Nature & Wildlife

The island

Mfangano covers about 65 to 66 square kilometres ^1,2,3 and is larger than neighbouring Rusinga (44 km²) ⁴. Mount Kwitutu, the highest point, rises about 560 metres above the lake ²; since the lake lies at about 1,135 metres, that is roughly 1,690 metres above sea level (other sources give 1,694 m) ⁵. The terrain is rocky and hilly; villages such as Kagungu lie several hundred metres above the shore ².

Climate

There are two rainy seasons: the long rains from March to June and the short rains around November and December. The mean temperature is about 25 °C ². The county development plan gives slightly different months for the short rains ⁶.

Forests and sacred groves

UNESCO describes thick forest and shrubs on the lower slopes and patches of forest and grassland on the hilltop ⁷. The sacred groves protected by the clans are among the last refuges of old trees ⁸. Much of the main hill has turned into shrubland through charcoal burning and clearing for farms; seedlings are handed out at monthly public meetings to encourage tree planting ^6,9.

Animals and birds

Tourism operators report spotted-necked otters, Nile monitor lizards, fish eagles and cormorants, and speak of more than 350 bird species in the wider area ^10,11,12. These are reports from operators and guidebooks, not scientific surveys.

The lake

Nile perch were introduced into Lake Victoria in the mid-1950s against the advice of scientists ^13,14. The predator contributed to the loss of more than 200 native cichlid species ¹⁴. Between 2002 and 2014 the Nile perch itself declined sharply near the shore, and illegal small-meshed nets and beach seines add to the pressure on fish stocks ¹. In 2025 water hyacinth again blocked beaches and boats in Homa Bay County ¹⁵.