Piny Luo Festival: Inside the elaborate cultural plans and deep meanings behind them

The Piny Luo Festival, a gathering of the Luo community, is expected to draw participants from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia and parts of Congo. The three-day festival will be held in Siaya from December 31 to January 2.

President William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni are expected to open the festival on the final day, January 2.

According to Mr Odungi Randa, the chairman of the Luo Council of Elders ('Ker') and the cultural and traditional leader of the community, the Luos, who are categorised as Lake Nilotes because of their movement along the Nile, have close brothers who speak the same dialect across the five East African countries.

Intended as an annual gathering of all Luo speakers around the world, this year's edition, the fourth since the festival's resumption in 2021, is expected to attract thousands of participants from within and outside Kenya.

'Piny Luo', loosely translated as 'The Land of the Luos', will be a conglomerate of many cultural practices, according to the community's political leader Raila Odinga, who is also the patron of the Luo Council of Elders – a body tasked with preserving the community's culture.

“This year, we expect thousands of guests from Kenya and outside the country. As Luos, we have our brothers who speak the same language from other countries, and they will attending too,” said Mr Odinga, during his Christmas speech at St Peters ACK Parish in Nyamira, Bondo sub-county on December 25.

“Some of those guests are the Langi, Padhola, Acholi, Anyuak, Aluru, Jonam, Shilluk, Gambela of Ethiopia and other Luos from Tanzania.”

During former President Daniel arap Moi's Kanu era in the 1980s, as Mr Odinga said, such gatherings were banned, forcing organisers to suspend it for several years until 2021, when the first edition was reintroduced to celebrate culture.

According to this year's programme, most of the activities will take place at the historic Migwena grounds at the foot of Got Abiero in Bondo sub-county.

On the first day, December 31, events will take place simultaneously at the Migwena grounds and Wich Lum Beach; the latter will host the boat racing and swimming competitions, while other sports such as tug-of-war and wrestling will be held at Migwena.

“Come and have a great experience this year. Our traditional sports and boat racing shall be done on December 31,” said Kisumu Deputy Governor Mathews Owili, who is also the chairman of the organising committee.

Guests will also be treated to traditional Luo music such as ohangla and benga as they cross over to 2025.

On the second day of the festival, January 1, the focus will shift to Got Ramogi, where the community believes their ancestors settled for many years before descendants migrated further.

It is estimated that Ramogi Ajwang, the Luo ancestor, first settled in the hills of Got Ramogi about 800 years ago.

“Got Ramogi is our ‘gunda’ (our original home). We shall be heading there again and have a look at the original place where our ancestors settled after leaving Uganda. The first group of Luos settled at Got Ramogi over 800 years ago, the second group also settled there 250 years later and so did the third group,” said Mr Odinga.

On the same day, Got Ramogi will be turned into a shrine for the Luo Community.

“Just like other communities have their holy places; the Muslim Community has Mecca, Christians have Jerusalem, and for Luos we have Got Ramogi, which is very significant to us. We will make it a shrine,” he added.

Ramogi's house is still there, the mill where his family used to grind cereals, popularly known as 'pong', and the loj (peg) where he tethered his cattle, which has grown into a huge tree over the years.

Guests will be taken to the Kang'o Ka Jaramogi Mausoleum where the first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, is buried. It was later turned into a museum.

The Piny Luo Festival will also give guests the opportunity to taste some of the traditional foods of the community, with vegetables such as dek, osuga, atipa featuring in the menu. Guests will also have a taste of different types of fish from Lake Victoria such as ngege, mumi, mbuta and fuani.

Traditional utensils – pots popularly known as agulu or dak; guords known by the locals as aguata or ko; as well as ndhwaro made from papyrus reeds – will also be on display.

Artefacts such as palm leaf caps and bamboo cooking sticks will also be on display.

Mzee Randa called on the community to unite and speak with one voice.

“I welcome everybody as the Ker of the Luo Community. We have a lot that we can achieve when we work together, especially now that our son is out to lead Africa. Our brothers who remained behind in Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia are all coming to celebrate with us,” he said.

Acholi leader Ruot Okidi, who visited the organising committee three weeks ago, said some Acholi elders would grace the occasion.

“When your brother or your sister calls you to come and celebrate with them, it is good you come. That is the reason I am here as proof that I will mobilise the elders to attend this important event,” he said.

Piny Luo will culminate in the opening of the state-of-the-art Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Stadium on January 2.

The opening ceremony will feature a friendly match between Gor Mahia FC and Uganda's Kitara FC at the brand new 20,000-seater stadium.