The Jivoni

With msakuru Ngeri, 105 years old at Egago village 

The Jivoni boarder the gazetted Maragoli Hills Forest Reserve at Igago village, whose land prior descended the stone valley. This reduced Joash Ngeri's (Ngeri II) land to a little ground, the grandson of Agenda Vuzwa, now 105 years and the informant to this penning. He was of a cheerful demeanor, could speak in Luo, Kikuyu and Gusii well and sang a few  traditional songs.

Musera is the far remembered ancestor who lived at the foothills of Maragoli, Kegomorio village. He begot Jivoni. Jivoni begot four sons. Agenda Vuzwa, Odienge, Maina and Ayuya. The elder moved at Egago. The second to iMugomati village. The third to Masana and the fourth is said to have gone iKidundu respectively.

Agenda Vuzwa had a wife called Rwafunya, mukana muNdega from ivuGuga by whom they begot two sons, Asava and Ngeri I. Asava that went to Masana and Ngeri that remained at Igago. At Masana Asava may have followed the footsteps of Maina, his uncle. Maina had a son called Agunda. Agunda married Adisa. His other uncle, Ayuya of Kidundu married a woman called Murembani. They begot a son called Indire who migrated to South Nyanza, Migori.

Ngeri I married muMutembe called Vuhia Mudengani and begot Obaga that died youthful and was buried at Kibwezi where he worked. Anira that moved from Egago to iMugomati village as Ngeri II remained at Egago. The fourth son, Sinambaka was back at Kegomorio while the fifth, Amuhanda died before marriage as the first.

Ngeri I went to the 1914-18 as a recruit fighter to never return. Ngeri II reported that he was still unborn, placing his year of birth the very 1914 when the war started. His circumcision age set was the last of Imbalabala, IV, 1927. Also called Kinangori age-set.

Of his generation, Ngeri II is the one privileged to be alive, the rest long heralded. Two of his sons two. He married Enisi Marongo, muRogovo and begot Ephraim Ayeko, Erasto Udang'a, Thomas Agoi and Zabedu Livingston. The second and the third are passed as his wife.

He mentioned the presence of many other vaSaniaga in the nearby villages of iMazugi, iMakere, Chagenda, Chandoro and away. At iMakere, for instance, are the descendants of old Kigungu who begot Kavai and Udundu. The vaSaniaga who migrated from Kidundu back hillwards. The family name of Omende is of Kavai descent. The mention of Mweremi descendants in Sabatia constituency ivuKizungu as of the known Riruma, Rudundu and Ahai was surprising to him as the latter three are commonly known Saniaga shoots. It was a little unknown of the need to re-recognize off shoots as he himself it was reported to be of Kinavozerere descent.

For pun, Ngeri II is nicknamed Gova. He explained that once a lad, he was cheeky and enjoyed seducing girls. One girl that he seduced was called Magova from ivuGuga, muMenge. And it ended against his favour that he called himself Gova, half her name.

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