Omwami Mwene 
The dos and dont’s when you get invited to a busaa drinking party in which the Luhya traditional straw (lusekhe)is used to sip beer. Busaa is a Luhya traditional beer. It is made from spontaneously fermented roasted grain known as kamakhalange or tsimbare, and the Luhya traditional yeast known as limela (lubukusu) or mumeri/ mamela … Read more
Growing up, we never knew that dentists were there to remove teeth. All our milk teeth were extracted at home by the erstwhile, experienced family dentist: dad. But the experience of tooth removal didn’t end at his hands. The whole community, was involved one way or the other. Tooth removal the Luhya way: Myths and … Read more
1st June of 2020 marked the 57th Madaraka Day commemorating the day in 1963 when Kenya attained independent self-governance after decades as a British Colony. Any other public holiday as this one would have been the perfect Madaraka Day for yours truly to do Luhya things, but not this one deep in the mare of the … Read more
Find the English translation and meaning of the Bukusu proverb engila sebolela okenda. English The road does not tell the traveler what lies ahead. What is the meaning of bukusu proverb engila sebolela okenda This Bukusu proverb is about the uncertainties of life. Truth is only arrived at by walking the journey to its full … Read more
So this past week or so, Kenyan interwebs have been awash with accusations and counter accusations over the intimate goings-on of a certain boys club. From the fallout, it’s clear the Bro Code was broken. Everything painfully built between these men thrown into full disarray. As a result, lives and livelihoods have been destroyed. It … Read more
Omwami kafwile engwe yasalile is a Bukusu saying in which Mbukusu mourns the death of an important person in society- omwami. In this article, we learn the meaning of this saying as we appreciate the richness of Luhya culture. Meaning of omwami kafwile engwe yasalile The king/big man/ respected person is dead the leopard has … Read more
Today I will walk you through an important yet least talked about part of Luhya marriage traditions: the decorum expected of you when visiting your in laws in the land of Mulembe. Of all the relations of mulembe, the highest form of respect is accorded to in laws. It is not uncommon to hear of … Read more
This is a story of my close confidant Musa. My Musa is employed as a farm hand in one of my friend’s farms. Once, he suffered a misfortune and how he handled it introduced me to a Bukusu proverb on picking up the pieces ‘omubayi abechanga ne kumubano’; more importantly it taught me about resilience. First, … Read more
You can be born poor, but what excuse do you have for dying poor? Kumutambo kukhunyoa buyinda bukhakhunyoa. All about this Bukusu proverb that reminds us to get our hustle going no matter what. As they say, get rich or die trying. Vocabulary: First, a quick introduction to new Bukusu words For a beginner’s ease … Read more
How to say beautiful in Maragoli language. 25+ different ways to describe all kinds of beauty in all ways: playful, flirty, honorable and even sensual words and phrases. The most widely used and possibly universally understood description of a beautiful woman in Luhya is “omukhasi eshiombo”. I say this whilst hiding. This is because the … Read more
