Luhya Culture

Boys club aren’t anything new, the Luhya had the sacredness of age-sets whose fraternity rules you couldn’t break. Reiterating 5 non-negotiable laws of the Luhya traditional boys club

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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

Meaning of omwami kafwile engwe yasalile, a Bukusu saying

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poster with image of sun with ring around it titled omwami kafwile engwe yasalile

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

Luhya marriage traditions: 10 unwritten rules of etiquette to observe when visiting your in laws in the land of Mulembe

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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

The meaning of kukhoya kwabirira emukali, a Bukusu proverb

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Meaning of Bukusu proverb kukhoya kwabirira emukali; a proverb of great comfort when life deals us bad luck. One morning, just this May, my family woke up to sad news. The night to that subuyi had been wet from a heavy downpour, the type my people call embembesi. Our compound rests on a flat land … Read more

Omubayi abechanga ne kumubano: Wisdom to see you through COVID-19 from the Bukusu proverb on picking up the pieces

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poster with animals grazing in a field titled omubayi abechanga ne kumubano

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

How to threaten someone in Maragoli – Growing up uvurogori, these are words your didn’t want to hear a peer utter while down in the herding fields

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poster using image and text to convey how to threaten someone in Luhya and mean it

Next time someone who speaks lulogooli doesn’t take you seriously, and you need to make them reconsider their stance, look no further. We got you covered. This is how to threaten someone in Maragoli in more than 19 different ways. Editor’s Note: Content for cultural and educational purposes only. Related articles: How to threaten someone … Read more

The meaning of khocha in Luhya: 7 life events in Luhya culture that are hallowed by the presence of the irreplaceable khocha/ koza/ kotsa/ kocha/ chomba

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poster appreciating our maternal uncles with images of archetypal khocha, kotsa and chomba

Khocha is a male sibling to your mother. Broadly speaking, in the way African relations are expansive, chomba in Bukusu slang; or kocha, koza or kotsa in lulogooli is any of your mother’s relations that she calls brother. This includes her cousins of whichever degree. Among the Luhya, alongside senje, kotsa is the most cordial … Read more

Temptations, simsim and devious mothers in law: all part of the package an omwea, a newly married woman, had to overcome just to make herself a nest

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poster with image of a trap with love heart as abait titled A day in the life of omwea

A newly married woman in my language, Lubukusu, is known as omwea. Any of us can imagine just what it took for her to set up a nest for herself in the communal living homestead of our forebearers. Growing up, my mother was always preparing us girls for a future with a no nonsense mother … Read more

30 common cheeky Maragoli form of baby names of English/ French/ Hebrew/ other origin that show our peoples’ struggle with a foreign tongue

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Often, these Maragoli form of baby names are the subject of memes and but of jokes. This is even as sons and daughters of Mulembe carry them as they are in our national identity cards. Today we say no to shaming. We are making lemonade from the lemons. Among the Luhya, naming children after our … Read more

Meaning of omwami in Luhya: Revealing 9 different interpretations, some you know most you don’t, from the respect due to a king to humble gratitude

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Poster with image of transparent chess pieces titled omwami

Some of you might have had a chance of a visit or a stay in western Kenya. If not, then you might have interacted with my people, the Luhya, anywhere in this country – because we are everywhere. As a result, you must have heard of the Luhya word omwami. Chances are you might have … Read more