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Abba Gadas, this is how the Borana resisted drought

The story of the ancient Kenyan tribe's society

12-01-2023 by Leni Frau

In the dusty plains of northeastern Kenya, shaded by acacia trees, six old men can be seen sitting together. Some of them pull on their ochre-white beards as they nod. It is the Adula council; they have come to discuss who should manage the community wells. The married Borana men look away in their direction as they water their camels. After a few minutes the head of the council, Abba Gada or "father of Gada," as he is called in the Borana language, arrives. Old and wise as his years, he trudges along with cane in hand. His eyes still shine with the rigor of his long youth. He sits at the head of the council as he has for eight years, since the beginning of his rule. The other council members bow in reverence. Councils like this have met under similar circumstances for the past five hundred years.

For five hundred years, the Borana, who have settled semi-nomadically among the arid regions of northeastern Kenya, southeastern Ethiopia and western Somalia, have kept their unity intact by following this system of government. Divisions among the council men are rare because the members belong to the same age group, namely the Gada or Warra Bora class. As young men, some of these elders may have been members of the Borana Assembly or the 'Salgan ya'a Borana. The assembly included the president, two vice presidents and six other very important officials who ran the Borana administration. These were Abbaa Cha a, the chairman of the assembly; Abbaa Dubbi, the speaker; Abbaa Seera, the Memorizer of Laws; Abbaa Alanga, the judge; Abbaa Duula, the commander of the army; and Abbaa sa'a, in charge of the economy. The president was called the Abba boku.

Like modern parliaments, the Borana parliament convened sessions to enact, repeal, or check that laws were being obeyed. The end of a discussion on an issue was accepted without debate, and Abba Muriti, the "Father of Resolution," was present to ensure that those present at the discussion complied with this requirement. Married men could also attend or send representatives to the assembly. Below the assembly were the hayyus or counselors who made the decisions of lesser weight. They ensured that laws enacted at the higher levels of authority reached the people. Among the Borana, the people held elections to elect a new set of leaders every eight years, according to tradition. Decisions made by traditional Borana councils extended to the use of natural resources. For example, some areas, such as forests, were set aside as shelter during droughts. Herds of cattle or camels could not go there unless an extremely severe drought occurred.

Today we seem to have forgotten these important rules, and cattle invade and damage forests every dry season. In the event of a severe drought, there may be no shelter left for them.

(Story by the National Museum of Kenya)

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