Fascinating facts about the Luo community

The Luo is a large community that spread across East and Central Africa. They are found in countries like Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and the eastern part of Congo. In Kenya they are the third largest community about 13% of the Kenyan’s total population. The Luo are a group of Nilotes and to be specific they are River Lake Nilotes.

Their migration

They are believed to have followed river Nile from the present Sudan. They could have migrated in search of the source of the river or even in the search of green pastures as they were initially pastoralists before they changed their economic life to fishing.

They are believed to have entered Kenya in four main phases. The first group to migrate to Kenya was the Joka jok. This is the largest group of the Luo people and they include; Jokarachuonyo, Jomumbo, Jonyakach, Jokanyando and Jokadem among others. They are believed to have originated from Acholiland.

The Joka jok were closely followed by the Joka Awiny. This Luo group comprise of sub groups like Josakwa, Jouyoma, Joasembo among other groups. They were followed by yet another group known as Joka Amolo and lastly by the Luo Abasuba. The Luo Abasuba was the resultant of the intermarriages that took place between the Bantus and the Luo in the eastern Uganda.

Social activities

Religion

The Luo believe in a supreme being known as Nyasaye (Obong’o Nyakalaga). However in 1907, a man by the name Johanna Owalo formed the first African church called Nomiya meaning “the mission I was given.” This is the church which has mixed believes that is, the Christian believes, the Islamic believes and the African religion believes. The church has approximately 800,000 believers in the Nyanza region. Other local churches include; Roho, Fwenya, Legio Maria among others.

Initiation

Like most communities in the eastern region of Uganda namely, the Buganda, Bunyoro, Langi, Alur And Acholi, the Luo did not practice the circumcision ritual to their male children instead they removed the six lower front teeth during the initiation. However, this ritual of removing the teeth has greatly subsided and the call for circumcision in the effort to control the spread of HIV/AIDS has made the Luo community undergo the ritual of circumcision. Initially the followers of Nomiya church underwent the ritual as they circumcised their male children at the age of eight days.

Marriage

The Luo were polygamists. Like any other community in Africa, the Luo people believed that having many wives and children was a source of wealth and dignity. The most unique culture of the Luo community is wife inheritance. Upon the death of the husband, the brother was supposed to inherit the wife and perform all required roles that the husband was to perform. This custom has been discouraged a lot as it has brought about family conflicts and the spread of HIV/AIDS in a great number.

Sports

The Luo people are known to be athletes and they dominate the football, rugby, rowing, and weightlifting, boxing and swimming among other sports in both Kenya and Uganda.

Staple food

The Luo people are known to be fish and ugali lovers. The facts are river lake nilotes make them have their staple food as fish and ugali.

Economic activities

The Luo people are fishermen. They live near the Lake Victoria and this makes them earn their living mainly from fishing. However there are those who are businessmen and others are farmers. Before they migrated to their current habitat, the Luo people were pastoralists and upon settling near the Lake Victoria made them fishermen.

Political and leadership activities

The Luo like most of Kenya communities were led by chiefs who were known as ‘Jaramogis’. They had a council of elders to settle disputes for the community. In the Kenyan history there are known people who are from the community and who played a great role in the governance of the country. These people include, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the first vice president of Kenya and played a great role in the drafting of the independent constitution of the country. Tom Mboya was a political leader who was admired by many Kenyans and finally Barrak Obama senior who was the father of USA president.