To a visitor, Usenge town in Siaya County is just another ordinary fish landing beach on Lake Victoria. But at night, the town comes to life with neon lights and booming music from bars lining both sides of the streets.
Although fishing is the town’s main economic activity, the hills surrounding Usenge offer good natural scenery that makes the area attractive to both locals and visitors.
Traders from Gem, Ugenya and Alego and even the neighbouring counties and countries such as Uganda and Tanzania have shops in the area.
Ugandans have been bringing charcoal, maize and dry cassava, which they sell to the locals in exchange for petrol among other commodities.
But the town is now changing. According to Moses Odero, a fisherman and a resident of the town, a notable change is infrastructural development and population growth, which he says is a clear indication that the area is growing from a small fishing town to a business hub.
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“Usenge is a cosmopolitan town since the residents and traders come from across the country and even beyond,” says Odero.
Modern architecture
Even though accommodation is relatively cheap here compared to other towns like Bondo and Siaya, Odero says it has skyrocketed compared to a decade ago. A one-bedroom house goes for Sh2,000 per month while rent for a three-bedroom one is about Sh6,000 per month.
However, buildings with modern architectural designs are few. More and more developers are moving into the town to put up hotels and pubs.
From Usenge, one can get to the historical Got-Ramogi, Goye Beach, Mageta Island and Bur-Dimo Shrine, among other tourist attraction sites. There are as many churches as there are bars and guesthouses.
Guesthouses at the town centre charge between Sh250 and Sh1,500 per night. That includes bed and breakfast.
Michael Singh, the proprietor of Zenaden Pub, said they register the highest sales when there is a lot of fish.
“The economy of this town depends on peak fishing seasons. When there is a lot of fish, people tend to make a lot of purchases while businessmen make profits,” said Singh.
Currently, a Sh5 million modern market is being constructed so as to accommodate more traders who will now have a condusive place to do business, according to Usenge Market secretary Samson Otieno Okuku.
If you like travelling, Usenge is a good destination to explore.
