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Men Fishing By Franklin Amulyoto – Wikimedia

Complete Guide to Kenyan Tribes

Kenya is one of the 55 countries that make up the beautiful continent of Africa. The population in Kenya is 47.6 million with the majority living in urban centres.

The Kenyan population is made up of different tribes. There are more than 42 of them here. These tribes are of diverse languages and beautiful culture.

To guide you on understanding these tribes, I will use the three main language groups that uniquely identify them. This way I will be able to cover all of them while also explaining their similarities. I will also include the regions that the majority of them can be found.

If you are interested in learning about languages in Kenya, check out A Guide to Languages in Kenya.

Let us now look at the Kenyan tribes.

1. The Bantus

Swahili Women by Frank and Frances Carpenter -Wikimedia

Before delving into the Kenyan Bantus, I believe its important to mention that there are more than 1,900 Bantu speakers in Africa. They are found in parts of West Africa, Congo, East Africa and Southern Africa.

Kenyan Bantus originated from Niger-Congo region. After migrating they occupied part of western, central and coastal regions in Kenya. This group is the largest in the country.

They account for two-thirds of the total population and are mostly farmers have settled in some of the most fertile lands.

The Bantus in Kenya are divided into three main groups; central Bantus, Western Bantus and Coastal Bantus.

The Coastal Bantus live in the southern part of the country close to the Indian Ocean. They are found in Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Tana River and Taita Taveta Counties.

These groups include the Taveta, Taita, Bajun, Malakote, Pokomo, Swahili and Mijikenda. The Mijikenda, which means nine clans, is made up of Agiriama, Digo, Chonyi, Kauma, Duruma, Jibaba, Kambe, Rabai and Ribe.

The Bantu language that they speak is Kidigo, Kisaghala, Kidawida, Kitaveta, Duruma, and Swahili. Although the dialects are different, they can easily communicate with each other.

The Central Bantus can be found in Central and Eastern Region of Kenya. The majority of them can be found in Kitui, Makueni, Machakos, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Muranga, Kiambu, Laikipia, Nakuru, Meru and Tharaka Nithi Counties. The tribes include Kikuyu, Embu, Meru and Kamba.

The languages they speak are Kikamba, Gikuyu, Kiembu, Chuka, Kimeru, Kimbeere and Kimwimbi.

The Meru has an additional subgroup known as Tharaka, Nithi, and Igoji. Their dialects include Igembe, Tigania, Imenti, Miutini, Mwimbi, and Muthambi. There is also the Chuka tribe that is a subgroup of the Kikuyu.

These communities share common cultural practices such as traditional weddings, naming and circumcision ceremonies. Three of Kenya’s presidents came from this tribe; Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta.

Finally, Western Bantus are found in the western region of Kenya. This group is made up of the Luhya, Suba, Kuria and Kisii. Their languages include Suba, Kuria,

Ekugusii, and Luhya which is further divided into 18 sub-tribes, they include Banyala, Masaaba, Marama, Tachoni, Bukusu, Maragoli, Samia, Batsotso, Idakho, Isukha, Gisu, Kisa, Marachi, Tikiri, Kabras, Khayo, Banyore, and Wanga.

The western Bantus share boarders with the Luo, who are River-Lake nilotes. This has made the two groups borrow from each other’s cultures. Some words and names are shared. The Kisii and the Kuria languages are closely related.

The western Bantus are known for their large scales farming of food crops such as maize, sugarcane, bananas and sweet potatoes.

2. The Nilotes

A Masai man and woman walking By Jaipatova – Wikimedia

This group of people from the larger Nilo-Saharan language group in Africa. The Nilotic language group in East Africa is believed to have originated from the northern part of Africa.

Nilotic-speaking tribes in Kenya is divided into three, the Plain nilotes, Highland nilotes, and River-Lake nilotes.

The River-Lake nilotes group is made up of the Luo and they are from Lake Victoria region also known as the Nyanza region. This group is one of the largest ethnic groups in Kenya. Their language is known as Dholuo.

They are found in Kisumu, Migori, Siaya, and Homabay counties. The Luo people are known for their love of fish, and most of Luo men were known for their fishing practices in Lake Victoria. Prominent persons from this tribe include Raila Odinga and Lupita Nyong’o.

Highland Nilotes communities are found in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. This group is known for its large-scale crop and animal farming. They mainly grow maize, wheat, tea, and have dairy farms.

They have four main tribes; Iteso, Njemps (also known as Ilchamus), Ogiek and the Kalenjin. The Kalenjin tribe is further subdivided into Nandi, Terik, Kipsigis, Keiyo, Tugen, Pokot, and Marakwet.

These groups speak similar dialect but with different tonal variations. The second president of Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi was a Tugen.

The Njemps speak a mix of Kalenjin and Samburu, the Teso speak Ateso while the Ogiek speaks Okiek. The Njemps are known for pastoralism and farming too.

The Plain nilotes are mostly found in the northern and southern part of Kenya. They are known for nomadic pastoralism and deep-rooted culture that they practice to date.

This group is made up of the Maasai, Samburu, and the Turkana. They have for the longest time settled in northern Rift Valley, bordering Uganda to the west and South Sudan to the North.

The Nilotic tribes found here are the Turkana and the Samburu. The Maasai are found in the south bordering Tanzania. Their counties are Samburu, Turkana, Kajiado, Laikipia, and Narok.

The Samburu and the Maasai speak the maa language.  The plain nilotes are known for their love of large herds of cattle, goats and camels.

3. Cushites

The next group are the Cushites who are said to be the of the Afro-Asiatic community. The Kenyan cushites were the first to enter the Kenyan territory during their migration.

This group is also believed to be from Noah’s bloodline through his grandson Cush. They are found in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Tanzania. The Kenyan Cushites are divided into two Eastern and Southern.

The Southern Cushites are Boni, Sanye and Waata who speak Yaaku and Dahalo. This group was displaced and absorbed by new Nilotic tribes.

The displacement saw part of the group move further south and settled in Tanzania. This group originated from Ethiopia highlands. They are among the minority tribes in Kenya.

The Eastern Cushites migrated to Kenya from Ethiopia and Somalia. They live in the arid and semi-arid areas in northern and north-eastern Kenya and are nomadic pastoralists.

This group is made up of the Kenyan Somalis, Rendile, Borana, Gabbra and Oromo. They can be found in Marsabit, Wajir, Tana River and Garissa counties. Majority of them are Muslims.

4. New Tribes

Many other minority tribes migrated to Kenya. The Makonde from Mozambique were recognized as the 43^rd tribe in Kenya in 2016. Kenyan Indians community were also officially recognized as the 44^th tribe of Kenya in 2017. Other tribes include the Nyasa from Malawi.