The Akamba were great traders and ranged all the way from the coast to Lake Victoria and up to Lake Turkana. Ivory was one of the main barter items but locally made products such as beer, honey, iron weapons and ornaments were also traded. They used to obtain food stocks from the neighbouring Maasai and Kikuyu, as their own low-altitude land was relatively poor and couldn’t sustain the increasing population which followed their arrival in the area.

In colonial times the Akamba were highly regarded by the British for their intelligence and fighting ability and were drafted in large numbers into the British army. Thousands lost their lives in WWI. When it came to land, however, the British were not quite so respectful and tried to limit the number of cattle the Akamba could own (by confiscating them) and also settled more Europeans in Ukambani. The Akamba response was the formation of the Ukamba Members Association, which marched en masse to Nairobi and squatted peacefully at Kariokor Market in protest. After three weeks the administration gave way and the cattle were eventually returned to the people.

All adolescents go through initiation rites to adulthood at around the age of 12, and have the same age-set groups common to many of Kenya’s peoples. The various age-set rituals involve the men, and the women to a lesser extent, gaining seniority as they get older.

Young parents are known as ‘junior elders’ (mwanake for men, mwiitu for women) and are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the village. Once his children are old enough to become junior elders. Themselves, the mwanake goes through a ceremony to become a ‘medium elder’ (nthele), and later in life a ‘full elder’ (atumia ma kivalo) with the responsibility for death ceremonies and administering the law. The last stage of a person’s life is that of ‘senior elder’ (atumia ma kisuka) with responsibility for the holy places.

Akamba subgroups include Kitui, Masaku and Mumoni.

They are one of the Nine Tribes of Mijikenda. All of the nine are sometimes called by the name of the largest (570,400) and most northern tribe of Mijikenda, the Giriama, who live near the coastal city of Malindi.
History: The modern Duruma may be traced back to about the 17th century, along with other Mijikenda groups, to the southern movement of Bantu-speaking peoples from Somalia. having settled from around A.D. 500 as far north as Mogadishu, the expansions of the Somali then the Oromo from the north pushed these less warlike peoples back south. Many coastal peoples have a tradition of living together as family groups in a place called Kirao and a later place called Shungwaya in the 16th century.

The Duruma acknowledge that they were formed from the fusion of three separate groups, one of which had Shungwaya connections. These were Digo people from Kaya Kwale, who came first and built a Kaya at Mtswara, in the tradition of people who came from Shungwaya.
They were later joined by a group of refugee slaves who fled Mombasa. They are referred to as Mokua. This appears to refer to a people originally from Mozambique, known today as Makhuwa. It is known that Makhuwa also wound up in central Somalia as slaves in the early 1800′s. The third group were Kamba immigrants. It is also possible that remnants of other peoples have contributed to the modern Duruma.

The Duruma and Rabai have lived over the centuries fairly free of direct impact from the turbulent events in Mombasa and the coast. They have maintained trading contacts, however, with the Swahili and Arabs.
Identity: The Duruma are a subsistence farming people growing maize for their own consumption. They live in about 100 villages. They also herd cattle and raise tobacco as a cash crop. Most children go to school but many older people are illiterate. They have maintained their own ethnic and language identity for several centuries since the early Bantu settlement.

The original people have accepted successive small groups of Bantu settlers, including some of the refugee migrants from northern coast. It is from the latter that the Duruma identify with the Giriama-Mijikenda developed, notably the establishment of a traditional center called a Kaya.
The Kaya is a sacred site in the forest, where special gatherings and rites of passage are held. It is the traditional tribal center for the Mijikenda peoples, unique among northeastern Bantu.
Language: The Duruma are very close in language and culture to the Rabai, another of the Mijikenda peoples living west of Mombasa. The Rabai number 64,000 and are over 50% Christian by some estimates.
The languages of the Mijikenda are close to the major Bantu language of the East African coast, Swahili. Most Duruma are bilingual in Swahili. Linguists classify the languages of the Duruma and the Rabai as two dialects of one language. Some Duruma also speak Digo.

Customs: The Duruma largely maintain their traditional family-village farming and herding life. But they may also be found as fishers and shopkeepers. Some are successful business people. Water is a problem in their area, many children are malnourished, and malaria is rife. There is little electricity outside Kinango.

