This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
Located in the heart of Kisumu, the lakeside city's cultural gem, the Kisumu Museum, is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in the history and culture of western Kenya.
Officially opened to the public on April 7, 1980, the museum was built with the support of Unesco and the government, and it's a testament to the region's rich cultural heritage.
According to Phoebe Awiti, the senior curator of the museum, the land on which the museum stands was donated by the municipal council, courtesy of former Mayor Grace Onyango.
The museum offers educational services to schools in its neighborhood, with children paying Sh50 and adults Sh100 to enter. Non-resident children and adults pay Sh200 and Sh400, respectively.
One of the museum's unique features is its natural history exhibits, including a freshwater aquarium that houses various fish species from Lake Victoria and the surrounding wetlands.
Ms Awiti notes that apart from Kisumu, the only other museum with an aquarium is the Nairobi National Museum.
The museum's most important and largest exhibition is the Unesco-sponsored Ber-gi-dala, a full-scale recreation of a Luo homestead, which includes the home, granaries, and livestock kraals of the original Luo man, as well as the homes of his three wives and his eldest son.
Visitors can also view a 300-year-old giant tortoise brought to Kenya from Seychelles in 1930, as well as a collection of snakes, including big pythons, Gabon vipers, and Black mambas.
There are also two ponds at the crocodile pen with a species of the Nile crocodile.
