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Chahilu’s Funeral; Logooli Culture in action

Guuga Chahilu was respectfully laid to rest at his home on Saturday 14th June 2025. Having passed on at Mbale Referral Hospital on 31st May 2025, the two weeks leading to his burial were full of cultural discussions. His passing on is a great loss to the Logooli Language and Culture Family as he was a custodian and informer of Luhya Indigenous Knowledge. An observation as to how the funeral proceeded leads us to revist Logooli traditions amidst modern realities.  One, having left the house alive and now coming back in state, Chahilu was to be taken inside the house, placed muihiilu for a moment and then officially taken out in wait for earth burial. His casket was able to enter the doors. There are cases where the dead would find it difficult to be taken in and then out due to an oversized casket or thin door. A man or a lady of his house who died out of home has to be taken in the house for a last ritual mark. But if the person had died inside, he or she would not be brought bac...
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Kenya Census 2019

Real census. 👆🏾😄. What I was asked today by the census chaps was too small, too shallow, too plain. As if I was some visitor to my mother country, Kenya. 

A country that I should so dedicate my talents and resources to bettering. A country that should ask me whether I am motivated by its leadership, its development agenda or if so far I am thankful of its service. Questions that should revolve around my attitude and dreams for this country. More pressing citizen needs. Not forgetting questions on injustice, discrimination and inequality. This would have been the best time to gather real nation's manifesto for the next governments - not the repetitive empty political statements. 

Ten years is one thirds lifetime of a generation. I will be almost 40 by the time such an exercise is conducted again. Tell me, if the government does not know Lung'afas' (there are many Lung'afas out there. 😄) aspirations for  the community and the country as of now so that it can harness that potential, how will we be convinced for anything at 40? That is a new generation away. What inspired me no longer does. Maybe I will have defected to hopelessness - by the way they should have had questions on behavior and addictions. Not so open. Social scientists would have advised how to frame them! 

18billion is a lot of money to spend in going thither with a questionnaire such as of Kenya Census 2019. Do not ask me about my bicycle, it does not define anything close to me, ask about the roads. Not whether I have a television but what information do I need. Medicinal, anthropological, Advocacy (not political), agricultural... etc. I should be asked what private (if I would have been a PSC guy) developments I pursue. Of course they may not because it would be about building rental homes or so. Nothing much. 

It would not matter the time. Time is there. Who can exhaust it? If it took a month or so to have this information. Not necessarily with my identities there. Could be one should have just shown their ID to ensure they were interviewing a Kenyan (lots of Ugandans around) and it rests there on identification. Then the process begins. For asking me whether I own a boat or not is not helpful. So what? If there is no fish in the lake due to overfishing or harmful effluent, will they drop some on the boat? Akh. 

In conclusion, may we now count ourselves as change agents for the good we need. The government may delay. The President may be busy with international affairs. On his behalf, we perform our roles. 

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