The Luo Union was a welfare organisation formed in Nairobi , Kenya , in the early 1920s. This organisation sought to create, expand and govern a general cultural identity among Luo people in East Africa . Luo people are a Nilotic ethnic group native to western Kenya and the Mara Region of northern Tanzania in East Africa. The Luo Union was one of several welfare organisations started during the colonial period in East Africa which aimed at building broad cultural unity. This organisation played a crucial role in creating a collective sense of identity and unity amongst Luo people after the Second World War . It was also an important medium of grassroots political support for African Nationalist movements in the 1950s. The Luo Union FC was the unions soccer club. This club would later become Gor Mahia FC, one of Kenya's best performing football clubs.
30-500: Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Luo Union . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Luo Union may refer to: Luo Union (Welfare Organisation) - A defunct East African welfare organisation that united Luo peoples Luo Union F.C. - A defunct Kenyan football club organised by
60-608: A brewery in Mwanza. One major occupation of the inhabitants along the shores of Lake Victoria in Mwanza region is fishing, and there are five fish processing plants in the area. The Nile perch were previously introduced to the lake, and are exported in large quantities. The consequences of the Nile perch industry are the subject of the Academy Award nominated documentary Darwin's Nightmare (2004) by Hubert Sauper. Water supply coverage
90-551: A direct flight from Mwanza. It is located around 110 kilometres west of Mwanza town. The Sukuma Museum is located in Bujora, just east of Mwanza near Kisesa. It gives an overview of the history, architecture, culture and language of the Sukuma tribe, from which the majority of the native population originates. St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) is the main university in Mwanza. The University extends over 600 acres (243 ha) in
120-854: A money lending business. In Kampala, the Luo were the only other ethnic group other than the Baganda to own property and run businesses in Kampala East . African owned buildings were also constructed, notably the Ofafa Hall in Kisumu and the Ofafa Makingo Centre in Nairobi . The Union was also important for grassroots mobilisation of nationalist political parties during the Kenyan anti-colonial struggle. It provided financial aid to
150-586: A wastewater treatment plant in Butuja Ilemela. Saanane Island National Park is located on a rocky island in Lake Victoria , 500 meters from Capri Point in the centre of Mwanza. The westernmost gate (Ndabaka Gate) of Serengeti National Park is located at around 150 kilometres by road from Mwanza town. Day trips to Serengeti National Park are organised by several tour operators in Mwanza. Rubondo Island National Park can be reached by road and boat, or by
180-545: Is Tanzania's second largest city, after Dar es Salaam . It is also the second largest city in the Lake Victoria basin after Kampala , Uganda and ahead of Kisumu , Kenya at least in population size. Within the East African community, Mwanza city is the fifth largest city after Dar, Nairobi , Mombasa , and Kampala. It is slightly ahead of Kigali , Kisumu , and Bujumbura in the population of city proper limits. Mwanza city
210-517: Is also the capital city of Mwanza Region , and is administratively divided into two municipal districts within that Region - Ilemela and Nyamagana . The Sukuma constitute over 90 percent of the population of the Mwanza Region . Other ethnic groups in the region, in much smaller proportions, include the Zinza , Haya , Sumbwa , Nyamwezi , Luo , Kurya , Jita , Shashi and Kerewe. They live mainly in
240-839: Is at 75% and sewerage at 23.7%. Projects to increase coverage including the UN Habitat Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation (LVWATSAN-Mwanza) project. Water is managed by the Mwanza Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (Mwauwasa), established in 1996 and wholly owned by the government of Tanzania. The authority covers Mwanza City, Kisesa Township in Magu District , Misungwi town and Nyahiti Village in Misungwi District , Geita , Sengerema and Nansio , and Lamadi in Simiyu Region . Mwauwasa operates
270-580: Is located in Nyamagana district. Buses going to the south and west leave from Nyegezi, as well as international services. Buzuruga bus station is located in Ilemela district. Buses going to the east, North and the Kenyan border depart from Buzuruga bus station. In December 2014 the regular ferry service between Mwanza, Bukoba and Kampala was halted whilst the ferry boat MV Victoria underwent major maintenance. The CCM Kirumba Stadium has hosted matches of
