The
Luo (also spelled
Lwo)are an ethnic
linguistic groupA dialect continuum is a range of dialects spoken across a large geographical area, differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close, and gradually decreasing in mutual intelligibility as the distances become greater. Dialects separated by great geographical distances may not be...
located in an area that stretches from
Southern SudanSouthern Sudan is located in Africa with Juba as its capital city. Under the terms of the deal with Khartoum, Southern Sudan has been given a large degree of autonomy...
, in Ethiopia (Anuak) through northern
UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania...
and eastern Congo (DRC), into western
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
, and ending in the upper tip of
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
. These people speak an
Eastern SudanicThe Eastern Sudanic languages are a large family of languages which constitute a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Eastern Sudanic languages are spoken from southern Egypt to northern Tanzania....
(
NiloticThe Nilotic languages are a group of Eastern Sudanic languages spoken across a wide area between southern Sudan and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples, particularly associated with cattle-herding...
) language, a branch of the
Nilo-SaharanThe Nilo-Saharan languages are African languages spoken mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
language family. According to various classification schemes, they are sometimes referred to as
River-Lake NilotesNilotic people or Nilotes, in its contemporary usage, refers to some ethnic groups mainly in southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania, who speak Nilotic languages, a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
or Western Nilotes, which also includes the Dinka-Nuer language group.
The
Luo (also spelled
Lwo)are an ethnic
linguistic groupA dialect continuum is a range of dialects spoken across a large geographical area, differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close, and gradually decreasing in mutual intelligibility as the distances become greater. Dialects separated by great geographical distances may not be...
located in an area that stretches from
Southern SudanSouthern Sudan is located in Africa with Juba as its capital city. Under the terms of the deal with Khartoum, Southern Sudan has been given a large degree of autonomy...
, in Ethiopia (Anuak) through northern
UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania...
and eastern Congo (DRC), into western
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
, and ending in the upper tip of
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
. These people speak an
Eastern SudanicThe Eastern Sudanic languages are a large family of languages which constitute a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Eastern Sudanic languages are spoken from southern Egypt to northern Tanzania....
(
NiloticThe Nilotic languages are a group of Eastern Sudanic languages spoken across a wide area between southern Sudan and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples, particularly associated with cattle-herding...
) language, a branch of the
Nilo-SaharanThe Nilo-Saharan languages are African languages spoken mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
language family. According to various classification schemes, they are sometimes referred to as
River-Lake NilotesNilotic people or Nilotes, in its contemporary usage, refers to some ethnic groups mainly in southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania, who speak Nilotic languages, a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
or Western Nilotes, which also includes the Dinka-Nuer language group. People who speak
Luo languagesThe Nilo-Saharan Luo languages comprise about 15 languages spoken in an area ranging from southern Sudan via Uganda to southern Kenya, with Dholuo extending into northern Tanzania and Alur into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They form one of the two branches of Western Nilotic, the other...
include the
ShillukThe Shilluk prefer to be known as Chollo, rather than the more widely known term, Shilluk, and their language as Dhɔg Cɔlɔ, dhɔg being the Shilluk word for mouth. The Shilluk are a major Nilotic ethnic group of Southern Sudan, living on both banks of the river Nile, in the vicinity of the city of...
,
AnuakThe Anuak are a river people whose villages are scattered along the banks and rivers of southeastern Sudan and western Ethiopia, in the Gambela Region. Members of this ethnic group number between 100,000 to 150,000 people worldwide, most of whom live in this southwestern area of Ethiopia, with...
,
Acholi, Lango, Palwo,
AlurAlur are an ethnic group who live mainly Nebbi district in northwestern Uganda, but also in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Lake Albert...
,
PadholaThe Jopadhola or Badama are an ethnic group of Uganda. They live Tororo District in southeastern Uganda and comprise about two percent of the country's total population. They speak Dhopadhola language , which belongs to the Western Nilotic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. They are...
,
JoluoThe Luo are an ethnic group in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethnolinguistically related Luo peoples who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania.The Luo are the third largest...
(Kenyan and Tanzanian Luo),
BorBor may refer to:*Bór, a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium*Bor , a location in Afghanistan*Bor , a town in Plzeň Region , Czech Republic*Bor, name of several villages in the Czech Republic...
, and
KumamThe Kumam are a Ugandan ethnic group of about 150,000 living mainly in Kaberamaido district as well as the western areas of Teso sub-region, and the south-east of Lango sub-region....
