In the course of banter here, I often make borderline hatespeech posts about the Njaruozzz - the tall, dark people of Lake Sango who were previously known as the Kavirondo.
I usually do this to provoke the likes of Slevyn, Jimit, Magreb, Agwas, et al.
But let me be serious for once and tell you something about Njaruozz, one of Kenya’s most dynamic communities.
The Luo are in my humble opinion highly intelligent, trustworthy and adaptive.
The average Luo is imbued with a high sense of justice and honesty, and will think twice before engaging in sleazy behaviour like petty theft and cutting corners. That’s why virtually everyone who has a car has a Luo mechanic on speed dial.
It is this sense of justice that saw Jaramogi refuse to become PM before Jomo was released by the beberu. It was this sense of justice that saw Mboya, perhaps the best president Kenya never had, incorporate all Kenyans in the American airlifts. It is this sense that has seen the Luo pay the highest price for the emergence of our democracy. Or people like Ouko be the country’s best auditor-general and Magoha the best education minister, with absolutely no whiff of corruption.
Of course the Luo, like any other big community, have their failings and weaknesses. I personally think their victimhood and loyalty to one political dynasty has done them in. As has their adherence to some outdated cultural practices.
But on the whole the Luo have made a very positive impact to Kenya. Without them I doubt this country would have achieved the little development it has today, especially in the areas of governance, social justice and equity.
Their sense of justice and fairness, their trustworthiness, their loyalty to family and community, their fidelity to the truth, their quest to learn - how many Luo top academics do we have again? - and their professionalism should be an inspiration to all of us.
Whenever I go to have my pacemaker checked and I meet a Luo cardiologist, I always know I am in good hands. Not so much when I meet my fellow tribesperson, who I always suspect will tinker with it for an extra 100k.
So my Luo compatriots here, don’t mistake my mdomo kauka outbursts too seriously.
Nikuongea tuu…
