Robai Nabisino Makokha

From the listless response of the land and the peculiar character of its inhabitants-descendants of the original Luhya settlers-this secluded glen has long been known as Ababukusu. Its rustic lads, shaped by time and custom, are renowned throughout the neighboring regions. A drowsy, dreamlike influence seems to linger over the land, as though the very air is alive with ancient spirits. The whole neighborhood is bound by tales of haunted places and mysterious happenings.
In this valley, stars shoot and meteors blaze more frequently than anywhere else, and her nine fields have often served as battlefields. This is the ancestral land of the Bukusu people of Bungoma. The forecasters of old once declared, "He who has not reached this destination cannot tire. He will struggle, through thick and thin, along a narrow path, until he reaches his true destination." That prophecy came to life through the trials faced by the Bukusu, none greater than their war with the Wanga people in 1880-a defining chapter in the history of the Luhya.
It remains a story of courage, bitterness, and the deep scars left by conflict. The Wanga regarded the Bukusu as their greatest traditional rivals. While the Wanga supported and profited from the slave trade, the Bukusu stood firmly against it, creating a lasting ideological divide. Fearing the growing influence of the Bukusu, the Wanga sought the assistance of British colonial officers, Spire and later Hobley, who were misled to believe that the Ababukusu were obstructing caravan routes to Uganda.
Acting on these claims, Spire dispatched a caravan from Ravine Station in Nandi. Among the caravan were six deserters armed with rifles. These men fled into Bukusu territory, where they were received hospitably. When the British demanded their return, the Bukusu complied-but refused to surrender the deserters' weapons. Angered by what they saw as defiance, Spire sent a force of Zanzibar and Sudanese soldiers to recover the rifles by force.
But the Bukusu warriors, unmatched in skill and courage, ambushed the intruders and killed all but one, who escaped to tell the tale. This incident sparked outrage among the British authorities, who ordered a punitive expedition under Major William Grant in late 1884. Grant led a large contingent made up of Baganda, Sudanese, Wanga, and Wakwavi soldiers, marching from southern Bukusu territory toward Bungoma.
Their campaign was brutal. Villages were burned, and anyone found in their path was shot-an attempt to crush the spirit of the people through fear. The Ababukusu, refusing to submit, fled eastward toward Broderick Falls, now known as Webuye. There, they sought refuge in the ancient Chetambe Fort, a hilltop stronghold built generations earlier by the Abatachoni and long regarded as sacred ground. Surrounded and heavily outnumbered, the Bukusu warriors defended the fort with unmatched determination.
For days they resisted the invading forces, fighting not just for survival but for their land, dignity, and way of life. When the stronghold finally fell, it was not a defeat of spirit but a testament to their enduring courage. The tragedy of Chetambe became a symbol of resistance-an emblem of the Bukusu's refusal to yield to oppression. Though time has softened the sound of that battle, its echoes remain in the songs, memories, and soil of Bungoma.
The story of the Ababukusu stands as a powerful reminder of a people who cherished freedom over fear, and heritage over surrender. Their struggles, enshrined in legend and history alike, continue to shape the cultural memory of the Luhya nation.