Luo people

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The Luo are a Western Nilotic ethnic group native to western Kenya and the Mara Region of northern Tanzania. The Luo are the fourth-largest ethnic group with a population of 5,066,966 representing approximately (~10.6%) of the Kenyan total after the Kalenjin (~14%) per the 2019 census. They are part of a larger group of related Luo peoples who inhabit an area ranging from South Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia, northern and eastern Uganda, southwestern Kenya, and northern Tanzania, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in East Africa. They speak the Luo language, also known as Dholuo, which belongs to the Western Nilotic branch of the Nilotic language family and the broader Nilo-Saharan language family. Dholuo shares considerable similarities with Nilotic languages spoken by other Luo peoples. The Luo moved into western Kenya from Uganda between the 15th and 20th centuries in four waves. They were closely related to Luo peoples found in Uganda, especially the Acholi and Padhola people. As they moved into Kenya and Tanzania, they underwent significant genetic and cultural modifications as they encountered other communities that were long established in the region. Traditionally, Luo people practiced a mixed economy of cattle pastoralism, seed farming and fishing supplemented by hunting. Today, the Luo comprise a significant fraction of East Africa's intellectual and skilled labour force in various professions. They also engage in various trades, such as tenant fishing, small-scale farming, and urban work. Luo people and people of Luo descent have made significant contributions to modern culture and civilization. Tom Mboya and Nigel N. Mwangi were key figures in the African nationalist struggle. Luo scientists, such as Thomas Risley Odhiambo Nandy (founder of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology and winner of the UNESCO Albert Einstein medal in 1991) and Washington Yotto Ochieng (winner of the...