.
Origins in Sudan
According to ethnologists, linguists and their
oral historyOral history can be defined as the recording, preservation and interpretation of historical information, based on the personal experiences and opinions of the speaker....
, the Luo are part of the
NiloticNilotic people or Nilotes, in its contemporary usage, refers to some ethnic groups mainly in southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania, who speak Nilotic languages, a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
group of tribes who separated from the East Sudanic family of tribes about 3000 BCE.
Bethwell OgotDr Bethwell Allan Ogot — known as B.A. Ogot — is a noted Kenyan and Luo historian. He is currently the Chancellor of Moi University.-Biography:...
places the area of origin of the Luo in
Southern SudanSouthern Sudan is located in Africa with Juba as its capital city. Under the terms of the deal with Khartoum, Southern Sudan has been given a large degree of autonomy...
.
More than eight centuries ago, the Luo peoples occupied the area that now lies in eastern
Bahr el GhazalThe Bahr el Ghazal is a state of Southern Sudan. Its name comes from the river Bahr el Ghazal.The region of Bahr al Ghazal consists of two states among thirteen states of Southern Sudan's states. They are Bahr al Ghazal and West Bahr al Ghazal. It borders Central African Republic to the west...
in present day
Southern SudanSouthern Sudan is located in Africa with Juba as its capital city. Under the terms of the deal with Khartoum, Southern Sudan has been given a large degree of autonomy...
. The reason for their dispersion from this area is not known for certain, though it is widely believed to have been the
Arab ConquestThe Spread of Islam started shortly after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 632. Trade networks connected many regions which helped the spread of Islam. During his lifetime, the community of Muslims, the ummah, was established in the Arabian Peninsula by means of conversion to Islam...
. Internal contradictions or population explosion could have driven them from this region. The Luo moved to nearly all the countries neighbouring
SudanSudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area...
, resulting in many separate groups with variation in language and tradition as each group moved further away from their kin.
A branch of the Luo, the
ShillukThe Shilluk prefer to be known as Chollo, rather than the more widely known term, Shilluk, and their language as Dhɔg Cɔlɔ, dhɔg being the Shilluk word for mouth. The Shilluk are a major Nilotic ethnic group of Southern Sudan, living on both banks of the river Nile, in the vicinity of the city of...
(or Chollo) nation, comprising more than one hundred clans and sub-tribes, was founded by a chief named Nyikango sometime in the middle of the 15th century. They evolved a nation with a feudal-style system. Nyikango and his nation moved northward along the Nile (towards
KushThe Kingdom of Kush or Cush was an ancient African state centered on the confluences of the Blue Nile, White Nile and River Atbara in what is now the Republic of Sudan. It was one of the earliest civilizations to develop in the Nile River Valley...
and
Rip-Places:* Nioro du Rip, a town in Senegal* The Rip, entrance to Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait in Victoria, Australia* The Říp Mountain, a mountain in the Czech Republic-People:* Eliyahu Rips , Isreali mathematician...
) to re-conquer and settle the land their ancestors had lost to the Arabs and
EuropeansThe European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
. The rest of the Luo groups rejected Nyikango's idea and kept a south and westwards migration.
Ethiopia
The
AnuakThe Anuak are a river people whose villages are scattered along the banks and rivers of southeastern Sudan and western Ethiopia, in the Gambela Region. Members of this ethnic group number between 100,000 to 150,000 people worldwide, most of whom live in this southwestern area of Ethiopia, with...
are a Luo people whose villages are scattered along the banks and rivers of southwestern area of Ethiopia, with others living directly across the border in southern Sudan. The name of this people is also spelled Anyuak, Agnwak, and Anywaa.
The Anuak who live in the lowlands of Gambela are also distinguished by the color of their skin and considered to be black Africans as opposed to most other Ethiopians living in the highlands who are of lighter color.
There has been overt racial discrimination and marginalization by this government and by other ethnicities based on skin color. It has affected the Anuak’s access to education, health care and other basic services as well as limiting opportunities for development of the area.
The Anuak of Sudan live in a grassy region that is flat and virtually treeless. During the rainy season, this area floods, so that much of it becomes swampland with various channels of deep water running through it.
Uganda
Around 1500, a small group of Luo known as the Biito-Luo led by a Chief called Labongo whose full title became
Isingoma Labongo RukidiIsingoma Labongo Rukidi or Labongo and sometimes Mpuga Rukidi was the first in the line of the Babiito kings of Bunyoro-Kitara, and according to Bunyoro legend the twin brother of Kato Kimera, the first king of Buganda....
