Kendu Bay's historic name finds place on official maps after a century

For decades, residents of Kendu Bay in Homa Bay County have called their home by a name that does not appear on official maps.

Kanyasoro, or Ka Nasoor, was more than a nickname. It was rooted in the history of the town’s Muslim community and traced to an Arab trader who arrived in the area more than a century ago.

The name has now gained official recognition, according to a report by Nation.

As the government created new administrative units, residents proposed names drawn from their history. One of the new sub-locations was named Kanasoor Ali, while another was named Ndiany. Both fall under the newly created Maguti Mjini Location.

The name is derived from Nasir bin Ali, an Arab trader believed to have arrived in the Kendu Bay area around 1904. Local residents called him Nasoor Bin Ali.

According to Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims Secretary Nuhu Masoud, Nasir initially settled at Miti Mbili near Wagwe before moving to Kendu Bay, where he engaged in trade and helped introduce Islam to the local community.

At the time the area had no common name. Communities identified places by the clans occupying them, physical features or the homes of prominent residents.

Nasir became an important figure not only as a trader but also as one of those associated with the introduction and spread of Islam. Oral accounts identify some of the earliest local converts as Nyalianga Ramadhan, Masoud Ouya, Hairela Madoro, Islam Ododo, Ibrahim Kaser and Saidi Aoko.

Over time the area where many of the Muslim families lived became known as Ka Nasoor, meaning “belonging to Nasoor”. The name was gradually distorted in pronunciation and became Kanyasoro, which stuck among residents of Kendu Bay Old Town.

The community eventually began pushing for Kanasoor Ali to be formally recognised rather than remain a colloquial name. Mr Masoud said the decision preserved the history of the town’s Muslim community.

The proposal met some opposition. Some residents argued that naming an administrative unit after a Muslim figure could be discriminatory in an area occupied by both Christians and Muslims. The disagreement was eventually resolved with the name retained as a historical reference.

Kendu Bay’s history is also linked to the arrival of Christian missionaries. In 1906 Canadian missionary Arthur Carscallen helped establish the first Seventh Day Adventist mission at Gendia Hill.

While Christianity became established around Gendia, Islam took root along the lakeshore, particularly in what is now Kendu Bay Old Town.

For Muslim residents of the old town the issue went beyond history. They said the lack of an administrative centre within their neighbourhood had contributed to difficulties in accessing government services.

The creation of Maguti Mjini Location and the two new sub-locations has changed that arrangement. Pius Juma Aduwi was appointed chief of Maguti Mjini, while Harun Omar and Shardack Minda were appointed assistant chiefs in Kanasoor Ali and Ndiany sub-locations respectively.

Residents expect the presence of local administrators to ease access to identification documents and other services, improve reporting of gender-based violence and help address social problems such as drug and alcohol abuse.