Luos have managed to come up with a slang dictionary for almost every occasion.
Among these are the leading Kenyan communities which have been each given a name.
Here are the Luo nicknames for the leading Kenyan communities.
1. Kikuyu
Luos have not been in good terms with the Kikuyus politically, a situation that has at times resulted in social and economic problems between the two.
Luos have nicknamed their colleagues from the mountain ‘Jorabuon’ (the potato lovers), this apparently emanates from the love Kikuyus have for Irish potatoes popularly known as ‘waru’.
2. Kalenjin
Luos and Kalenjins have since historical times coexisted in a remarkable way, the two share boundaries from both the Northern side (Nandi) and the southern (Bomet).
To Luos, Kalenjins are ‘jo-lang’o’, lang'o being the name of the region occupied by Kalenjins and ‘jo’ translating to ‘people of’. At times they are referred to as jo-chak (milk lovers) or jo-got (people from the mountains).
3. Luhya
Luhyas are considered in-laws by the Luo due to the good social relationships and intermarriages that exist between the two communities.
Their nickname in Luo land is ‘Abandu’ and jo-tok Kodera (the people from right next to us). This is because of their closeness with Luo Nyanza.
4. Kamba
The Akamba are not known to have had any notable relationship with the Luos in historical time, therefore, there is no traditional nickname for them.
However, they have since been nicknamed jo-tol (people of the rope) a direct translation of their name Kamba which means rope in Swahili.
5. Mijikenda
The people from the coast have been nicknamed jo-nam chumbi (people from the salty ocean) due to their contact with the salty Indian Ocean.
#MyLifestyle #hivisasaoriginal