Ajua, a traditional sport known for curing stress among elderly

Sabatia Ajua Club members in action at the local market in Butere, Kakamega County. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

A group of elders sit in a circle, heads bowed as if in prayer on a hot afternoon at Sabatia trading centre in Butere, Kakamega County.

They converge here every day to play ajua, a traditional board game that has remained popular among elders from Western.

One of the old men throws his hands up in despair, but his eyes remain glued to the board at the centre. 

"Sometimes you get disappointed when you goof and lose the game," says Ezekiel Andayi, a player and chairman of Sabatia Ajua Club.

According to Andayi, the market is tied to the rich history of one of the oldest sports in Western Kenya.

"Ajua is popular in Kakamega, Butere, Mumias, Busia and Bungoma towns, and a majority of its ardent fans are elderly," he says.

Andayi says the name of the sport originated from Luo land but in Western it is popularly referred to as olukho in the local dialect.

Just like football and other sports, ajua demands maximum attention, skill and commitment.

"Fans are forced to watch in silence to give players time to focus and reason," says Andayi.

According to the elders, ajua is different from gambling sport and was cherished by their forefathers.

Washington Ongao, 86, says he has been playing ajua since he was a youth. 

Just like football and other sports, ajua demands maximum attention, skill and commitment. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

"Our forefathers resorted to playing ajua as a stress reliever to avoid conflicts in homes and community. Later it became a competitive sport and clubs were formed," says Ongao.

“It is a game that helps married men to avoid quarrels at home with their wives, they spend time here and feel relieved whenever they score. They also interact with elderly men you see around who are full of wisdom and experience in life."

Ongao says retired public servants love the sport and always frequent the playing spot.

Andayi says the game does not only attract the elderly but also the young people who learn many life lessons as well as acquiring skills to play ajua.

Francis Mulama, 76, is actively involved in the sport. The former civic leader says time is ripe for the government to channel resources into promoting ajua as a national sport.

"Ajua ought to be recognised and funded by both counties and national government so that young people can be encouraged to embrace and grow it."

Mulama says ajua builds one's mental capacity and improves their critical thinking and problem solving skills.

"If you are a slow thinker and poor in making decisions, you are bound to make mistakes in real life and fail, that is what the sport teaches us," he says.

Unlike other sports, ajua is largely played by men. But this is changing. 

"It is purely a preserve of men, but we have started integrating women into the game," says Mulama.

The elders have modified a wooden board by carving a trunk of a tree and making holes into it.

The six-foot long board consists of two rows with eight holes each and a flat space on either sides where scores are recorded whenever a player wins the game.

Special seeds from some wild plant are preferred for the game because they are durable. Each hole must have three seeds, translating to 48 in total.

A player who remains with the less seeds loses the game to the one who has more.

Unlike other sports, ajua is largely played by men. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

The elders use terms such as married hole, win and lose. A married hole is an empty hole where an opponent tops the number of seeds on the competitor's row.

It means the competitor has no control over the hole that has received extra seed from the opponent.

According to Andayi, a win is declared as soon as a player has captured the majority of seeds and controls more holes on the opponent's row. If a player has more than 25 seeds and the opponent is unable to play, then the former is declared winner of the game.

A player must be able to win in all five rounds of the game to accumulate maximum points.

Sabatia Ajua Club was registered in 2018 under the social services department and has over 50 registered members, including five women.

The elders say ajua sport came in handy during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“During the pandemic, men had issues of providing for their families and many of them suffered depression and stress but the sport helped heal those who came to play. Elders also seized the opportunity to counsel the affected men," says Andayi.

Ajua was actively played in Western in 1970s where elders like Ongao participated in tournaments.

Ongao says he started playing in 1940, and at one point Kenya Breweries poached him from Posta to strengthen their team.

One has to pay Sh100 registration fee to be enrolled at Sabatia Ajua Club and another Sh20 daily contribution that goes into members' savings account.