Odungi Randa (left) and Nyandiko Ongadi who both claim to bear the title of Ker of the Luo Council of Elders.

📋 Breaking It Down

There is an African proverb that says two bulls can never share the same cowshed.

It speaks to the idea that there can only be one leader, one authority and one voice at the helm of a household.

Yet this is precisely the dilemma confronting the Luo community today, with two men laying claim to the same traditional leadership position.

📌 What You Need to Know

On one side is Nyandiko Ongadi, on the other is Odungi Randa. Both bear the title of Ker of the Luo Council of Elders. Both command a sizeable following and both claim to be the bona fide custodians of Luo culture.

Nyandiko Ongadi (centre), who leads a faction of Luo Council of Elders, displays registration documents during an elders' meeting in Kendu Bay in Homa Bay County on August 29, 2026.

For more than a decade, the two factions have remained locked in a bitter dispute, trading accusations and counter-accusations over who is the legitimate leader.

The rivalry has filtered down to the grassroots, where members of the council are divided, with some aligned to Mr Ongadi and others to Mr Randa.

For some members of the community, the prolonged split has diminished the elders’ influence, particularly in matters of politics and community leadership.

Odungi Randa addresses the media at Ofafa Memorial Hall in Kisumu on July 23, 2026. Mzee Randa is the leader of one faction of Luo Council of Elders.

📰 Source: Nation Africa