Mfangano Island- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Mfangano Island is located in Kenya's portion of Lake Victoria, west of Rusinga Island at the entrance of the Winam Gulf. Covering about 65 square kilometers and rising to 1,694 meters at Mount Kwitutu, it is home to an estimated 30,000 residents as of 2024. The island is a cultural stronghold of the Suba people and hosts the largest concentration of Olusuba speakers in the country. However, the language is increasingly endangered due to intermarriage and the dominance of Luo, Swahili, and English. The population is largely concentrated along the lake's edge, relying on fishing, subsistence farming, and limited infrastructure, with recent developments including motorbike-accessible roads, a basic airstrip, and electricity generation via local power stations. Mfangano holds significant historical and archaeological interest. The Abasuba Community Peace Museum, established in 2009, preserves and promotes the island's Suba heritage. In addition, the island features ancient rock art—red geometric patterns estimated to be around 2,000 years old—attributed to early forager-hunters, possibly related to the Twa people. These cultural and natural elements, combined with its geological connection to the same volcanic activity that shaped nearby Rusinga, make Mfangano a valuable site for both anthropological and ecological studies.