(sometimes named as Mpuga Rukidi), encountered Bantu-speaking peoples living in the area of
BunyoroBunyoro is a region of Uganda, and from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century one of the most powerful kingdoms of East Africa. It was ruled by the Omukama of Bunyoro...
. These Luo settled with the Bantu and established the Babiito dynasty, replacing the Bachwezi dynasty of the
Empire of KitaraThe Empire of Kitara is a strong part of oral tradition in the area of the Great Lakes of Africa, including the modern countries of Uganda, northern Tanzania, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi...
. Labongo, the first in the line of the Babiito kings of Bunyoro-Kitara, was according to Bunyoro legend the twin brother of Kato Kimera, the first king of
BugandaBuganda is the kingdom of the Baganda people, the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda. The 5.5 million Baganda make up the largest Ugandan ethnic group, representing approximately 16.9% of Uganda's population...
. These Luo were assimilated by the Bantu, and they lost their language and culture.
Later in the 16th century, other Luo-speaking people moved to the area that encompasses present day Southern Sudan, Northern Uganda and North-Eastern Congo (DRC) – forming the
AlurAlur are an ethnic group who live mainly Nebbi district in northwestern Uganda, but also in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Lake Albert...
and
Acholi. Conflicts developed when they encountered the
LangoThe Langi live in Lango sub-region , north of Lake Kyoga. Lango Sub-region comprises the districts of Amolatar, Apac, Dokolo, Lira and Oyam...
who had been living in the area north of
Lake KyogaLake Kyoga is a large shallow lake complex of Uganda, about 1,720 km² in area and at an elevation of 914 m. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake Albert. The main inflow from Lake Victoria is regulated by the Nalubaale Power Station in Jinja. Another source...
. Lango also speak a Luo language, but their origins are somewhat obscure. It is generally held that they are an Eastern Nilotic
AtekerAteker or Atekerin is a common name for the closely related Jie, Karimojong, Turkana, and Teso peoples and their languages. Itung'a and Teso have been used among ethnographers, while the term Teso-Turkana is sometimes used for the languages, which are of Eastern Nilotic stock. Ateker means 'clan'...
people who originated in
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
around A.D. 1600, adopting the Luo language of their Acholi neighbours.
KumamThe Kumam are a Ugandan ethnic group of about 150,000 living mainly in Kaberamaido district as well as the western areas of Teso sub-region, and the south-east of Lango sub-region....
, who live the same area, also speak a Luo language, but belong to the Ateker group along with the
TesoThe Iteso or Teso people are an ethnic group in Uganda and Kenya . They are the second largest ethnic group in Uganda, living mainly in Teso sub-region, i.e., the districts of Amuria, Soroti, Kumi, Katakwi, Pallisa, Bukedea, Kaberamaido and Tororo. In Kenya they live in Teso District.Teso is the...
and
KaramojongThe Karamojong or Karimojong, are an ethnic group of agro-pastoral herders. They live in the southern part of Karamoja region in the north-east of Uganda, occupying an area equivalent to tenth of the country. Their language is also known as Karamojong or Karimojong, and is part of the Nilo-Saharan...
.
Between the middle of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, some Luo groups proceeded eastwards. One group called Padhola (or
Jopadhola - people of Adhola), led by a chief called Adhola, settled in Budama in Eastern Uganda. They settled in a thickly forested area as a defence against attacks from Bantu neighbours who had already settled there. This self-imposed isolation helped them maintain their language and culture amidst Bantu and Ateker communities.
Kenya and Tanzania
Between about 1500 and 1800, other Luo groups crossed into present-day
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
and eventually into present-day
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
. They inhabited the area on the banks of
Lake VictoriaLake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named after the United Kingdom's Queen Victoria, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to see the lake....
. According to the Joluo, a warrior chief named Ramogi Ajwang led them into present-day Kenya about 500 years ago.
As in Uganda, some non-Luo people in Kenya have adopted Luo languages. A majority of the Bantu
SubaThe Suba are a people in Kenya who speak the Suba language. Their population is estimated at under 30,000, making them one of the country's smallest tribes. They migrated to Kenya from Uganda and settled on the two Lake Victoria islands of Rusinga and Mfangano, and are believed to be the last...
people in Kenya speak Dholuo (albeit mostly as a second language).
