Getting There

By road to Mbita

All boat connections to Mfangano start from Mbita on the mainland. The drive from Homa Bay to Mbita takes about 40 minutes ¹. At Mbita the 1.6 km bridge to Rusinga Island replaced the old causeway in 2019 ².

By ferry or water bus

The ferry of Mbita Ferry Services runs from Mbita to Mfangano by way of Takawiri and lands at Sena on the east side of the island; the crossing takes about an hour ^3,4,5. Water buses operated by Waterbus (Globology Ltd) connect several landing points around the island with Mbita ^6,7. Reported fares were KSh 300 (2022) and KSh 250 (2025) per trip ^3,8. There is no published timetable – please ask at the pier in Mbita. Services have been suspended at times, for example by the Kenya Maritime Authority from December 2021 to February 2022 ⁹.

By air

Kabunde airstrip at Homa Bay reopened in April 2026 with scheduled flights from Nairobi Wilson ¹⁰. Mfangano has its own dirt airstrip; whether it is open for scheduled flights could not be confirmed ¹.

On the island

A ring road of about 54 km runs around the island. It was upgraded to gravel from 2023 but is described as usable mainly by motorcycles ^11,12. Most people walk or use motorcycle taxis (boda-boda) and local boats.

Stay safe

• Always wear a life jacket. In a study of drownings on the Kenyan shore of Lake Victoria, bad weather played a role in four out of ten cases, and only about one victim in five had a life jacket or buoy ¹³.
• Avoid crossings in storms and at night; the stretch between Mbita and Mfangano can be rough.
• Do not swim in the lake: bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is common, and malaria occurs on the island – bring protection against mosquitoes ^14,15,16.