The Duruma and Rabai differ from other Mijikenda by maintaining a dual descent system: both matrilineal and patrilineal. While the Digo to the east are matrilineal, the northern six Mijikenda groups are patrilineal. Until recently, the Duruma observed with other Mijikenda a practice of age-sets of four years in which generational circumcision was observed as an initiation into adulthood.

Religion: The Duruma have some influence from their Muslim neighbors the Swahili, but are primarily traditional. Islam is weakening among the Duruma. The only madrassa (Muslim Quranic school) is in Kinango where there is the only largest mosque. There are a few mud and stick mosques.
To the south of Mombasa and inland, the Digo, another Mijikenda tribe (360,000), by contrast, are strongly Muslim. Prominent in the Duruma-Rabai area are the Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists and Pentecostals. Most do not work exclusively with the Duruma.
Christianity: The first Christian church established in Kenya was started by Ludwig Krapf of the Christian Missionary Society (Anglican) among the Rabai, neighbors of the Duruma. In the comity agreement during colonial rule, the Duruma area was assigned to the Methodists, who still maintain a visible presence, but welcome other Christian groups. The Methodist church seems to have waned in interest and activity.

The Duruma are considered to be about 30% Christian. There are several Protestant churches in Kinango and other towns, and some Roman Catholic presence. Africa Inland Church members in this area are mostly Kamba. The only Bible portions in their language were published in 1848. New translation work is under way.

The Swahili Bible is commonly used among Duruma Christians. Literacy, however, is only about 50%. Greatest needs are considered to be literacy, training for pastors, Bible teachers (Sunday School) and youth workers. A Duruma Bible is in process. The Duruma are moderately responsive to the gospel.

Population 80,000 (1997 SIL).

Region Rift Valley Province , Elgeyo Marakwet District

Being a relatively small group, the Gusii were always on the move following influxes of other groups into their existing lands. After migrating to the Mt Elgon area sometime before the 15th century, the Gusii were gradually pushed south by the advancing Luo, and over the next couple of centuries came into conflict with the Maasai and the Kipsigis. They finally settled in the hills here as the high ridges were easier to defend. Having fought hard for their autonomy, the Gusii were unwilling to give it up to the British and suffered heavy losses in conflicts early this century. Following these defeats, the men were conscripted in large numbers into the British army.

The Gusii family typically consists of a man, his wives and their married sons, all living together in a single compound. Large families serve two purposes: with high infant mortality rates the survival of the family is assured, and the large numbers facilitate defence of the family enclosure. Initiation ceremonies are performed for both boys and girls, and rituals accompany all important events. Death is considered not to be natural but the work of ‘witchcraft’. The Gusii were primarily cattle keepers but also practised some crop cultivation, and millet beer was often important at big occasions.

As is the case with many of Kenya’s ethnic groups, medicine men (ubanyamorigo) had a highly privileged and respected position. Their duty was to maintain the physical and mental wellbeing of the group — doctor and social worker combined. One of the more bizarre practices was (and still is) the removal of sections of the skull or spine to aid maladies such as backache or concussion.

The Kikuyu’s new land was bordered by the Maasai and although there were periods of calm between the two groups, there were also times when raids were carried out against each other’s property and cattle. Both groups placed a high value on cattle. Intermarriage was not uncommon between them and they share a number of similarities — particularly in dress, weaponry, and dancing — as a result of their intermingling.

The administration of the clans (mwaki), made up of many family groups (nyumba), was originally taken care of by a council of elders with a good deal of importance being placed on the role of the witch doctor, medicine man and the blacksmith. Traditionally the Kikuyu god (Ngai) is believed to reside on Mt Kenya (Kirinyaga— the ‘mountain of brightness’, ‘mountain of whiteness’ or ‘black and white peak spotted like ostrich feathers’) which accounts for the practice of orientating Kikuyu homes with the door facing Mt Kenya.

Initiation rites for both boys and girls are important ceremonies and consist of circumcision in boys and cliterodectomy in girls (the latter now rarely practised), accompanied by elaborate preparations and rituals. Each group of youths of the same age belong to an ‘age-set’ (riika) and pass through the various stages of life (with associated rituals) together.

