Kenyan elders renew calls for unity among Luo community
Luo communities are spread across east, central, and West Africa, with significant populations in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.
Luo elders dressed in cultural regalia at the festival. (Photo by Christopher Nyeko)
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Luo elders have renewed calls for unity among Luo communities worldwide, urging them to work together to address shared social, economic and political challenges.
Speaking on behalf of the Luo Council of Elders during the fifth edition of the Piny Luo Festival at Rongo University in Migori County, Kenya, Deputy Ker Luo James Ayago emphasised that unity remains the strongest tool for overcoming the community’s challenges.
Held under the theme: Luo Unity in Diversity: Harmonising and Institutionalising Our Heritage, the festival brought together Luo communities from across Africa and the diaspora.
Ayago urged the Luo people to “speak one language of unity in diversity” and paid tribute to the late Luo elder and former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, describing him as a champion of peace, reconciliation and coexistence.
Luo elders seated during the celebration of the 5th edition of Piny Luo Festival at Migori County. (Photo by Christopher Nyeko)
Luo communities are spread across East, Central, and West Africa, with significant populations in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.
In Uganda, Luo-speaking groups include the Acholi, Alur, Kumam and Jopadhola.
Addressing delegates at a festival dinner, widow Ida Betty Odinga, said her husband Raila’s enduring message to the Luo people was unity, peace, and respect for diversity.
Despite shared heritage, Luo communities face numerous challenges.
In northern Uganda, the Acholi continue to decry poverty and marginalisation following decades of conflict, with the latest Uganda Bureau of Statistics report indicating that Acholi has the fourth-highest number of people living in poverty (20.5 per cent).
In eastern Congo, Luo Alur communities face insecurity linked to boundary disputes.
Organisers said the Piny Luo Festival provides a platform for cultural celebration and dialogue on shared challenges.
Kisumu County Governor Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o also visited Acholi region during the festival period to strengthen cross-border cultural and development cooperation. The two-day festival concluded on December 14, 2025.