Love Charms-Story of the Bagisu And Baganda Househelps

Fine Baganda Mama's

There is this intriguing story that has been making the rounds in Eastern Uganda and Western Kenya; the story became so prevalent that it is a well known story in all parts of Kenya from Nairobi outwards. This story gained currency in the late seventies to the early nineties when there was a large population of Ugandans living in Kenya, who were then escaping the chaos of war that was Uganda in that period.

Considering that most of the men had been conscripted to fight for the various sides engaged in that countries conflict and for which most died, there was a large pool of Ugandan women who fled across the borders to find employment in Kenya. Most found employ as house helps popularly referred to as maids in Kenyan parlance. With most of these openings being in the urban centers’, and cities including the Capital Nairobi.

The typical urban households where most of these ladies landed was usually a small probably cramped two bedroom affair that housed on average husband and wife one or two Adult relatives and the children. Now if you throw in the house help we are then talking about pretty much a “full house”.

Now it was in such one house in Langa’ta estate in Nairobi that the following events played out. The Women of Gisu (Bagisu) and Ganda (Baganda) Sexual prowess is mythical even legendary. It is said that when their girls reach puberty they are taken to leave with their paternal aunties where they are taught the intricacies of love and companionship. This tutoring goes on until they are ready for marriage.

Considering the circumstances of desperation that first brought these women here ,the motivation to not go back to their war torn country was enormous to say anything but the least. So the competition to stay was intense often at the expense of the wife of the household. The object of their attention invariably turned to the Man of the house, to cement their stay in the home.

This motivation, plus their superior and well known nighttime talents, was a formidable force often too stiff for the lady of the house to beat. Now this is where the issue of love charms comes in. This Gisu house help in Langa’ta had apparently been threatened with the sack by her female boss. The prospect of retiring to the Kibera Slums for good did not seem too appealing. So action had to be taken and fast.

It is said that this house help resorted to desperate measures, for desperate times call for desperate measures. She paid a visit to a traditional medicine woman from Uganda who gave her some very peculiar advice. She was advised to take a bath with a particular set of herbs. After which she was advised to cook chapatti (A flat Cake, Originally from southern India but very popular in Kenya), which incidentally happened to be the households favorite meal.

Then she was told to seat on each of the chapattis that she was going to give the man of the house, it was said that the act of seating on them, in the nude, compounded with the charms she had washed herself with, would seal the deal. She followed the instructions to the letter and believe it or not, the man of the house hastily discarded his wife of many years. Promptly marrying the Gisu woman and thus the former house help turned the tables and became the wife. So much for the potency of Gisu love portions.