The Practice of Obuntu among the Abaluyia of Western Kenya

This study describes the practice of Obuntu-a communitarian worldview of the unity of all existence among the Abaluyia of Western Kenya. Obuntu regulates all relationships between the person and the community including all elements of the universe, visible and invisible. The study demonstrates how Obuntu holistically shapes the socio-political, religious, cultural, and economic milieus of the traditional Abaluyia community. Utilizing colonial and post-colonial discourse as a theoretical base, the study analyzes the ways in which regional and global external forces impact, and are impacted by Obuntu. The study concludes that whereas the concept of Obuntu among the Abaluyia has been substantially modified by Western influences, it also has impacted on the West and other cultures in ways that support community and unity (Obulala) around the world. In view of the many problems confronting modern Abaluyia society in particular and the global community in general, Obuntu can be a source of community healing, community building, and the recovery of identity-both for the community and for each person as a member.