OSIENALA was established in 1992 as a national NGO with its head office in Kisumu City in Kisumu County. It started as a membership organization by local communities who live and drive their livelihoods from the resources of Lake Victoria and its environs. It was also to provide a forum for addressing various environmental problems facing Lake Victoria.
OSIENALA has created awareness locally and internationally about the problems facing Lake Victoria while at the same time creating structures that would support local communities to become the responsible custodian of their environment and the lake. OSIENALA endeavours to strengthen capacities within the communities for sound management, optimization of resource utilization and improvement of the social and economic status in the region.