Discover Mfangano

Culture, history, nature, events and everything you can do on Mfangano Island.

The island at a glance

Area: about 65–66 km²^1,2
Population: 24,123 people in 6,085 households (census 2019)¹
Highest point: Mount Kwitutu, about 560 m above the lake³
Administration: Mfangano Island Ward, Suba North constituency, Homa Bay County; island sub-county headquarters at Sena since 2022^4,5
Languages: Dholuo, Olusuba, Kiswahili, English^6,7
Livelihoods: Fishing (Nile perch, omena) and farming^2,3
Heritage: Rock art sites on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List (2023)⁸

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics: 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Volume II – Distribution of Population by Administrative Units, 2020. knbs.or.ke
Fiorella, K. J. et al.: "Human health alters the sustainability of fishing practices in East Africa". PNAS 114, 2017. doi.org
Idris, Z. M. et al.: "High and Heterogeneous Prevalence of Asymptomatic and Sub-microscopic Malaria Infections on Islands in Lake Victoria, Kenya". Scientific Reports 6, 2016, 36958. doi.org
County Government of Homa Bay: County Integrated Development Plan 2023–2027. maarifa.cog.go.ke
Kenya News Agency: "New sub county created for the residents of Lake Victoria islands", 21 October 2022. kenyanews.go.ke
Chung, E. O. et al.: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16(14), 2019, 2510. doi.org
Mhando, J. (National Museums of Kenya) for UNESCO Nairobi: Safeguarding Endangered Oral Traditions in East Africa, January 2008. ich.unesco.org
UNESCO World Heritage Centre / National Museums of Kenya: "Mfangano Island Rock Art Sites", Tentative List ref. 6682, submitted 30 June 2023. whc.unesco.org

Last checked: 13 October 2026