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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 Vigisa

With Tom Kagari at his home in Kidundu

The Vigisa are found at Kidundu, specifically igogwa village alongside the Ogoli's and mtiga Mayodi, Alfayo Odanga. Presently Kidundu has come to mean the football field which is locally known as ruravu /l'lavu/ and environs. The Vigisa say they came from Injidi, and below is how they settled at Kidundu and those that are said remained.

A forefather called Magunamu begot four sons and a daughter. Vigisa, Idaya, Ndeda and Govedi. The daughter was called Anyo. The mother to these children was called Ingibani, muKirima muMasero. And Magunamu had a brother called Mwidikira, elder. And Mwidikira may have only carried his father's name because Vigisa's great grandfather was Magunamu.

Mwidikira migrated from Injidi to Kidundu. He had no son. And asked his son by his brother, Magunamu, Vigisa, to come and stay with him. He had of course found himself good land and if Vigisa needed, he would settle there. Which he did.

In another version, it is Anyo, the daughter of Magunamu who first went to Kidundu. For a reason that the informant was not clear about. There, she called alongside his brother. Who took over 'her land' as they lived together.

Vigisa's occupation was basketry. He made and sold, a way of life that made him educate his sons even though for a little while - Stephen Mise, Jamin Karani and Tom Kagari. They had a sister called Elima Ndedani who was married iMurundu. The wife of Vigisa was called Runyaji Jimose, muKirima. The elder son, Mise, migrated to Rugari in early 1970's. Jamin Karani, after working as a dresser in British army was awarded a sanitation job by Nairobi City Council as a store keeper for the sewer plant. He lived in Kariobangi when street lights shone, roads were clean and the houses were tiled. In the early 1980's. Tom Kagari, the youngest of the boys worked as a cook and he is at home now, engaged part time as a traditional doctor.

There at Jamin Karani, back home from the capital, he was proud of his wife, Sarah Videnyi, muNondi who was a good organizer at the farm that despite sickness she could tell what was happening at what point of the farm. It was that after her death, Karani lamented when things were not well at the farm, 'oh Videnyi arava yaha!'. It was such longing that contributed to his death too, his main companion having left him. Together they begot nine children, Angehi, Dayo, Gwabe, Misoga, Aida, Munaji, Vigisa, Mahasi and Eboso. They were not many children compared to Videnyi's brother whom begot 11 boys and 4 girls by one wife, vakoza vanga Eboso.

Vigisa's young one, Tom Kagari, one of the gems in the village did marry mukana muYonga by the name Reba Imari. She passed on, having bore together 11 children with some who passed on despite a rich traditional healing background of Reba. An art that Reba's father, Ombeva did also teach Tom Kagari which he practises to date and its his trade.

For the brothers of Vigisa at Injidi/Matagaro, Idaya begot Tito, Endoho, Javani and Okombo with Ademo, muNyore. Govedi begot Jacob of Uganda and Jimwei of iMbihi with Nyamusi, mukana muRugiri. Then Ndeda by mukana muDiriji, Daisi, begot Kigugwa and Savatia.

Only to add, it is not clear how Chief Agoi, muRogovo and uncle to Otwombe's at Mbihi came to settle between the Vigisa, Ogoli's and Rubang'as. Sideways, Agoi is said to have had an immediate Luo origin. It should be noted that the Kidundu friends village meeting was the first and Kirindiru was a break away when vaSaniaga thought Agoi and company were aristocratically ruling them, with rumors that a Saniaga was better placed for chiefdom than Meshack, his son that inherited the mantle. By Agoi's death, a few sighed happily, a man that had grabbed lands was dead, he even received a slap in state. But people lived and another generation was born.

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

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