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The Kamnara of Sakwa are making ground to build for future generations

Greetings from the Kamnara of Sakwa! The Kamnara people of Sakwa on 27th December 2024 gathered at Village Park, Ajigo (near Bondo). Hosted by Kwaka Joseph, they hearkened to the consultative forum call, arriving in good numbers and early enough for a successful day. The gathering was chaired by Mr. Nying’ro James Onyango, a former (retired) assistant commissioner of Police. The introductions were excellent. The genealogies were mentioned in reverence, lengthy ones applauded. And courtesy of Enos Oyaya’s book, “Kamnara my people”, anyone who would need help had the documentation. Oyaya had launched the Kamnara book on 30th December 2022 at his home in Kamnara Mwalo, an event that gathered Vakamnara from far and wide. “What can we do that the generations to come will benefit from?” This was the clarion Mr. Kwaka Joseph called on all to fashion their minds to. And issues were raised in the fields of Education, health, agriculture, enterprise, politics and more that the swift dholuo would...

Joy cometh in the evening

Mirembe! Mirembe sana! Ngurindi mpaka ndakuruha sana. Gariki? Nondi inzira indambi Musakuru. Pole korogendo. I came early here. Quite early and I have been walking around like a mad man. Was wondering what people would say, arechi murogori wavo nagota, nakuba kivi. I laughed. He told a guy nearby that I was the expected visitor. The guy looked at me and say I was good. He used to go to Kisumu and back on bicycle.

Shivering, cold wind blowing, we took for home on a motorbike. Mzee Ogova had come to the town centre with a bike and had I arrived early we would have merrily cycled home together. It was muddy and darkness was approaching. An old man, two years to eighty was not to be in cold when he could avoid.

'People hear about Kitale and think that we all came to a single village on migration. That is how we cut it short in talks. When you come over it's a long journey. Nangili is far from Kitale and Kamoiywo, the village we were heading to quite far from Nangili. Had he just told me to get to Nangili and later Kamoiywo I'd have failed the day. Who would have been my host?

Mukere ayanzi kokorora, ichai nareta na mazi mashyu nigava mwibafu. Ndamanya ninzisambasamba rigari, ninzikura rogeri rwosi rwu mbasu, vukindu vwari vwidikii mkegodo vutura na kari engolo ya nzari nayo nikama. Vwaha amayenyaa kumara kwisinga vwangu nanyoye tuzi tushyu? Kari niva urindwanji musafari si muwenya kwanguhiza.

We thereafter chatted long, how people were eating maize in Evorogori. Maduma vadidimbaa. It was also raining equally much. He said how in his youthful days he would cycle long in Maragoli villages finding out what he had in his book. He said how hungry he would go, how broke he was. But now he was settled in admirably quiet environment with cows and hens. We ate a hen!

Kuramoroma manyingi mugamba, he said. And I was ushered to a netted bed, cosy. Out, the moon shone bright amidst the stars. Sleep took me.

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