300-527: Is served by the Mwanza Airport , which is designated as a regional airport. Air Tanzania offers flights to Dar es Salaam . Precision Air has daily flights to Mwanza, including from Nairobi (via Kilimanjaro), and Air Tanzania also flies to the city. The city is connected by rail with Shinyanga on a branch of Tanzania's Central Railway . Twice a week the train departs to Dar es Salaam , via Dodoma , Tabora and Kigoma . Nyegezi bus station
330-549: The Church Missionary Society (CMS) school at Maseno including Oginga Odinga , Walter Odede and Achieng Oneko called for a larger, better organised organisation that would unite the Luo community, giving them a common purpose and sense of achievement. The Union began to adopt a regional focus. In 1945, Oginga Odinga started the Luo Thrift and Trading Corporation (LUTATCO) as a self-help cooperative that aimed to uplift
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#1732851572618360-537: The Kenya African National Union (KANU) party and government. The Luo Union FC was the unions soccer club. This club won Kenya's top knockout football tournament, the FKF President's Cup , three times in the mid-1960s. The Union had constant organisational challenges which affected the business returns and prevented it from achieving all of its aims. The direct approach to dealing with welfare issues
390-526: The Kenya People's Union , a left-leaning opposition political party, in 1966. Luo people gave this party and Odinga considerable support. The cultural identity and unity that was fostered by the Luo Union was perceived as being in conflict with the government. This perception worsened after the assassination of Tom Mboya , one of Kenya's founding fathers and an active union official, in 1969. This assassination
420-449: The Luo Union and the Gikuyu, Embu and Meru Association (GEMA) from central Kenya. These organisations were perceived as potential challengers to his authority. Even though the welfare function of the union was lost following the ban, the social function was in part maintained through sporting events. Gor Mahia Football club , one of Kenya's most successful clubs, was formed in 1968 following
450-455: The Luo Union in Nairobi in the early 1920s. The welfare function of the Union was borne out of necessity as members and officials provided scarce social services to cater for funeral expenses, capital for businesses and fees for schooling. The Union received support from the colonial government which encouraged ethnic based organisations so long as they avoided politics. In the mid 1940s, alumni of
480-554: The Mwanza city area. National policy, however, gives very little importance to ethnic groupings and reliable data is difficult to find. In 2011 the City Council announced plans to create a major commercial development in the Ilemela District. Construction works on Rock City Mall were finalized in early 2016. This mall is the first of its size in Mwanza and one of the biggest malls in the country. Tanzania Breweries Limited has
510-828: The Nyegezi-Malimbe area 10 km south of Mwanza City. It lies 4 km off the main Mwanza- Shinyanga road on the south eastern shores of Lake Victoria. The University is a half-hour's drive from Mwanza by car or by bus. Among the places of worship , they are predominantly Christian churches and temples : Africa Inland Church Tanzania, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mwanza ( Catholic Church ), Anglican Church of Tanzania ( Anglican Communion ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania ( Lutheran World Federation ), Baptist Convention of Tanzania ( Baptist World Alliance ), Assemblies of God . There are also Muslim mosques. In
540-555: The Temple Street, close to each other there are a large Hindu Temple built in the late 50's, one of the first such temples in Tanzania, a Vaishnava Sanatana Mandir, and a BAPS (Swaminarayan) temple - all of them serving the Hindu community. Mwanza features a tropical savanna climate under the Köppen climate classification . Temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the course of
570-468: The Union grew and expanded its membership in the 1950s, Oginga Odinga's efforts were recognised and he was elected as the Chief ( Ker ) of the union. In 1957, Odinga resigned from this post in order to pursue politics. Despite the official apolitical stance, it was an important medium for grassroots support as many members and officials engaged in politics and mobilised the masses through union activities during
600-504: The amalgamation of Luo Union FC and Luo Stars football clubs. This club is the only team from Kenya to win an African continental competition, the African Cup Winners' Cup in 1987. Mwanza, Tanzania Mwanza City , also known as Rock City to the residents, is a port city and capital of Mwanza Region on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania . With an urban population of 3,699,872 in 2022, it
