In Luhya land, chicken is highly regarded, and a homestead is not complete without the bird popularly known as Ingokho. You can often spot these popular birds roaming in most compounds.
Chicken is not only a delicacy; it is often given as a gift to visitors or sometimes slaughtered during special ceremonies.
However, not all chicken is slaughtered for food or given as a gift. A black chicken is typically unwelcome on the menu and rarely, it is given to visitors or relatives. Instead, these black birds are commonly used in rituals such as exorcising evil spirits.
“We have lived many years knowing that black and dotted chicken, and black turkey have a special purpose and that is to prevent robbers and defeating witchdoctors believed to possess mystical powers,” says Patrick Dhahabu, a Tiriki elder from Hamisi, Vihiga County.
According to Dhahabu, the black bird is believed to possess supernatural powers capable of stopping harm.
To reinforce his postulation, Dhahabu says since time immemorial, the black chicken has either been given to drivers ferrying corpses or slaughtered to cleanse murderers.
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“The drivers were instructed to throw the chicken in a forest or a bushy place at night and this was to drive away bad or the spirit of the dead and confuse it from haunting them or their families and this ritualistic cleansing worked and many drivers did not report any case of disturbance from the dead and that is how the black birds got special purpose in the community to date.”
Samson Agesa, an elder from Lurambi, Kakamega County told The Nairobian that black and dotted chicken have powers to ward off evil spirits or bad omen.
“Traditionally, black was associated with bad things while white was associated with peace. However, when one was accused of killing another person, even today a black chicken is slaughtered and its blood is sprinkled on the person. This ritual is meant to prevent more killings,” explained Agesa.
A person who has many black chicken in the homestead, Agesa claims, is more secure against attack or witches.
Superstition surrounding black chicken does not end in homesteads, it extends to markets where traders dealing in chicken face the same dilemma.
Edwin Lukoye, a vendor in Kakamega town claims selling black chicken is usually a herculean task since people associate the bird with bad omen.
“I have sold chicken for 46 years now during which I have come to learn the preference of black chicken is low but for me, a chicken is a chicken in terms of business yet for customers, it is not the case,” says Lukhoye.
According to the trader, when a client comes to buy chicken, they check the colours and black is not among the favourites.
The 69-year-old vendor says that when someone is released from prison, a black chicken is slaughtered and blood sprinkled on the ex-convict to chase away bad spirits and omen.
“The many beliefs surrounding the black chicken have made people shy away from buying the bird. The chicken was and is even nowadays slaughtered and eaten by people who have been involved in a tragedy like an accident or death,” says Lukhoye.
However, Lukhoye says unlike in homesteads where it is shunned, black chicken is easily sold in hotels and restaurants.
“Most of these chicken are indigenous and therefore, restaurants and hotel owners are our large customers because for them, they want chicken for meat and for their customers and they are not swayed by our outdated beliefs. Some abandoned chickens are sold to some of the mushrooming hotels in the back streets of our various towns,” says Lukhoye.
Auston Mukokha, another chicken vendor, says people who refuse to buy the black chicken have in one way or another used the bird for various rituals and that is why its demand is low.
Mukokha says that as chicken vendors, their job is simply to sell any chicken without considering how they are perceived or the purpose the sold birds will serve.
“We are just selling chicken with the intention of doing business but customers are the ones who come with different beliefs. To be honest, black chicken is not doing well in the market and the belief around it has even taken a religious angle with a certain sect prohibiting followers from giving out black chicken as a gift or slaughtering it for guests or people to eat because it will attract bad luck and not blessings,” says Mukokha.
However, Roseline Shituka, another chicken seller, says that black chicken are highly regarded for good luck by diviners and sorcerers in performing their superstitions. Most people seeking their help to resolve family problems are directed to buy black or spotted birds.
According to Shituka, buyers often request not to be given the black bird out of fear that it will be concluded they intend to perform rituals.
“Selling the black chicken is becoming problematic; those who buy them are viewed as being sent by witches or elders to perform certain rituals. This has made even those with good intentions—who simply want to eat the hen—shy away from buying the bird in public places,” says Shituka.
“I remember one day a client came in, and I told her that black chicken are healthy and tasty, making them good for consumption. However, I nearly lost her as a regular customer. She told me she didn’t want to be associated with witchcraft and bad rituals or branded as someone who believes in superstition,” she adds.
She explains that some of the black chicken sold in the market are ordered from Rift Valley because they are rarely reared in the Luhya community. Those who do rear them typically deliver directly to restaurants.