Kenya Rainmakers: The Suba People

Mama Dorcas

There are tales that when told might sound like they are a product of a hyperactive brain or the works of a literary genius, but when probed further, they turn out too be absolutely true and stranger than fiction. One such story is the story of Mama Dorcas, she is a member of the Abasuba ethnic group, a member of the larger ethno linguistic group known as the Bantu, that inhabit the southern tip of Nyanza Province in Kenya upon the shores of Lake Sang'o popularly known as Lake Victoria.

Claim To Fame

The members of this community have a peculiar claim to fame that they share with only one other of the myriad ethnic communities in Kenya. For out of the over 42 ethnic groups resident in Kenya the only other community that is known to bend the laws of nature to make or break rain is the Bunyore community. Mama Dorcas is an unassuming octogenarian Grandmother who inherited the power of rain making from her parents as a teenager when her parents died.

She also has the power to heal and prevent bad omens and control lightning. When the area experiences a dry spell she is called upon by her community to "make rain". For her to partake in any of the above rituals the senior most elders of her community must be summoned and be present, they have to come with some form of payment for her usually in the form of a cow or some money.

The Process

She then proceeds by applying a concoction of herbs at the meeting place; it might involve the planting of a particular herb at a place agreed upon by all the elders. She also claims to have the power of stopping rainfall at any given time. She just uproots whatever she planted and the rain stops right away. After the application of her herbs and the planting of the rain inducing herbs, the community has to wait for two weeks for the rains to begin. While she indulges in this activity all women and children are banished from that place.