Kendu Bay Old Town: A gem of fascinating history
It is said that when a town has two sections — old and new — like Kendu Bay in Homa Bay County, it definitely has an interesting feature. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
The old town has falling buildings and they evoke fond memories of Arab traders who owned the 100 or more shops.
The new town is on the busy Kisumu to Homa Bay road.
The old town has a mini network of tarmac road stretching towards the lake.
It also has an old pier where steamships docked as recently as the 1980s to late 90s.
It is said that when a town has two sections — old and new — like Kendu Bay in Homa Bay County, it definitely has an interesting feature.
As one approaches isolated and defaced buildings of Kendu Bay old town, a spectacle of magnificent edifices dating to as early as the 17th century, greets him or her.
Tales of the rich history of Mombasa and other coastal towns that attract visitors are almost similar to Kendu Bay’s.
A story is told of how Arabs, the first settlers, found their hosts kind and welcoming.
Roughly translated to Dholuo, the English word “kind” means “between”. Locals pronounced the word “Kindu” and it became the name of the town. It means a place found in the middle.
Situated in the semi-arid plain of Karachuonyo, Kendu Bay traces its origins to 1912 when Arab traders pitched camp in the area. Apart from business, they also spread their religion.
MEMORIES OF ARAB TRADERS
The old town has falling buildings and they evoke fond memories of Arab traders who owned the 100 or more shops.
The new town is on the busy Kisumu to Homa Bay road.
The old town has a mini network of tarmac road stretching towards the lake.
It also has an old pier where steamships docked as recently as the 1980s to late 90s.
One cannot fail to notice stalls erected by fish mongers. Dried Nile perch is locally known as ‘mgongo wazi’.
For a mouthwatering dish of fresh tilapia (ngege) or Nile perch (mbuta), local and international tourists can visit the many eateries near Lake Victoria.
Tourism and Culture Executive Dorothy Okello says the county government is demarcating heritage sites to make it easy to market the county as a tourist destination.
Visitors to Kendu Bay are bound to be accommodated in the town’s Roman Green Restaurant, Maryland Hotel and the Big Five Hotel.
There are several fascinating sites around Kendu Bay Town worth visiting.
They include Ondago Swamp known for hosting flamingoes that migrate from Lake Nakuru, the mythical Simbi Nyaima lake and Kanjera archaeological site where Oldowan tools were discovered.