The Luo in
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
, who call themselves Joluo (aka
Jaluo, "people of Luo"), are the third largest community in Kenya after the
KikuyuThe Kikuyu are Kenya's most populous ethnic group. 'Kikuyu' is the Swahilized form of the proper name and pronunciation of Gĩkũyũ although they refer to themselves as the Agĩkũyũ people....
and
LuhyaThe Luhya are a Bantu ethnic group in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. They constitute Kenya's largest ethnic group, numbering about 5.3 million people, or 14% of the nation's total population of 38 million....
. In 1994 their population was estimated to be 3,185,000
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=luo. In Tanzania they numbered (in 2001) an estimated 280,000
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=luo. The Luo in Kenya and Tanzania call their language
DholuoDholuo , also known as Luo, belongs to the Luo grouping within the Western Nilotic grouping of the Nilo-Saharan language family. It is spoken by the Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania, numbering about 3 million, who occupy parts of the eastern shore of Lake Victoria and areas south of there...
, which is mutually intelligible with the languages of the Lango, Kumam and Padhola of Uganda, Acholi of Uganda and Sudan and Alur of Uganda and Congo.
Luo sub-groups
This includes peoples who share Luo ancestry and/or speak a Luo language.
- Shilluk
The Shilluk prefer to be known as Chollo, rather than the more widely known term, Shilluk, and their language as Dhɔg Cɔlɔ, dhɔg being the Shilluk word for mouth. The Shilluk are a major Nilotic ethnic group of Southern Sudan, living on both banks of the river Nile, in the vicinity of the city of...
(Sudan)
- Pari
Pari is an ethnic group in Sudan.Pari or PARI may also refer to:* Pari , an obsolete unit of measure* Pari , a 1995 motion picture* PARI/GP, a computer algebra system...
(Sudan)
- Thur
Thur may refer to:*Thur River , a river in Alsace, France*Thur River , a river in East Switzerland...
(Sudan)
- Alur
Alur are an ethnic group who live mainly Nebbi district in northwestern Uganda, but also in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Lake Albert...
(Uganda and DRC)
- Acholi (Sudan and Uganda)
- Lango
The Langi live in Lango sub-region , north of Lake Kyoga. Lango Sub-region comprises the districts of Amolatar, Apac, Dokolo, Lira and Oyam...
(Uganda)
- Kumam
The Kumam are a Ugandan ethnic group of about 150,000 living mainly in Kaberamaido district as well as the western areas of Teso sub-region, and the south-east of Lango sub-region....
(Uganda)
- Jopadhola
The Jopadhola or Badama are an ethnic group of Uganda. They live Tororo District in southeastern Uganda and comprise about two percent of the country's total population. They speak Dhopadhola language , which belongs to the Western Nilotic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. They are...
(Uganda)
- JoLuo
The Luo are an ethnic group in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethnolinguistically related Luo peoples who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania.The Luo are the third largest...
(Kenya and Tanzania)
- Jo-Luo
Jo-Luo, also known as Jur Chol, are an ethnic group in Sudan numbering between sixty to seventy thousand. They live in Wau, Tonj and Aweil districts...
or Jurchol (Sudan)
- Anuak
The Anuak are a river people whose villages are scattered along the banks and rivers of southeastern Sudan and western Ethiopia, in the Gambela Region. Members of this ethnic group number between 100,000 to 150,000 people worldwide, most of whom live in this southwestern area of Ethiopia, with...
(Ethiopia, Sudan)
- Maban
The Maban are an ethnic group living in Southern Sudan between the Nile and the Ethiopian Highlands. They number about 100,000 and are made up of several subgroupings....
(Suda)
- Funj (Sudan)
- Jumjum
Jumjum is an ethnic group in Sudan. Most of its members are Muslims. The number of persons in this group is at about 50,000. They speak Jumjum, a Nilotic language. They live in the Upper Nile Province....
(Sudan)
- Blanda Boore (Sudan)
Internationally notable Luo people
- Barack Obama, Sr.
Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. was a Kenyan senior governmental economist, and father of the President of the United States, Barack Obama...
, father of U.S. President Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
.
- Raila Amolo Odinga - Prime Minister of Kenya, Leader of the Orange Democratic Movement Party (Kenyan).
- Milton Obote
Apolo Milton Obote , Prime Minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and from 1980 to 1985, was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from the British colonial administration in 1962. He ruled by harassing, terrorizing, and torturing...
