English is one of two national languages of Kenya, spoken with a British accent. Most people in Kisumu are trilingual. They are also fluent in the national language of Swahili and the local tongue of the Dholuo ethnic group, Kenya's third largest group to which 90% of Kisumu residents belong.

Kisumu city is believed to be one of the oldest settlements in Kenya. Historical records indicate that Kisumu has been dominated by diverse communities at different times long before Europeans arrived. The people from the Nandi, Kalenjin, Kisii, Maasai, Luo and Luhya communities converged at the tip of Lake Victoria and called the place "sumo" which literally means a place of barter trade. Each community called it different names, for instance:

When someday comes you'll need to get in.

When someday comes you'll need to be able to get around.