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 back in – in cases now that the immediately dead are taken to a morgue in preparations for internment. 

Two, while at Gaigedi village, the land mass flows from East (Nabwani) to West (Mudete). With Logooli traditions of placing homesteads facing the upper side of the ridge, it was discussed how his home coming would be. Would the vehicles leave Mbale to Mudete (West) and head as far as Losengeli to connect to Nabwani? While discussing, the cost factor arose. The hired vehicles (and of volunteers) would not be stressed with reroutes just because “we want to come from up”. But what of all that when Chahilu when leaving his home would go down to Izava and rise to Mudete? Others thought this was his “usual” and therefore “main” way of home access. Some famed people before would be moved around the village in “celebration”. 

In the first committee meeting, the family had a grave budget including ballast and more. One Didi clan elder who was not in the family cell meeting but was in the main meeting stood to oppose. He was turned down that the family had “decided for their father”. But in the second meeting, Guuku “Mommy” Beatrice reported that the family had “reconsidered”. That in his life talks, Chahilu disliked grave cementation. He preferred “malova ku malova” – soil back to soil – as of old. Many a men that enjoyed the deliberations applauded with several saying “it will be so to me too.”

Back to the ridges and watersheds, Gaigedi village has North and South descents. Between, the Nabwani-Mudete road cuts. Northern front doors face South while the South front Doors face North. Chahilu’s house belongs to the Southern side, built facing East with a verandah extension whose door faces North – about 13 meters to the main road. The Logooli do not count a verandah as a room nor its door as main. The vuhiilu (sitting room) is the main room and its door determinant. That would cause a heated murmer amongs Didi Clan elders. 

The murmurs started when the casket came from Vuhiilu for Chahilu to be placed in an outside tent for public viewing. The church pastor available was heard shouting, “Vadidi, mutwe guheenzaa hayi?” – Didi people, where is the head facing? Silence. Who is opposing the head facing verandah door placement? The murmur subsided… on follow up I was told in that manner it were that Chahilu’s head was facing the valley bottom of Gaigedi South. No dead does that. His head should be on East side. But how is his house? See the bedroom is even on the right hand from the gate to the North side. A “Logooli bedroom” is on the left (the woman) while a sitting room on the right (man’s place). 

Normally, kilivwa (main entrance to a home) should be diverting from a main upper road. In this case Chahilu’s main entrance is on the side, East. It was agreed that the grave would be dug differently. 

The elders while positioning the grave went to see how the graves to Chahilu’s parents were placed. Coming back, they had to “turn the house” to face a traditional direction of North, off Nabwani-Mudete road. There they would then have a North entry, an East-West grave, Chahilu’s head on the East – as he will rise (rises) as the sun-god (every day) cometh the day. With that they unsayingly “left space for guuku.” 

With the church having the “rights to burry” even the less churchy, it would appear that much of traditional observations were curtailed. Having Chahilu’s history written in conventional Lulogooli was impressive. The funeral committee in agreement with the Friends Church had agreed on Lulogooli as the life celebration ceremony’s language. 

If more of Logooli culture was not displayed, it is due to a weakling cultural body in Vihiga – old men who prefer suits and biblical quotes to traditional decorations and oldie chants. An isukuti dance entry to entertain the large gathering at Gaigedi Primary School was resisted to give respect to the church as it ran the program. And when the moment for Vakuluundu vaa miima (traditional men) came the twatwa-tongued politicians were salivating to speak. 

Later, very later on at dispersals was a handful Kileemba team from Lusengeli that sang “Ni ndyo kualange” at his grave, sending Chahilu forth in a traditional heave. He had hold the skies for us, not raining for the afternoon after many a rainy days. The little grandson who could not understand any a word of the song knew best how to thud his feet.