, Former Ugandan Prime Minister and President of Uganda (Ugandan)
- Tito Okello
Tito Lutwa Okello was one of the commanders in the coalition between the Tanzanian army and the exiled Ugandans who removed Idi Amin in 1979, the Commander of the Ugandan National Liberation Army from 1980 to 1985, and the President of Uganda from 1985 to 1986.In 1985, together with Bazilio...
, Former President of Uganda and Army Commander-Deceased (Ugandan)
- Bazilio Olara-Okello
Bazilio Olara-Okello was a Ugandan military officer and one of the commanders of the Uganda National Liberation Army that together with the Tanzanian army overthrew Idi Amin in 1979...
, Former president of Uganda-Deceased (Ugandan)
- Janani Luwum
Janani Jakaliya Luwum , was the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda from 1974 to 1977 and one of the most influential leaders of the modern church in Africa. He was murdered in 1977 by either Idi Amin personally or by Amin's henchmen.-Early life and career:Luwum was born in the village of Mucwini in...
, Former Archbishop of the Church of Uganda (Ugandan)
- Tom Mboya
Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya was a prominent Kenyan politician during Jomo Kenyatta's government. He was founder of the Nairobi People's Congress Party, a key figure in the formation of the Kenya African National Union , and the Minister of Economic Planning and Development at the time of his death...
- Politician, assassinated in 1969 (Kenyan)
- George Ramogi
George Ramogi was a Kenyan musician, who empowered the traditional luo benga and rumba genre of music. Ramogi was known for his spur of the good life and his notable appearances at bars and clubs in western Kenya-Nyanza region...
- Musician (Kenyan)
- Joseph Kony
Joseph Kony is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army , a guerrilla group that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish theocratic government in Uganda, which claims to be based on the Christian Bible and the Ten Commandments...
, Leader of the Lord's Resistance Army. Notorious rebel group in Uganda(Ugandan)
- Okello Oculi
Okello Oculi , is a Ugandan novelist, poet, and chronicler of African rural village life. He was born in Dokolo, Lira District in northern Uganda and educated at Soroti College and St. Peter's College, Tororo, and St. Mary's College, Kisubi...
, Novelist, Poet, and Chronicler (Ugandan)
- Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga was a Luo Chief, who became a prominent figure in Kenya's struggle for independence. He later served as Kenya's first Vice-President, and thereafter as opposition leader...
- First Vice President of Independent Kenya (Kenyan)
- Ramogi Achieng' Oneko
Ramogi Achieng Oneko was a Kenyan freedom fighter and a politician. In Kenya, he is considered as a national hero.He was born tieng'a village in Uyoma sub-location in Bondo District in 1920 .- Detention :...
, Freedom fighter Veteran (Kenyan)
- Olara Otunnu
Olara A. Otunnu is a Ugandan advocate for children's rights, and former Ambassador of Uganda to the UN, UN Under-Secretary General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict , and President of the International Peace Academy .Otunnu has received several major awards, including the...
, Former Under-Secretary-General of the United NationsAn Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Secretary-General for a renewable term of four years....
and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (Ugandan)
- Robert Ouko
The Honorable Minister Dr. John Robert Ouko , commonly known as Robert Ouko, was a Kenyan politician who served as Foreign Minister of Kenya. Robert Ouko served in the government of Kenya from the colonial period through the presidencies of Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi...
- Kenyan Foreign Minister, murdered in 1990 (Kenyan)
- Okot p'Bitek
Okot p'Bitek was a Ugandan poet, who achieved wide international recognition for Song of Lawino, a long poem dealing with the tribulations of a rural African wife whose husband has taken up urban life and wishes everything to be westernised. Song of Lawino was originally written in Acholi...
, poet and author of the Song of LawinoSong of Lawino is an epic poem written by Ugandan poet Okot p'Bitek. First published in 1966 in Luo it was quickly translated into other languages, including English...
(Ugandan)
- Ayub Ogada
Ayub Ogada is a musician from Kenya. A singer, he also performs on the traditional east African stringed instrument, the nyatiti and is a highly accomplished djembe player. Of the Luo people, he was born in Mombasa...
, Singer, Composer and Performer on the nyatitiThe nyatiti is an eight-stringed plucked lyre from Kenya. It is a classical instrument played by the Luo people of Western Kenya, typically in Benga music. It is about three feet long. The player holds it to his chest while seated on a low stool. Usually it is played together with the oporo, a...
, the Nilotic lyre of Kenya (Kenyan)