Disco Matanga: Noble life celebration that turned into scenes of sex, crime and death

Teenager spotted disturbing a burial service at Ikonyero area in Kakamega. {Photo Benjamin Sakwa} In the Luhya community, the concept of disco matanga was an event where the community used to come together to mourn with the bereaved families, offer assistance and company, and respectfully give the deceased a befitting sendoff. The night vigil was not for everybody. Identified special people used to come to entertain mourners through music at night, and the entertainment exhibited high standards of discipline and moral values. To some extent, some people end up getting their loved ones and marrying each other. Whenever people behave outside of stipulated rules, punishment is administered, and one is even suspended from attending future disco matangas. Disco is a short form of discotheque; matanga means funeral in swahili. Disco matanga thus involves dancing and partying at a funeral, mostly at night, to music played by a DJ or a band. However, with modernity, elders and the community in the Western region are raising concerns that youths have robbed disco matanga of its original meaning and purpose, and the event has now become a theatre of deaths for youths, abuse of drugs, sexual explorations and petty crime, alongside violence. To many, disco matanga, has been taken over by criminal gangs of young people who compete at night on which group is to take over the entertainment part where bereaved families order musical instruments including a DJ, big loudspeakers, and power connection at night. According to elders, the business aspect of the night funeral vigil has brought competition and therefore jealousy among youth who end up fighting over the control of the event, the aspect of women where young people fight over girls at night, while others sell and abuse drugs. The community is now accusing the security officials of relenting in streamlining and calling to order the ever becoming violent and chaotic night events wherever there is a funeral in different parts of the region despite the government banning them. So far, disco matangas have claimed the lives of three youths in Busia within the first week of this month and more than 10 people from October to December last year. However, the latest incident that has caused jitters and uneasiness among the people is the January 2 incident at Ichengo market in Butula constituency, Busia County where a young man named Naman Ochieng from Lubanga Village, Matungu constituency, Kakamega County was stabbed to death by his peers. The youths are said to have fought over items used for connecting power such as power tester and screws at the night vigil. However, the incident sparked outrage from another group of youth who marched to the home of the murder suspect, named Jotham Oduor, where they frog marched him from his house at Ichengo and beat him to death in what was said to be a revenge attack. Last year, several families living along the Kenyan-Ugandan border at Teso North, Teso South, and Butula constituencies were living in fear following a surge in crime by youths targeting elderly women. In October and November, at least five elderly women above 90 years were sexually assaulted and killed, and at least 20 people of different genders nursing serious injuries. Additionally, two acres of sugarcane plantation and several houses were also destroyed by the gang in Teso South constituency. According to residents, four gangs known as Team Kapedo, Team Vietnam, Team Freedom, and Team Seven Brothers, youth between the ages of 15 and 20 years, are behind the ray of cruel and heinous acts happening in the border county. According to resident Moses Makokha, youthful criminal gangs have taken advantage of disco matangas to commit crimes and attack residents at night. "The night funeral vigil has lost its meaning. It is not like it used to be in adage days. Young people come to attend with different ill motives and we have seen a surge in cases of criminal activity being committed by youths," said Makokha. Makokha said young people have turned the event into a brothel and breeding ground for teenage pregnancies and the sale of drugs. "We have seen drugs and illicit brew, bhang and other substances being sold at night and nothing is being done. The habit has gone further to the point of young girls and boys engaging in sex hence rise in the number of teenage pregnancies and infection of various diseases," said Makokha. Daniel Manda, an elder from Busia town, opines that the society has dropped the ball in terms of administering and upholding moral values to the younger generation. Manda also accuses the security apparatus of laxity in handling the issue. "We are all to be blame as parents and even the entire society. In some cases we have seen bereaved families being at the forefront of organising disco matanga and even paying for the services, and that is part of what is bringing all these problems. By doing so, there is no way we are going to teach our children good morals," said Manda. "The disco matanga has been banned, but we are seeing it happening right in the sight of security officials. Chiefs and their assistants seem to be helpless and this has given a leeway for youth to commit crime at night. If the government will not intervene and put an end to this event, we are going to take action as elders in which we will be forced to call people to order using our traditional rules, such as cursing and performing rituals against the wrongdoers," Manda added. In Kakamega, angry youths torched at least 10 houses in Esumeiya village, Navakholo constituency in a suspected retaliatory attack last year. The violence erupted after the murder of a 23-year-old man, reportedly killed by two friends following a dispute over a girl. Kevin Nabuti was attacked at night in his parents' compound and was pronounced dead on arrival at Kakamega General Hospital after he succumbed to head injuries. According to reports, the deceased and his friends clashed with his attackers while planning to attend a night vigil. His parents, however, dismissed the claims. The deceased's father, Vincent Wesonga, never knew his son would attend the vigil at night and for such an incident to occur. "We ate supper and parted ways knowing he was going to sleep in his house. I never knew he would go anywhere. But at around 1am, I heard noise. When I went outside, I found my son lying down in critical condition after he was attacked by a machete," Wesonga said. Two months ago, members of the Team Seven Brothers gang raped a 96-year-old woman from Butula constituency, who later succumbed to injuries and trauma. According to a family member, William Osore, the group of youths attacked the woman at around 5pm at her home where she stayed alone. "It was an unfortunate incident that I have never witnessed in my entire life. The gang attacked her at around 5pm when it was raining. They strangled her, raped and left her helpless. She died a few days later due to injuries and trauma,"Osore said. In the same area, another granny aged 94 was raped by the gang before she was rescued by her grandchildren. "The cases of elderly women being raped are on the rise and in this case, a woman was being assaulted by the youths before the attackers ran away following the arrival of her grandson who had gone to look for supper," said Robert Opiyo, a villager. The criminality aspect around disco matanga is happening mostly in Busia County even after County Commissioner Mwachaunga Chaunga banned the night vigil a month ago. Residents say disco matangas have also fostered violence, with teens carrying weapons such as machetes, axes, pangas and swords.

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