Kisii town is located in south western Kenya, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Lake Victoria. Abundant rainfall and very fertile soils have made Kisii one of the most productive agricultural areas in Kenya.

Between 70 and 80 percent of the land can be cultivated. Since 1989, the Gusii as a single ethnic group have occupied the Kisii, Gucha, Bobasi, Masaba and Nyamira districts of southwestern Kenya.

LANGUAGE

The Kisii language, Ekegusii, is a Western Bantu language. It is common to name a child after a deceased person from the father’s clan for the first name, and one from the mother’s clan for the second name. Children may also be named for a recent event, such as the weather at the time of the child’s birth. Some common names refer to the time of migrations. For example, the woman’s name Kwamboka means “crossing a river.” Talking about personal feelings is prohibited. Hence, questions about a person’s mental state are answered with statements about physical health or economic situation.

RELIGION

Before Christianity was introduced to the Kisii, they believed in one supreme god who created the world but did not interfere directly in human affairs. Instead, interference was caused by ancestor spirits (ebirecha), witches, and impersonal forces. The Kisii believed that displeased ancestor spirits were responsible for disease, the death of people and livestock, and the destruction of crops.

Today, most Kisii claim to be followers of some form of Christianity. A Roman Catholic mission was first established in 1911 and a Seventh Day Adventist mission in 1913. There are four major denominations in Kisiiland: Roman Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist, Swedish Lutheran, and the Pentecostal Assemblies of God.

Although churches are very active, some non-Christian beliefs continue to influence the lives of most Gusii. If afflicted by misfortune, many KIsii visit a diviner (abaragori) who may point to displeased spirits of the dead and prescribe sacrifice. In addition to abaragori, who are usually women, various healers also exist. Abanyamoriogi (herbalists) use a variety of plant mixtures for medicines. Indigenous surgeons (ababari) set fractures and treat backaches and headaches through trepanation (needles). Professional sorcerers (abanyamosira) protect against witchcraft and retaliate against witches. Omoriori, the witch smeller, finds witchcraft articles hidden in a house. Witches (omorogi) can be men or women, but are usually women. They are believed to dig up recently buried corpses to eat the inner organs and use body parts for magic. Among the Gusii, witchcraft is believed to be a learned art handed down from parent to child.

RITES OF PASSAGE

The most important Kisii ceremonies are associated with initiation and marriage. Initiation involves genital surgery for both sexes: clitoridectomy for girls and circumcision for boys. The ceremony is supposed to train children as social beings who know rules of shame (chinsoni) and respect (ogosika). Girls are initiated at the age of seven or eight, and boys a few years later. Initiations are gender-segregated, and the operations are performed by female and male specialists. Afterward, there is a period of seclusion for both genders.

Funerals take place at the dead person’s homestead, and a large gathering is a sign of prestige. Christian elements, such as catechism-reading and hymn-singing, are combined with the traditional practices of wailing, head-shaving, and animal sacrifices. Before burial, the corpse is dissected in order to determine whether death was caused by witchcraft. The Kisii tend to fear the spirit of a dead person. They believe the dead person may be angry for having died and may punish survivors. Therefore, sacrifices must be made to the spirit of the dead person to appease it.

People

The town has a sizeable number of Indian, Kikuyu and other communities who are also involved in trade although the Kisii people  seem to be more prominent. However, the Indians have recently bought several properties from the Gusii which they are developing into supermarkets and highrise buildings at the center of the town.Over the past few years the town has experienced tremendous growth especially with the entry of firms in the town.The town now hosts large supermarket chains e.g.Tuskys,Nakumatt.Most banks e.g.Equity,Eco-bank and K-Rep have also launched new branches in the town taking advantage of the large population and the positioning of Kisii as a center town.