Meet Il Kunono, a community searching for lost identity

By Job Weru

Marsabit, Kenya:  Lolora village in Merille, Marsabit County is a beehive of activities each day.

Groups of women, on this Friday recently, could be heard speaking in high tones as they went about their businesses.

At one homestead, a group of four women with their teenage daughters donning red-coloured necklaces were busy weaving brooms using doum (palm leaves).

Next to them was Pereno Lekupano heating and moulding scrap metal into spears and knives — a job he loves to do.

As part of the larger Rendille and Samburu communities, one would expect residents of Lolora village to practice pastoralism, but they do not.

In fact, Lekupano and his tribesmen feel they are not part of the two communities, due to the way they are treated.

They belong to a clan identified as Il Kunono, which means blacksmiths. Their main economic activities do not involve keeping livestock, as it happens with other members of Samburu and Rendille communities.

This has put them at loggerheads with the two communities, who regard them as ‘outsiders’.

“Members of Samburu and Rendille communities discriminate against us. They do not treat us as their brothers. Some do not even buy milk we produce from the few cattle and goats we keep,” said Lekupano.

He added Il Kunono members suffer a lot in the hands of their tribesmen due to their way of life.

Short-changed

Rebecca Lelekumani, 40, added discrimination is so high that morans from Samburu and Rendille communities do not marry girls from Il Kunono sub-tribe.

“Most of our girls have become single mothers due to this. We have been forced as women to start income-generating activities, among them making brooms and ironware, to fend for our families,” said Lelekumani, who is a single mother of nine.

Mr Badane Ghalale, a resident of Merille township, which is along Isiolo-Marsabit highway, said discrimination extends even to their children at schools.

Children from Samburu and Rendille allegedly regard their counterparts from Il Kunono as lesser learners.

“We feel short-changed and loathed. Our morans do not even attend public functions with those from Samburu and Rendille,” said Ghalale.

About a month ago, there was confrontation between morans from Samburu and Il Kunono, which attracted the attention of the Provincial Administration.

Migration

Ghalale said Il Kunono are found in Merille and Laisamis areas. Their population is between 500 and 2,000.

Few of them keep livestock, but despite this, they do not escape discrimination from their neighbours.

According to Lekupano, community members are not recognised as Il Kunono but Samburu and Rendille when they migrate to other areas.

“But most of us shy away from migrating since we are used to this place. Besides, migration sometimes causes conflicts,” he said. The community, however, appreciates discrimination directed towards them.  Natemwa Nag’ole, 24, a mother of five, engages in charcoal burning and making brooms to earn a living.

“We do not keep a lot of livestock. We look for other ways of earning a living,” she said, adding that she makes plenty of brooms and sells each of them at Sh20.

“I make about two dozen brooms a day. We sell them at Merille, Sereolipi, Laisamis and Marsabit towns,” she noted.

According to Johnson ole Kaunga, Executive Director of Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation (Impact), Il Kunono members are so mal-treated that some community members shy away from associating with the clan.

Kaunga said members of the community are regarded as ‘bad omen’ with their brothers – the Samburu and Rendille. They even believe mentioning the name Il Kunono can make one have a bad day.

“A friend informed me he mentioned the name as he travelled in a matatu and after the vehicle had covered some 15km from Merille town, they were attacked by bandits.

He lost a laptop, camera, mobile phone and cash,” recounted Kaunga, noting that passengers blamed him for the misfortune.

Decision-making

“All other passengers had protested after he mentioned the name Il Kunono and after the attack, they blamed him for ‘attracting’ the criminals,” he added. 

However, the official noted the community is important. He said they are ‘service’ pastoralists, who have been forced to live on the fringes of society because of discrimination.

“This happens on a daily basis and unfortunately, members of Il Kunono community have accepted their status and are doing little to influence the processes of development and decision-making,” he said.

Kaunga observed very little is known about the community, as information is not readily available due to perpetual discrimination.

“They fear and feel ashamed of being identified as not part of Samburu and Rendille communities. However, Government agencies and other communities, which are not Samburu or Rendille, do not see them as different,” said Kaunga.

Nicholas Lempaira, a project coordinator with Impact, said the community needs empowerment that includes economic support and market for their wares.