THE WAR OF ESIADIKHO or ESHIATIKHO or IFUNIKHO (ca.1800)

According to John Osogo (1965) in his book entitled The Histoty of Buluhya, abakhoone clan shaped the modern socio-political arrangements of the modern luhya, both in pre-and post war of Esiadikho. However, the war of Esiadikho ( or eshiatikho in Kakamega), also known as Ifunikho among the Kabras and Abanyala aba Ndombi, led to major changes in luhya socio-political organization. It was a war waged by all the neighbouring clans of the area against the mighty and powerful Abakhoone clan. According to Amakoye (2010) in his book entitled Luhya Nation, the abakhoone had a mighty and legendary military. Their warriors were brave and strong.  With this power, the Abakhoone had fought and expelled many clans from the neighbourhood for over four hundred years to expand their area of settlement thereby establishing an empire called Bunambo. The other clans had to organize themselves and fight abakhoone since they believed that one clan could not manage to fight war against abakhoone on its own. The war council under the leadership of Khasamba of abamuleembo clan, who was the then chief of Buongo and his brother Makanda II who was the leader of the Buongo army, mobilized warriors from as far as Yimbo, Siaya, Marachi and Wangaland.

The Buongo clans held a war council and decided to fetch a Medicine-man from Mfangano Island. Simwero from the Abalwani clan volunteered to go and fetch the medicine-man because the Abakhone killed his brother Obwori by removing his rib and leaving him to die in pain.

Simwero brought the Medicine man to Sigomere which was in Abamatseke territory.

The medicine-man created Omusala kwe Ifulu. The carcass of the goat that consumed this medicine was then secretly put in the olukoba of the Abakhoone near a place known as Syanzofwe.

The abakhoone assumed that the carcass was one of their goats which had died and so the feasted on it in merriment. Within a day, all those who ate the meat fell sick. When the other clans got the news of the abakhoone having fallen sick, they all declared war on Abakhoone.

The first battle was fought at Syanzofwe, which is a flat open space near the southern bank of River Nzoia about two miles from its mouth. The news of Abakhoone incurring major loses on the battlefront reached Erukala at the King's palace. The Abakhoone war council felt necessary to send one of their revered warriors to direct war against the enemies. Matsaaba was order to go to the frontline. He was killed in the battle at Syanzofwe. For the first time in their history, the Abakhoone lost a battle. They again lost the second battle at Rugunga. In the meantime most their warriors were still sick and so they could not fight effectively. 

On losing the second major battle,  the abakhoone realized that this war was serious. They sent to battle a much bigger force, this time led by the general himself, Mufuula. Mufuula was a one-eyed giant of a man from the house of Membwe (abakhoone abamembwe). He was extremely brave and feared in battle. It is said that him alone could hold at bay tens of enemy warriors. He was deputized by his key warriors. There was Akhudu Mbaye sometimes written as Khudumbaye (who is now a legend). His name was derived from a tortoise (in luhya called likhudu) because he rarely used to carry a shield to war yet no enemy could confront him successfully. There was Esakha Simyula (who was a very fast runner). Akhudu Mbaye and Esakha were both of the house of Membwe (Abakhoone ababembwe). There was Matsaaba too who was a very skillful warrior, but he had died in the first battle at Syanzofwe. Matsaaba was of the house of Diera (abakhoone abadiera), Ndubulire Ekwachi  of the house of Miini (abakhone abaimini) among others.

This battle took place in the village of Budala, the current site of Budala primary school to the south east, just across the bridge of River Ndekwe in Budalang’i. Abakhoone fought bravely for four days but the enemies had mobilized greatly and taken them by surprise. Enemy warriors came as far as Wangaland and Marachi to fight the Abakhoone because of their famed military power.

The war still raged, on the fifth day, their most decorated and bravest warrior, Mufuula was finally  speared to death. With most of the warriors still suffering from poison, the Abaofu (abakhoone) army was finally defeated.

The command of the abakhoone fell under Akhudu Mbaye and Esakha. Akhudu Mbaye fought from Budala heading towards Rugunga to the West while Esakha led the war from Budala heading north to Bumaba village. They fought bravely, but Esakha panicked after losing a substantive number of his warrior to the enemy and fled with the remaining battalions. This exposed the flanks of Akhudu Mbaye’s battalions and they also fled. The rest of the clan members fled with their families. Akhudu Mbaye battled successfully and managed to break the siege which enabled most of the abakhoone families and warriors to escape across river Nzioa into Samia region. It is this bravery with which he fought and opened a passage for the abakhoone to flee to safety that today Akhudu Mbaye is revered as a legend both among the Abakhoone and their nemeses alike. 

 Akhudu Mbaye  fled with a large chunk of abakhoone and established his fort (olukoba) at Elwero (the current site of Busia GK prison). In the meantime, the Iteso people were also immigrating south wards. It was Akhudu Mbaye’s fort of Elwero that was instrumental at halting the advancement of Iteso southwards because the Iteso could not successfully launch attacks against the seasoned and militarily experienced abakhoone warriors. However, it was due to these persistent attacks by the Iteso that some of the abakhoone later migrated further into Bukusuland. Among those who migrated to Bukusuland was Ekobi (the great great Grandfather of the late Cardinal Maurice Otunga) and his brother Wakoli. Ekobi emigrated and left behind his cousin, Khudu Mbaye.

As abakhoone fled from their enemies' onslaught, unfortunately, some of them carried with them their livestock such as chicken. Their enemies hunted them down with the intention of wiping out the abakhoone clan. Luckily, most of them had fled cross samia into Bukhayo while others had fled to Uganda. Others used their boats to flee to Mfangano and Rusinga Islands. The women and children who hid themselves with their animals were revealed by the crowing of their cockerels at dawn. So the enemies pursued the women and children and killed them there. Other women had tied ankle bells (tsindeke) on their children. Whenever the children moved, the bells rung and so the enemies pursued and killed them too. That is how abakhoone swore never to tie on each other the ankle bells. One can only use them when they are able to tie them themselves, but no one is supposed to strap it on another person. That was the beginning of the taboo of indeke.   

That is how abakhoone fled from their Kingdom of Ebunambo to settle in a various locations of luhyaland, Luoland where they tocalled called Jo-Waugone, Uganda and Northern Tanzania. Today, Matayos sub county of Busia in Kenya is predominantly occupied by Abakhoone. The villages of Emujuru, Eluliba, Sigwata, Busende, Igero, Esiteko, Burumba, Elwero, Ikonzo, Buyosi, Busakamwa, Murende in Matayos are major abakhoone settlements. There are also Bakhoone settlements in Nambale sub county of Busia near Tanga Corner market. The area around Tanga Corner all the way to Namable town are major abakhoone settlements here. In Uganda, major bakhoone settlements can be found in Ebusitema and Elumino areas. In Budalangi, bakhoone can be found in Ebudiera, Lunyofu, Marenga, Bukoma, Singwe, Budubuusi, Namabuusi, Erukala, Budala, Bulemia among other settlements. In Bungoma, Abakhoone can largely be located in Bumula, Kanduyi and Kabuchai, Nalondo, Chebukwa, Sikata, Kabula and Watoya amog others. In Kakamega, Abakhoone are found in Bushangala where they nowadays call themselves Abasiirwa. In Butere they can be found in Shikunga.

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[1] It is from the Abang’ng’a house that Opetu (king) used to come from. The last Opetu of the Bunambo kingdom of abakhoone was called Opetu Owado.