Author: Prof Henry Okello Ayot
Publisher: Kenya Literature Bureau
Reviewer: Odhiambo Orlale
Book cover photo: Odhiambo Orlale
The history of the Abasuba in Western Kenya is like the one of The Africans written about by Prof Ali Mazrui in: Africans - The Triple Heritage, published in 1986. So far, very few authors have put pen to paper to document the history of Abasuba, in Southern Nyanza and in parts of Tanzania along Lake Victoria coastline and islands, who are said to have migrated from Kabaka’s Kingdom in Uganda in the 1760s.
In his book, which was banned in Kenya, Prof Mazrui, who hailed from Mombasa County, traced Africa’s indigenous Islamic and western heritages in the organization and structure of religions, slave trade, modern civilization among others.
The Abasuba are Bantus, unlike their neighbour's the Luos who are nilotes who originally migrated from Southern Sudan between 1490 and 1600 down River Nile and through Uganda to settle in Nyanza region, as documented by Prof Bethwell Ogot and Ker (Elder) of Luo Union East Africa, Paul Mboya, in the 1960s and 1970s.
On his part, Prof Henry Okello Ayot, wrote the first book on the Abasuba, The History of the Abasuba of Western Kenya, in 1979, which traces the history, culture and politics of his kinsmen back to 1760s when their ancestors fled to Kenya and parts of Tanzania along the shores of Lake Victoria.
Abasubas are a minority ethnic community who have been assimilated to their Luo neighbour's over the centuries leading to their almost losing their language and culture over the centuries since they migrated from Uganda across Lake Victoria.
Says Prof Ayot in the preface: "This book is a revised version of my PhD thesis which was presented to the University of Nairobi in 1973. It is a detailed study of the Luo-Abasuba who today occupies the lake region of South Nyanza and the two islands of Rusinga and Mfangano."
According to the don, the Bantu-speaking people had migrated from Kabaka kingdom after the death of Kabaka Junju in 1760 in what was believed to be an abortive palace coup.
They first settled in Rusinga, Mfangano, Gembe Kaksingri and Gwassi areas before later spreading to Migori County and parts of Tanzania along the Lake Victoria coastline. Says Prof Ayot: "The establishment of European power in Western Kenya by 1903, which recognised Dholuo as the language of the area, accelerated the assimilation of the Luo-Abasuba to become practically Luo by 1940."
The 210-page book was published by Kenya Literature Bureau and is in three parts that cover 11 chapters. The topics are: The genesis of the Abasuba (1900 to 1980); the flight of the Abakunta; the northern trek of Kaksingri and Kasgunga; and the Central Nyanza splinter group.
Part II delves in to the meat of the historical story: The peopling of Abasuba land (1780-1900); Rusinga Island; Mfangano Island; the Wasaki wars; and the mainland of South Nyanza and the lake region.
Finally, the author concludes his story in Part III addressing other pertinent issues. These are: the assimilation of the Abasuba (1780-1900); the fishing industry trade and commerce; positive Luo influence on the Abasuba; the individual and the society; and finally the colonial factors - the last phase of assimilation.
But not all Abasubas accepted the assimilation into Luos and Christianity without raising a finger. The most prominent of the Kenyan Abasaubas include Former Cabinet Minister and Kanu Secretary General, Tom Mboya, from Rusinga Island and Former Cabinet Minister Peter Nyakiamo, from Sindo.
Others are former Senator Onyango Mbeo, Prof Okoth Okombo, Veteran editor Philip Ochieng, former Permanent Secretary and Mbita Member of Parliament, Valentine Omolo Opere, and former Kasarani MP, Ochieng Mbeo among others.
In his book, Freedom and After, published in 1963, Mboya had said: "There were some churches, for instance the Seventh Day Aventis Church (SDA), which thought it was immoral to give the African any academic education; and believed that all we should learn was the Bible from the first page t the last, and perhaps how to do some woodwork and manual labour. Until a few years ago the SDA thought it was unchristian for the African to want to go to high school or college. In some cases Africans who defied the church on these matters lost their teaching jobs or other employment. As a result, there are today very few educated Africans among the SDAs."
On Luo influence on Abasuba customs and practices, another author, Samuel Ayany, in his book, Kar Chakruok Mar Joluo (Genesis of the Luo) is quoted saying:" In short, the Luo accepted the non-Luo groups into the community on their own terms."
Indeed, the absorption of Luo practices and customs was further accelerated by Luo girls who married into the Abasuba community and carried Luo traditional ways of life with them without much opposition. On the other hand, Abasuba girls married to Luos were compelled to practice only Luo customs and give up their own.
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