JO SAKWA: PEOPLE OF SAKWA(Dhoodgi Raila Odinga )

KENYAN LUO CLANS PART 10

JO SAKWA: PEOPLE OF SAKWA(Dhoodgi Raila Odinga )

The people of Sakwa claim descent from Wanga, the son of Amolo, Amolo the son of Jok, and Jok the son of Elder Ramogi. Owila, Omia, Marama and Turi were the brothers of Wanga. Another sub-clan of Jo-Sakwa people claim descent from Sakwa son of Konya, and Konya the son of Jok. This name “sakwa” was again used by the Luos to make fun of most of the Bamanyulia (Kawango) groups because of their “hurrying up” nature, and hence, the second group forms the largest and dominant sub-clan of the Sakwa people.

The Sakwa oral traditions claim place of origin as Emanyulia in the Western Province. They came from Uganda as Luo, i. e. the migration from Alur, but later split into Kawango group or Luo Abasuba.
From Wanga in Western, the migration of Jo-Sakwa (descendants of Wanga and Sakwa) and Jo-Uyoma (descendants of Owila) were led by Matar son of Wanga to the present Siaya where they first settled in the areas of what is now Madungu in Uholo. Matar then moved his people across the river Nzoia near Ugunja and settled in the country called Alego. They then moved to Kanyaboli where they sojourned amongst the small Luo group called Jo-Kale whom they found nesting there. And from Kanyaboli, Sakwa people crossed the river Yala at Abom into what is now known as Sakwa Bondo and spread in the entire Maranda and Nyangoma divisions of the present-day Bondo District.
As a result, the original home area of the Sakwa people in Nyanza became the present Bondo sub county in the Central Nyanza Province.

Later, however, some of the Sakwa people left these lower savanna grasslands of Bondo for higher and cooler regions of Sare Awendo with reliable rainfall. They were attracted by the fertility and productivity of the present Awendo locality in the South Nyanza Province and so, they decided to migrate and stay there. The Kadera, now the small clan of Kamot/Kowak under Nyibinya clan, were the first group of Jo-Sakwa to move to Sare Awendo (South Nyanza) and first sojourned at Oora area. They were followed by the small clan of Kanyamngony, that is Kamiyawa sub-clan who were led by, one Orondo Wamera.

After Sakwa’s death, leadership wrangles erupted between his two sons Miyandhe and Nyibinya thus each migrated and spread all over Sakwa. This would tell you why Nyibinya and Miyandhe always at loggerheads when it comes to leadership.

The name Sakwa is from Matar’s mother thus Matar named his son after his mother Sakwa. Sakwa had two sons ( Miyandhe some historians called him Kasmwa and Nyibinya) and a daughter called Nyagidimbwa. Miyandhe fathered mayika and Ligoo (kaligoo). Mayika fathered Miyawa (kamiyawa) , Waye (wawaye) and Udha ( Jokaudha in Gem ).

As jokamiyandhe migrated towards Uyoma peninsula from Abom and Uloma, they absorbed and hosted a number of other people: Mbohra (waohra), Miha (wamiha), Rabuor/wambi (karabuor), Mawa (wamawa), Miseda (waseda), Gwe (wagwe), Chuje(kachuje), Migoma (wagoma) and Mkwaya (kamkwaya) This group under Miyandhe is referred to as Nyasmwa from ‘mwa’.
Mkwaya wives were; Minyiri, Pambo, Awuor and Chuje.
Rabuor/Wambi or Onyango and his brother Ng’aya came from Kaksingri in Suba, it is said that they came floating on Abuoro, on their way the Abuoro split and Rabuor got their way to Sakwa while Ng’aya got their way to Kano( Kano Wanga’ya).

Nyibinya, the second son of sakwa married six wives whose names are used for the sub-clans: Oduol (koduol), Owak (kowak), kuodi (kakuodi), Ligaga (kaligaga), Olaka (kolaka) and Ganga.This group occupy the Western and Southern Sakwa.

Miyandhe also incoporated several groups of people; Mayuje from Alego, Yue, Osinjo, Wagalu and Kodumo and kamiyawa. The term Ojwando is normally used to refer to these people.

There is this other groups that found themselves in Sakwa which include: Wahundga, Kagwa, Karachier, Kamgodha, kanyinek, Wamuri/kondoro, Seme, Waware/waraya and Ugenya.

The last group of Sakwa is Jokanyamwanda (nyamwanda). Sakwa daughter Nyagidimbwa after refusing to get married finally married a jamwa called Omwanda. Omwanda and Nyagidimbwa begot nephews of josakwa: Yendhe (wayendhe), Gusu (wagusu), Mchidha (wachidha) and Mnara (Kamnara). They occupy central and southern sections of Sakwa.

Although the Luo community practised exogamy, the Sakwa people do marry among themselves which is due to the fact that Sakwa clans or sub-clans were blended by non-Luo elements. One of the Luo customs was that members of a clan were not allowed to marry from their own clan. For instance, the small clans of Nyasmwa like the Karabuor, Kamresi, Wagalo and Waora intermarry amongst themselves. In other words, the sub-clans of Jo-Sakwa intermarry among themselves because they are not wholy related.