Kisumu Getting There & Away

Getting There & Away

You can reach Kisumu from about anywhere west of Nairobi. There are buses and a few speed taxis that run from the capital to Kisumu every morning. If you miss those, you�re best off going to Nakuru, then Kericho, then getting another vehicle from there. There�s one main bus and matatu stage in Kisumu on the corner of Jomo Kenyatta Highway and Nairobi Road. You can get a vehicle from here going to any town in western Kenya and many towns in Rift Valley as well. The stage is huge, however, so the only hard part is finding the correct vehicle and keeping all your luggage in tact. Kisumu is a fairly safe city, but like all stages, there�s the risk of muggers here, so stay aware.

The most convenient way to travel to Kisumu (apart from air) is the overnight rail connection (sleeper cars in 1st and 2nd class, seats in 3rd class) from Nairobi. Cheaper and safer than road travel, though quite slow.

Nigel Bradford

I need to know whether the passenger rail service between Nairobi and Kisumu via Nakuru has been re opened  If so please advise when the trains run. I hope to travel in July or August 2005.  Has the Kisumu - Butere line also been re opened to passengers.