LUO CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

I am interested to know why you feel you might offend her family and friends?

Many Kenyans are fairly westernised.  Greeting is generally made by shaking hands, which is general across the country.  Maybe attempting a bit of Swahili would go down well.  If you are polite, respectful and don't swear, you should be fine.  Kenyans generally tend to be fairly conservative.

Wouldn't the best person to ask, be your partner?  My Wife is Kikuyu and I just asked her, over the years especially over family matters, as each family is different after all.

One thing for when you visit; don't go empty handed - take food, maize meal, rice, sugar etc

yes. longonot is true. please don't come empty handed. come with foodstuffs, cereals and if she has smaller siblings come with small presents for them. The next thing i am going to add will sound trivial. But when you leave, hand her dad an envelope with some cash. 100-500 dollars depending on how able you are

Yes, the cash is also a good idea, but surely not in Dollars, especially if the family live in a remote place.  They will be left with a currency that cannot immediately be used, need to travel to a forex, or bank, incurring costs (possibly) and losing something in changing to Kenya Shillings.

If you are going to give cash, make it in Kenya Shillings, it will be appreciated all the more!

Dear G,
I lived in Kisumu, Kenya for four years and spent a lot of time with Jaluos. They are a very friendly and hospitable people as a rule and the children are taught to be very polite unless they are in a group and spot you--then they will start shouting "Mzungu, mzungu, how are you?" You will hear that word a lot--mzungu. It means "foreign traveler" in Swahili but generally is used for a white person in Kenya. You will try to respond to all the people shouting at you but it is nearly impossible. I just smile and nod my head.

Personal greetings are a firm handshake for the men and women. Their mother tongue is Dholuo and is an oral language with only the Bible and a few books put into writing. Most of them cannot read it because it is not taught in the schools. Most of the older Luos do not usually speak Kiswahili or English.

Here is a website with some basic greetings: http://economics.ozier.com/language/dholuo.html

A majority of Luos live on or near Lake Victoria. Some generate income through fishing or subsistence farming including maize, beans, several types of greens, ground nuts (peanuts) chickens, goats, sheep and cattle. Avocados, mangos and papaya are around in abundance.

Kisumu is the third largest city in Kenya and is quite modern.

They are quite conservative in dress-the men wear long trousers and the women wear long skirts. They most likely will attend church -Saturday for 7th Day Adventists, Sunday for the other denominations. Church services are very long.

Time is relative based on activities not a clock. Be prepared to sit and wait. Things get started when everyone arrives.

As Longonot62 said, do not come empty handed for your visit but stop at a local grocery store and purchase unga flour, sugar, cooking oil, loose tea, packets of milk and some sweets for the children, bars of soap, toothpaste, etc. If you can pick up some tilapia, nile perch or a live chicken on your way--that will be very appreciated. Usually I give these items to the mother.

The basic foods are ugali (like polenta) and sukumawiki (fried greens) with maybe some type of meat or fish. Chai (black tea with milk and a lot of sugar) is a daily staple. Try it all but you do not have to finish all the food on your plate. Actually, if you clean your plate, they will offer you more food. It's better to leave just a little so they know you are full. Don't drink the water in Kenya unless it is bottled, boiled or filtered. The local brew is called chang'aa and can be fatal-so don't drink it! Sodas are cheap and it is a sign of respect if you buy her father and any of the older family members a soda--two are even better.

From experience--my advice is be very careful giving out any cash at this time until you know the family better. It's better to wait and get some input from your friend.

The roads in Kisumu, Siaya, Western counties can be very bad and so travel will take longer than you expect. If you go upcountry to her home village, be prepared to spend the night, especially if it rains. The roads can become impassable quite quickly.

The weather is hot and the sun is intense. Dress in comfortable and loose clothing with a hat. Malaria is endemic in the area so bring mosquito repellent from home as it is quite expensive here, bug spray (you can purchase at the local grocery store--it's called Doom!) and use a mosquito net diligently. Also, you will need to take a malarial preventative such as Malarone.

Karibu Kenya!

personally am a luo by tribe,when visiting there you will be highly welcomed,we normally give vip treatments to inlaws,we are very much welcoming,but is not a must to carry present for any family members.you can carry some money in an envelope to give to the parents of the lady,when visiting kindly put on a long trouser and a shirt,and if harvesting season the place is  prone of mosquitoes carry along the mosquito repellent

Hi G I  am married to a Lou woman. There  are Lou customs but being a muzungu if you get it wrong you will be forgiven. There is a complicated custom about where you can sleep and in which house a certain protocol has to be followed. Your woman will keep you right. Basically as long as you have money you will be fine. Have fun

I live about 7hrs fromm Nairobi. It sounds as if you will be quite close tom me . There are to many answers to your question to reply  on this site. Let me know where and when you are in nyanza and we could have a chat. Keep in touch 😊

Denise,

I was taught that 'mzungu' is the Swahili word for 'European'.

Much have what you have said around greetings, manners, dress etc, equally applies to Kikuyus and many other groups in Kenya.  It is generally a very conservative society, particularly outside Nairobi.

I would NOT recommend that you buy sweets for children.  Many Kenyan children, especially in rural areas, aren't used to sweets (and have perfect teeth). This doesn't mean that they are lacking!!  Giving them a taste for sweets is wrong.......many cannot afford the dental treatment that may result.

It should be noted that Chang'aa is illegal and you have to go to very run down areas to find it......it's usually got Methanol in it, so is very dangerous indeed.

Regarding water.....it depends where you are in Kenya. The tap water in Nyeri is drinkable, for example. I prefer boiled water, as I am not too sure about the health benefits of water that has been kept in plastic!

I agree with regard to money. I think that it is respectful to give something though. However, you can expect to be pestered for financial help by family members, just by default.  It is widely believed, in Kenya that all 'white people' are loaded.