic Activities in MasenoTown
Maseno University has its main campus located in Maseno town. This university is the largest contributor to the economy of Maseno Town.
This occurs in two main ways. First, Maseno University employs most of its staff from among the residents of Maseno Town. Secondly, Maseno University students spend most of their allowances purchasing food, entertainment, other basic life services like hairdressing, and paying rents in Maseno town.
Education Institutions in Maseno Town
Maseno school was the first school in Maseno and among the first schools in the country. The main objective of the missionaries in building the school was to spread the gospel to the local people. Education in Maseno town is further boosted by the presence of one of the seven public universities in Kenya. Maseno University is ranked among the best universities in Kenya. Some of the other learning institutions located in Maseno town include:
2.Maseno Mixed Primary School
3.Sawagongo High School
4.Bridge International Academy
5.Maseno Educational Center
6.Maseno Girls’ Boarding Primary School
Transport in Maseno Town
Being an urban center, Maseno town has a quite good and well-maintained road network. Most of the roads in this town are tarmacked hence the most convenient way to move from one place to another within the town is through ‘Matatus’, motorcycles or bicycles.
People living in Maseno Town
With a total population of about 2,199 residents according to the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Kagumo town acts as a home to people from various ethnicity.
The Luos are the main ethnic group in the town with other different groups of people in the town being; the Luhyas, the Embu, the Kamba, the Borana, Somali, Asian and a few Caucasian whites who have also made the townhome. Most of these people are engaged in business or employed in the various sub-sectors in the region.
Maseno Town Neighborhood
Maseno neighbors two major towns in Kisumu county namely; Kisumu town and Vihiga town. Maseno town lies approximately 20 kilometers and 15 kilometers from Kisumu town and Vihiga town respectively.