Subgroups of the Kikuyu include Embu, Ndia and Mbeere.

The Luhya tribe, also known as Abaluhya, Baluhya, or Abaluyia, are a bantu tribe living in the agriculturally fertile Western region of Kenya. They are neighbors to some of the nilotic tribes including Luo, Kalenjin, Maasai and Teso (Iteso).

Luhyas are Kenya’s second largest ethnic tribe after the Kikuyu, making up 14% of the Kenya population. Though considered as one tribe, the Abaluhya consist of over 18 sub-tribes, each speaking a different dialect of the Luyia language. The Bukusu and Maragoli are the two largest Luhya sub tribes. The others include Banyala, Banyore, Batsotso, Gisu, Idakho, Isukha, Kabras, Khayo, Kisa, Marachi, Marama, Masaaba, Samia, Tachoni, Tiriki and Wanga.

History of the Luhya tribe

The true origin of the Abaluhya is disputable. According to their own oral literature, Luhyas migrated to their present day location from Egypt in the North. Some historians however believe that the Luhya came from Central and West Africa alongside other Bantus in what is known as the Great Bantu Migration.

The Luhya tribe, like many other Kenya tribes, lost their most fertile land to the colonialists during the British colonial rule in Kenya. The Abaluhya, and more so the Bukusu, strongly resisted colonial rule and fought many unsuccessful battles to regain their land. The Wanga and Kabras sub-tribes however collaborated with colonialists.

Culture & Lifestyle

Traditionally, the extended family and the clan were at the centre of the Luhya culture. Luhyas practiced polygamy, and a man got more respect depending on the number of wives he had. This is because only a very wealthy man could afford to pay dowry (bride price) for several wives. Dowry was paid in form of cattle, sheep, or goats. Today, polygamy is no longer widely practiced, but dowry payment is still revered in some Luhya communities. Instead of giving cattle, sheep, or goats as bride price, one may pay dowry in form of money. However, marrying from one’s clan is considered a taboo.

Traditional male circumcision is an important ritual in most Luhya sub-tribes. It marks the initiation from boyhood to manhood. The modern and educated Luhyas today choose to circumcise their sons in hospitals upon birth. However, among some sections of the Bukusu and Tachoni, traditional circumcision ceremonies still take place every August and December.

Luhyas and Sports

Luhya people are very enthusiastic about sports especially rugby and soccer. AFC Leopards is one soccer club that enjoys wide support among many Luhyas as it was considered to be their own. The club was formed in the early 1960s as Abaluhya Football Club, and has traditionally had bitter rivalry with Gor Mahia FC, a club associated with the Luo.

In Kenya’s football history, AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia FC were for a long time the best soccer teams in the country producing most of the players in the national soccer team, the Harambee stars.

Up to this day, traditional bullfighting is viewed as a sport activity among sections of the Luhya ethnic tribe. The annual bullfighting competition attracts many spectators, among them Dr. Bonny Khalwale, the current Member of Parliament (MP) for Ikolomani.

Faith & Religion

Many Luhyas today are Christians. However, it is common to find some Luhyas mixing Christianity with aspects of African traditional religion. Dini ya Msambwa for example, a religion whose adherents are mostly Luhyas, uses portions of the bible for its doctrine while at the same time practicing traditional witchcraft. God in Luyia language is Nyasaye, a name borrowed from the nilotic luo neighbors.

Luhya tribe economic activities

Like other Kenyans, Luhyas are today found in almost every sector of the Kenyan economy. In most urban areas for example, there are many Luhya professionals as well as semi-skilled laborers. In their native Western Kenya region they practise farming and agriculture where they grow sugarcane among other cash crops grown in the region. Most of the sugar consumed in Kenya is produced in Mumias, a Luhya’s land. Other agricultural products grown by the Luhyas include maize(corn) and wheat.

Abaluhya Food

Ugali, known as Obusuma in the Luhya language, is the traditional food of the Abaluhya. Ugali made from either maize(corn) flour or cassava, or millet flour, is usually accompanied with chicken. While Luhyas eat other foods, a meal is never complete without some Ugali.

Facts About The luyia Tribe