Skip to main content

Featured

Luanda Reggae Defenders - what is your long term agenda?

Luanda Reggae Defenders is a now a popular movement with roots in Vihiga and border Siaya and Kakamega counties Attention is brought to the manner and conduct the movement has gained fame and followers, mainly the Youths. The movement capitalizes on funerals. With a poor culture of putting the dead to rest, the Reggae Defenders have taken it by storm and rebranded the infamous ‘Disco Matanga’ – disco at funeral. Reggae Defenders on move. Pic: Charles Rankings: Facebook They mobilize quickly on the day the dead will be discharged from the mortuary. They have this huge old school sound system that is over buzzing to no clear reggae song - that they hire a pickup to carry - and it has a young DJ mainly standing there than mixing anything. Often, against the rules, the casket is grabbed from a hearse vehicle and tied to a motorbike. There it will be swayed and jerk breaked between other motorbikes on the narrow roads. That, is, how a fellow soldier, often a young dead, is mourned. ...

The Ruhare

With Anzeze at his home in Walodeya village
If you be at Keveye, Mulele, Kegondi or Walodeya, you will hear of Luhali. Sometimes up there they call themselves Luseno. /vaRoseno/.

The genealogy search is yet to go past Luhali, a 19th Century Saniaga whose father was Luseno. Luhali begot Amwariza Gumbihi, Libese Benjamin and Eram Chunza.  If you want to know about us, the few elders I have met say, go to Bugina. That is where we came from.

'Guga yanagaa Senagi. Kuduka ave yarangaa inzi rieta ria guga weve.' Says msakuru Anzeze. Na Senagi uyu, ni amwavo Luhali. Na Senagi uyu yivura Mukayagi. Mukayagi yivura Lugalia, guga wange. It is then Mugambi, the son of Lugalia who begot Anzeze, a 72 year old man at Walodeya. Bordering the primary school.

How they got at Walodeya?

Kegondi was the second home after Bugina. A person from the clan of Vasachi who are a majority in that area killed Mukayagi. And it happened Mukayagi had married Kerova, mkana m'Masingira (vaMaraha) from Walodeya. Kerova's father was a 'chief', mundu Iseriza /ishieriza/. Seeing the daughter's affliction, he allowed her back home, with a child. She would secondly be married in Kisa. 

And Lugalia grew there, he was given land from the present Walodeya Primary school downwards. Ivwifwa. And he had a wife. This wife, he was given.

He was given by Kivisi, a Saniaga who then reigned Bugina area. Kivisi by coming to power had two wives. And the colonial government discouraged polygamy. To be safe and accommodating, the wife, /raheri rung'aho/, mukana muRungusia, was taken to Lugalia. She already had two children, Asara John and a girl called Vutagwa who would grow and be married to Goibei from there. Asara would grow and go back home, becoming a senior man in Uganda civil service. He begot 5 children from Raheri. Mugambi being the son who survived to maturity to continue the lineage.

At that time, Lugalia's 'uncle', Luhali, moved from Kegondi to Keveye. Between, at Lusaala, a Saniaga called Ngaira had land there. From where Lusaala primary school is, downwards. One of Luhali's sons, Libese would settle there. Because Luhali was polygamous, the first wife was at Keveye (Gumbihi), the second at Lusaala (Libese). Unclear, there is rirova /l'lova/ who then occupied the upper part of the Lusaala land, the son of Aswani. It is presumed he was of Luhali or a near kin.

Thirdly, Luhali got a son and a daughter at Wangeyo near Igunga. The prior mentioned Chunza. And if you can go back in the posted tales, read the Saniaga at Wangeyo, you will find one Saniaga called Lusaala as an ancestor to those people at Wangeyo. Lusaala died early and left a young wife. Mmbone was her name. With a son called Muhindi. A muVurugi girl. But in other version she is a muMuku. This Muhindi, it is said, used to often visit Ivusari and Ivukizungu. Chunza, the in brother, with two identities, would be the one given the Kegondi ancestral land. Bringing our story to an agreement of closer family ties and relationships in that era - Before 1950.

And life goes on. There exists grand and great grandchildren of the said later people above.

NB.
Lusaala is locally known as /rusara (ru)tambi/.

Comments