Different communities in the nation have their own different thresholds which a man has to beat to be considered a man.
With many considering circumcision as the transition from boyhood to man hood, some males get circumcised when still in primary school, meaning that they remain boys even after.
In Luo land, at the moment, one becomes a man after establishing his own house which is known as ‘Simba’ (the young man’s hut).
The simba indicates that one is fully grown and can now handle a woman as a wife, and now needs the privacy to do what people do with their wives.
Unlike in the past when people had some of their teeth ruthlessly uprooted, a person who establishes his simba can now move out of home to establish his own homestead, otherwise known as ‘Dala’ afterwards (home).
A simba is usually located adjacent to the gate of the father's homestead, with the father's house being located right in the middle of the homestead, directly facing the gate.
A luo man who still lives in his father's home but has not established his own simba can eat and drink in the main house, but must retreat to his brother's house at bedtime or get accommodation at a friend's place in what is known as 'lawo nindo' (seeking sleep).
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