Omwami Mwene 
Here are names of 10 common rodents in Bukusu language + Bonus: Bukusu names of animals thought to be rodents, but are scientifically not rodents. Emuna Esabale Yabunje In Bukusu culture, this rat is said to be the ‘royal rat’ for its strange habit of having its resting nest littered with money. Curious to know … Read more
The Bukusu do have a specific greetings for different times of day. Let’s learn how to say good morning in Bukusu. Bwasiele You can comfortably say bwasiele translated as its dawn. This is closely related to how other Luhya subtribes say it, the only difference being the pronunciation. For example. the Maragoli say ‘vuche’, which … Read more
The moon was so bright that you could pick a needle in the grass. When you have a bright moonlight illuminating the night, in Bukusu language, it’s described as enje chelechenje. Meaning of phrase A moonlit night either in full moon or even earlier phases when the skies are clear. Learn new Bukusu words from … Read more
A story from my childhood on my first ever meeting of yabunje the royal rat; and all Bukusu culture about this fabled rodent. True story. We had closed school. August it was, sometime in the early nineties. An August unlike this past one where children were in school as the pandemic disrupted the school calendar. … Read more
Drawn from across the 18 houses of mulembe, these are common Luhya words for darling. Come, let’s learn Luhya, the language of love. Common Luhya words for darling As we will be regularly updating this list, bookmark it for future reference. Egiswidi That’s sweetie in Kimaragoli. Kimeremende Peremende is sweet (the confectionary) in Swahili. Kimeremende … Read more
Mulembe is peace in Luhya language. However given that the Luhya language has a number of dialects, the pronunciation of mulembe varies with slight differences in intonation of sound: m-re-mbe and m-lembe are some of the common pronunciations of the word. Interestingly, peace in Luhya language does have a plural. This is because its Luhya … Read more
I will tell you a story of a girl by the name Kesekwa and her dream. A crazy dream that explains menses and pregnancy in Luhya dream interpretation. Kesekwa’s Dream Kesekwa had one of those scrambled eggs dreams that we all have. First, she was at her khukhu enjoying a meal of lisebebe and bwoba … Read more
Growing up Luhya in the 80s, 90s was the most wholesome experience for a child. Enjoy another hilarious one from my childhood: Out of my dreams, you! I remember it vividly. It was a Saturday morning like any another. Being it that papa worked six days a week and school meant that we rarely met … Read more
The Luhya of Western Kenya had a body of knowledge which they relied on to make sense of dreams. Join us as we rediscover an old art lost in translation and retell forgotten traditions, as we reveal what it means among the Luhya when you dream of someone. Some neuroscience experts estimate that we dream … Read more
Culturally, lirumbi is more than a tool of a trade. This is true in part because among the Luhya, trades such as blacksmithing, medicine men and mukhebi (traditional circumcisers) are considered sacred. They are passed on along bloodlines, their secrets imbedded in the DNA of the custodians. We spoke to one such custodian, a retired … Read more
