In the Luo community, there is a tradition known as “gunda”—an abandoned homestead left behind after its occupants die or relocate.
Traditionally, when a son marries, he establishes his own home. However, if he never returns to preserve or rebuild his parents’ homestead, the family’s heritage and legacy can gradually disappear.
That is now the painful reality at the ancestral home of the late Cecil Ouma, the young man who was fatally shot while travelling in the vehicle of Fikirini Jacobs in Nairobi.
His parents’ home in Kogelo Agoro village, Homa Bay County, has fallen into severe disrepair. The mud walls have collapsed, the iron-sheet roof is badly rusted, termites have destroyed the door, and a large anthill has formed behind the house. Overgrown bushes have turned the compound into a shortcut for neighbours.
Ouma’s greatest dream was to restore the neglected homestead and erase the shame of it being known as a gunda.
His sister-in-law, Ascar Adhiambo, said the family had planned to begin construction in August this year.
“We had already identified the exact place where he would build his house,” she said.
Ouma lost both of his parents while he was in Grade Two and was raised by his uncle until he completed primary school.
He later moved to Nairobi in search of employment. Without advanced academic qualifications, he earned a living as a youth mobiliser at political leaders’ meetings.
Earlier this year, he convinced Ms. Adhiambo to leave her hairdressing job in Nairobi and return to the village to oversee his plans to rebuild the family homestead.
“He promised to pay school fees for my four children. I returned to the village, opened a salon, and was waiting to move into my in-laws’ home once the new house was built,” she said.
His death has left the family devastated and uncertain about the future. His uncle, Jonathan Otieno, said they had depended on Ouma to transform their lives, but that dream has now been cut short.
The family also says it cannot afford the funeral expenses and has appealed to the government to fully finance the burial, citing the circumstances surrounding his death.
Meanwhile, relatives are demanding justice. His cousin, Samuel Odhiambo, called for a transparent investigation into the shooting and warned members of the public against raising funds in Ouma’s name without the family’s authorization.
Despite allegations linking him to divisive politics, Ouma’s family and friends described him as hardworking, generous, and the primary source of hope and support for his extended family.
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