Factors for Disco Matanga’s Rise Among the Bukusu People of Bungoma County, Kenya

Disco Matanga is a modernized funerary practice among the Bukusu people of Bungoma County, Kenya, in which traditional mourning rites are combined with music, dancing, and alcohol, transforming the overnight funeral vigil into a social entertainment event. While the practice has become widespread, the specific factors driving its rise have not been investigated as a primary subject of academic inquiry. This study explored the factors for Disco Matanga’s rise among the Bukusu people, guided by Cultural Hybridity Theory. A descriptive research design was adopted, combining quantitative data from 130 questionnaires administered to youth and parents and qualitative data from 17 key informant interviews conducted with national government officials, religious leaders, Disco Matanga organizers, and Bukusu elders drawn from five locations in Bungoma County. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data through thematic analysis. The study found that Disco Matanga’s rise is driven by four interacting factors: social and community bonding, financial gain for organizers, the desire for modern funeral celebrations, and peer influence and trends. The study concludes that no single factor explains the prevalence of the practice; rather, the four factors interact to create a social and cultural environment in which Disco Matanga is simultaneously socially functional, commercially profitable, culturally appealing to youth, and socially coercive. The study recommends that community elders, religious leaders, and local government administrators convene intergenerational forums involving youth to develop agreed community standards addressing these factors directly.