Bukusu tribe

The Bukusu are one of the seventeen Kenyan tribes of the Luhya Bantu people of East Africa. Calling themselves BaBukusu, they are the largest tribe of the Luhya nation, making up about 34% of the Luhya population. They speak the Bukusu dialect.

The Bukusu myths of origin state that the first man, Mwambu (the discoverer or inventor), was made from mud by Were Khakaba at a place called Mumbo (which translates to 'west'). God then created a woman known as Sela to be his wife. Mwambu and his descendants moved out of Mumbo and settled on the foothills of Mount Elgon (known to them as Masaba), from where their descendants grew to form the current Bukusu population.

Anthropologists believe that the Bukusu did not become distinct from the rest of the Luhya population until the late 18th century at the very earliest. They moved into Central Uganda as part of a much larger group of people, many forming the eastern extension of the great Bantu migration out of central Africa. (See Origins of the Luhya.) The Bukusu clan includes a subdivision called ekholo. This subdivision includes the Bakibeti, the Bakibumbi, the Batilu, the Babhichachi, the Baengele, the Batukuika, the Batecho, the Bachemai, the Bakoi, and the Balunda.

Together with other Luhya sub-nations, the Bukusu are thought to have first settled north of Lake Turkana at a place called Enabutuku. From there they settled in the Cherangani Hills at a place called Embayi, later to be known as Sirikwa. After evil and bad omens befell them, they dispersed taking six routes: five going around the western side of Mount Elgon and one via the eastern side of Mount Elgon. Those who went via the western side of Mount Elgon included the Basilikwa, the Banabayi, the Baneala, the Bakikayi and the Bamalaba. The Mwalie cluster took the eastern side route and settled at the Mwalie hills. This area was already inhabited by some Kalenjin sub-nationalities like the Laku, the Sabiny, the Bongomek, and the Sebei, who were hostile to their new neighbors. To protect themselves against these tribes the Bukusu built fortified villages, an ancient art from their origin in Misri.

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