History
The Nilotic invasions
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- Published on Saturday, 30 June 2007 23:12
During the century that the Gusii were living in the Kano Plains, the Luo invasion of the north-eastern shores of Lake Victoria began, culminating in the total expulsion of the Gusii from the lakeshore by the eighteenth-century (the year 1755 is given in some versions, and 1770 in others).
The Luo were led by a famous warrior called Ramogi Ajwang', and were well versed in warfare, having fought their way south over several centuries through the western part of the Rift Valley. Being a cattle-herding people, the Luo were also more mobile than the predominantly agricultural Bantu living on the lakeshore. Some of the Bantu tribes were assimilated by the new-comers, but most chose to flee: some to the north and south, but mostly eastwards into the fertile hills flanking the lake.
Unfortunately, at the same time that the Luo were advancing around the lakeshore, the Maasai were advancing southwards along the Rift Valley to the east of these hills. Although the Maasai seem not to have come into contact with the Gusii at that time, the Nandi - who had been displaced by the Maasai - did. Having lost most of their herds to the Maasai, the Nandi (now part of the Kalenjin group) raided Gusii homesteads in search of fresh cattle.
So around 1770, Gusii elders called a big community meeting to find out what the people felt about a move southwards. They sent scouts to see where they could settle in peace. The best place seemed to be country near Kabianga in Kericho district.