630-504: The anti-colonial struggle and early post-independence period. The Union continued to connect the growing Luo diaspora in East Africa, providing in some capacity, social and economic safety nets for members as well as opportunities to interact. These activities were encouraged by the colonial governments but were perceived as a threat in the post-independence period. Oginga Odinga resigned from his post as Vice President of Kenya and formed
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#1732851572618660-475: The country was deemed unsuitable for European settlement. The former Nyanza and Western Provinces became labour reserves. Tens of thousands of people moved from these areas into Nairobi , Mombasa , Kampala and Dar es Salaam and various farms across the region. Early welfare associations were formed by various ethnic groups mainly along clan and location lines. Various associations formed by Luo language ( Dholuo ) speakers from Nyanza province united to form
690-474: The economic status of the Luo people. Thousands of shares in LUTATCO were sold across Luo settlements across East Africa. The LUTATCO office in Kisumu was the first African owned building in the town. A printing press was also purchased which was used to publish African Nationalist newspapers including Achieng Oneko's vernacular newspaper Ramogi and Paul Ngei's radical newspaper Uhuru Wa Africa . LUTATCO became
720-568: The economic wing of the Luo Union. The Luo Union in Kampala was established in 1947 and was a strong organisation due to government support. The Kampala wing established schools and nurseries and organised soccer competitions and dances. By the early 1950s the Luo Union had greatly expanded. There were more than sixty branches across East Africa and more than 3,000 paying members. Some of the largest branches were in Mwanza , Dar es Salaam , and Kampala . As
750-455: The post-independence period, the union was accused of being a tribal organisation which served as a breeding ground for divisive ethnicity, in conflict with the governments nation building process. Jomo Kenyatta , Kenya's first president died in 1978. His successor, Daniel Arap Moi , consolidated his position by dissolving all ethnic associations in Kenya, therefore banning organisations including
780-622: The welfare organisation Gor Mahia FC - A Kenyan football club Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luo_Union&oldid=1243794769 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Luo Union (Welfare Organisation) The early 20th century witnessed mass migrations of people from their ethnic homelands to cities and farms across East Africa for work. The colonial government encouraged this migration from western Kenya as this part of
810-490: The year, tempered by the city's altitude. Thus, the climate is not quite as hot as one might expect, given the city's location near the equator. Average temperatures in Mwanza is roughly 23.5 °C (74.3 °F) throughout the year. The city features a lengthy wet season which runs from October through May and a short pronounced dry season that covers the remaining four months. Mwanza receives on average roughly 1,050 millimetres (41 in) of precipitation annually. Mwanza
840-565: Was also challenging as the organisation would be often overwhelmed by the need. In the pre-independence period, colonial authorities encouraged and supported the Luo Union as it was perceived to be loyal and reputable. Some union members in the mid 1950s openly denounced the Mau Mau uprising , especially after the murder of a prominent union official and City Councillor, Ambrose Ofafa, by Mau Mau adherents. These union members openly policed and punished Luo people suspected of being Mau Mau supporters. In
870-414: Was one of several events that led to anti-government sentiments amongst the Luo and a feeling of marginalisation. The Union fell out of favour with the government. The Luo Union had a comprehensive constitution which captured its aims and mission. Key aspects of the constitution included the location of the Union headquarters ( Kisumu ), its membership, aims and objectives. The membership was liberal as it
900-500: Was open to all Luo adults as well as any other adult person other than Luo who lived with the Luo. The Aims and objectives were mainly welfare related. They also sought to safeguard positive aspects of Luo culture compatible with and conducive to modern civilisation whilst rejecting negative aspects of non-Luo customs. The main achievements of the union were welfare related. Financial aid was provided to students for overseas education. Loans were also made available to union members through
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