Luos denied chance to give CDF Ogolla proper send-off

Kenya’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Francis Omondi Ogolla, whose death in a helicopter crash shocked the country, was buried last Sunday at his rural home in Alego Ng’iya, Siaya County, in a ceremony that was conspicuous in its lack of Luo cultural touch and finesse. Burial of a Luo hero is typically preceded by elaborate, structured and colourful ceremonies, complete with traditional regalia and rites.

The Alego Clan is the citadel and custodian of the centuries-old Luo culture, which they demonstrate in its fullest at the appropriate times and occasions such as burials of their heroes. It was therefore, unbearably painful to the people of Alego, and by extension the Luo community, who had lost their revered son and hero, to witness his remains being sent back to his Jo-Kakan ancestors by strangers who neither knew him nor understood the cultural significance of the burial.

To fully subject the body of a Luo hero to a ‘modern’ burial without giving an opportunity to the clan to send-off their son is, to say the least, an abomination. Let me explain. Before he became the General that Kenyans knew and revered, he was simply Omondi son of Ogolla from the Kakan sub-clan of Alego. The people of Kakan sired and brought him up before releasing him to Kenya and the world. In his death, the body was brought back to Kakan in Ng’iya where the journey started.

That in itself was a recognition that Omondi son of Ogolla belonged, first and foremost, to a clan and community before he became Kenyan. That community should have been given their due recognition and space to mourn and bury their son in keeping with their traditions. General Ogolla was a Luo hero who served Kenya.

Let us carefully consider the significance of funerals among the Luo community. The Luo believe that the dead are actually alive in another form. The spirits of the dead are always hovering over their loved ones, protecting them from whatever harm that might be designed against them by their enemies in the spiritual realm.

The spirits can be appeased by making huge material sacrifices in their names. For example, a lavish funeral ceremony is said to appease the spirits of the departed and give them the resolve to keep protecting their kin who are still dwelling in their terrestrial abode. If the spirits deem that their family is not keen on appeasing them, they might abandon them to their own earthly designs, something that could expose the family, and make them vulnerable to attacks by both terrestrial and celestial enemies. That is from a metaphysical and spiritual perspective.

Kinship ties

More realistically, though, when loved ones die, there is a huge sense of loss, and a feeling that part of the family has gone ahead of them. It is only natural therefore, that the bond that exists between the departed and the living be demonstrated through a ‘decent send-off’ which confers a sense of satisfaction that the departed is not ‘thrown away’ like an outcast. It is believed that if the dead go to the next world in a huff, their spirits might come back to haunt the living. In any case, kinship ties don’t just die because a kin has died.

That is why the Luo community name their children for their departed respected relatives. The naming is a confirmation that they want the good spirits of the departed hero to dwell in the young and guide them towards goodness and prosperity not only as individuals but also harbingers of the future of the community. In this respect, thieves, witches, murderers, rapists, and other social misfits do not get the luxury of having kids named for them. It simply confirms the belief among the Luo community that though the bodies of the dead are unconscious in the graveyards, their spirits are alive, and always watching over their kin.

Keen observers must have noticed how restless the mourners were throughout General Ogolla’s funeral proceedings at Ng’iya. The people of Alego waited, in vain, to see a semblance of a decent send-off of their celebrated son and hero. As time passed, the people got frustrated, angry, pained and saddened by the so-called modern burial ceremony which was completely at variance with the Luo way of celebrating a fallen hero.

Some of the people were heard shouting from outside the compound, asking why General Ogolla’s funeral ceremony was being handled as if it was that of a premature baby. A properly organized funeral of a Luo elder and hero should have certain characteristics. First, a Luo hero is celebrated by his age-mates uttering dirges, spearing the air and clubbing and cursing the soil that will shortly swallow one of their own. That is a powerful message against death.

Additionally, the age-mates of the departed should contribute to buy a bull and other small livestock as a sign of respect to the departed. The meat from the animals is used to feed the guests. Besides, the villagers must have an opportunity to eulogize their son. A eulogy is not a written statement read by a stranger, but an outpouring of memories shared with the departed. Brothers, cousins, age-mates, sisters, ‘fathers’, ‘mothers’, aunties, in-laws, classmates, teachers, village elders, and cultural leaders, should all be given an opportunity to say goodbye to one of their own. Eulogies tell stories of juvenile fights, school life, grazing cattle, teenage escapades, participation in community activities, marriage, and work life.

Milestones

Last but not least, the clan should have an opportunity to condole with the wife and children of the departed before and after the burial. The pre-burial meeting is meant to brief the family on the ways of the clan while taking into consideration the will of the departed. The post-burial meeting is for preparing the family for their respective roles in the absence of the father. It is at this point that the first-born son is inducted to take over the leadership of the home. Food is shared to signify communion and kinship ties that connect the departed with the living. These milestones , though not cast in stone, are important in guiding the funeral processes.

General Ogolla’s passing has taught us many lessons, among them being the need to jealously protect our cultures against the marauding westernization. A community that loses its culture definitely loses its identity, unique worldview and pride. May the soul of General Francis Omondi Ogolla rest in eternal peace.

Professor Ongore teaches at the Technical University of Kenya.