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Heavy responsibilities for elder aunt among the Logooli

With Seenge Fonesi. She is the elder grand daughter of Isagi and elder daughter of Amugasya. She is often present in functions involving the family of Amugasya. Pic taken on 18/4/2024. The elder sister soon becomes the elder aunt. It is this “seenge munene” (elder aunt) tag that she is tied to many cultural responsibilities – back home. To her marital family she may appear as any other woman, but she is not so in the eyes of her people. Marriage does not steal her away as it would happen with other daughters of the old man. To her, as days go and the old man and woman of the estate are dependents, she becomes increasingly present.  Her brothers also need her for almost all traditional markings. They are marrying, she needs to welcome the new wife. They are giving birth, she needs to come to midwife or “bless” the new born. They are paying dowry she needs to lead the women delegate. There is a conflict she needs to come for a hearing.  And many others. Traditions does not expect her to
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The Anyonge

With Meja (nick name) Guda at iMaganyi village
Found at iMaganyi village, Chavogere Sub-location, are the descendants of a Saniaga ancestor by the name Anyonge. Anyonge was the son of Mavare/Ruhunga of the Arago descent. Settling at iMaganyi followed the agreeable iMavi origin, down at eRong'erere, to Bugina, to Handidi and a back turn to iMaganyi, boarding vaDiriji and viDako in Busali East.

Of the same ancestry about 120+ years ago, the vaSaniaga at iMaganyi are of two ancestors namely Musumba and Ruvazwa. They together occupy a majority of the village area among vaSari vaMugoye. The recent lands bought were from them but the early lands were originally of Tiriki /vaDiriji/. A road passes the village from Chavogere Primary School, on the western side adoption Rwenya while the Eastern Side Maganyi. However the whole area is known as iMaganyi. The road goes down to where vaSaniaga bank River Igaragori, letting Muhudu area commence after the bridge.

Anyonge begot four sons. Agwona the eldest. Agani the follower. Ruvasi the latter and Ruvazwa the youngest. Of these, Agani moved from iMaganyi to Chamakanga at a place called Guruma. His descendants include the Indangasi's there. The other three grew and settled at iMaganyi. Agwona begot Musumba only. Musumba the blacksmith. Agani at Chamakanga begot Kevogo, Agesa and William*. Ruvasi begot Ironyagira, Ng'arwa and Vudavira. Ruvazwa by a woman from evoNyore, Mumaizi, muMuvai /Mbai/ begot Guda, Kibira, Ayodi, Kasuya and two  daughters Reba and Tasiya.

The above fathers, Agwona, Agani, Ruvasi and Ruvazwa were warriors. They fought their way to also have a share of the land. Maybe moving the original Kalenjin inhabitants further East, and the already collaborating vaRuhia, vaDiriji. River iGaragori would be the interim boundary between the vaRogori and vaDiriji, a little south where it flows the viDako had already crossed a few metres over.

The art of traditional iron smelting was continued by Anyonge's grandson, Musumba. Who, in recollection, the kiln was at the very spot where The African Church of The Holy Spirit is situated. Musumba passed the art to his son, Miheso. Who passed the art to his son, Ihaji. By then iron was easily found and traded, not worth the traditional belabouring. He quitted, selling the piece of parcel to the church for Ksh 200/-.

Buying land at iMaganyi was easy then. Ruvazwa had two daughters, Reba and Tasiya. The goat that came as Reba's bride price is the one that helped Guda, the elder brother to purchase land downwards after Maganyi primary where three of Guda's sons would be settled. Guda had two wives, Rasoha mwiSuka muTemburi and Engohu, muGondi mwiDako. Begetting Samuel Masiza, Solomon Kivaru and Javan Asiavugwa from the former and Henry Rusigi, Majanga and Kosimo with the latter.

On Musumba's side, people of equal lineage were Miheso the said and his brother Madoya who begot a single son, Joseph Mudoga. Miheso had Ihaji whom the Smith art ended with. The eldest. Like Guda, Miheso had two wives too, Kifuyayo muSari muKoyani and Musimbi muGihayo. Ihaji was of the first. Him, Absalom Kisore and Harun Magavudi. From the second house there was Jeremiah Rihuzu, Agab Masiza and Konzoro Miheso. Begotten just before Maganyi primary on the left downwards, Miheso bought land on the right, up, near the church for a goat. When he died, defendants of the seller, Songore, muGihayo, were given Ksh 200/-. It was that from the two wives, each of the elder sons to settle at the land, Ihaji and Rihuzu, the remainder four at home, mu chani.

A man called Injugu from Sabatia, down to Izava, did buy a fairly better share of the valley bottom to the original land of Miheso, he planted tea. Equal 'step back' did not come to pass when Ihaji's grandson, Shadrack Ihaji attempted his luck to leadership and excellence. A young man of 28 had received his letter from Sabatia D.O. appointed as area Sub-Chief on merit of education and service. Ihaji begot eight sons and the fifth was Jamin Rusara. Who died early. The eldest of his children was Shadrack Ihaji who went to Muhudu Secondary and scored a B-. He was in search for teaching positions and learnt of the advertised subchief position. He was young and of a different clan, with vaSaniaga atill considered vamenya. Which is a non issue away from the community level. Shadrack was appointed amidst disgruntled opinions. Which by time have kept watering down.

You will then come across people at iMaganyi calling one another brother, father, grandfather and even great grandfather. Here is why. As Ruvazwa begot Guda, Kibira, Ayodi and Kasuya, Agwona begot Musumba. Agwona was way older than Ruvazwa and by the time he was having Miheso and Madoya as grandchildren, the Guda's were now being born. With Ruvazwa's lineage having five generations to Anyonge while Musumba's got seven generations to Anyonge.

All  in all, they live in utmost respect, shown in both the young and the old, with increased openness in talks as three elders happened to be informants to this documentation. Namely Solomon Kivaru, Samuel Masiza and Simon Majanga.

For market and access to market services, the people of Maganyi are served by Cheptulu market.

-/With Thanks
saniaga.org
saniaga.blogspot.com
info.saniaga@gmail.com

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