THE PEOPLE OF KENYA

To understand Kenyan history, we need to understand the people of this country.

- Indeed, Kenya has over 42 ethnic groups in number.
- Each group has a diverse history, based on migration, evolution of the group, interaction with
other groups over the years, culture, political, social and economic set -up.
- Kenyan ethnic groups are also grouped into major clusters:
(a) The Cushites
(b) The Nilotes and
(c) The Bantu
(a) The Cushites
The Cushites form a group that is broadly homogenous:
- In language and culture, and spread over a large part of Ethiopia, Somalia and in Kenya.
- In Kenya they are spread over a small part as compared to the two countries.
Examples of Cushites include:
- The Rift Cushite peoples - that is the Dorobo, El molo and Okiek.
- The North also known as Eastern Cushites -that is the Somali, Boran and Galla,Burji, Orma,
Rendille, Gabbra, Aweer or Boni, Daasanach, Waata and Yaaku .
Note:
-Cushites are the earliest groups to have settled in Kenya.
-The Rift Cushites are mainly hunters and gatherers (since the pre-colonial period).
-And the North- East Cushites are mainly herders or pastoralists (over the years).
(b)The Nilotes
Nilotes in Kenya came originally from the Nile Valley, probably the upper Nile and its
tributaries in southern Sudan. Their main direction of movement was southwards along the plains
of the Rift Valley, which favoured both their cattle raising lifestyle as well as their rapid all
conquering advance.
The term Nilotic is linguistic and originates from the term Nile.
- they originated in the Nile Valley

-A mixed group referred to as the Nile Valley peoples.

- Who stretched on both sides of the Nile from Sennar (in Sudan) to Lake Victoria.
-Their influence penetrated deeper into East Africa (Kenya included).
Examples of Nilotes in Kenya
In Kenya they are divided into three main groups:
(a) The Highland Nilotes; (are also referred to as the Kalenjin speakers -for example,
the Nandi Tugen and the Kipsigis and Pokot (found in the Rift Valley).
(b) Plain Nilotes; ( include the Maasai and Samburu in the Rift Valley, Iteso of Western Kenya
and Turkana of Northern Kenya)
(c) River - Lake Nilotes; include the Luo (live around Lake Victoria). In the pre-colonial period
Nilotes were mainly pastoralists.
-Today, most Nilotes have adopted farming including sectors of the Maasai.
- It is only Turkana who are mainly pastoralists in present Kenya.
- The Luo and Turkana also practice fishing (Luo in Lake Victoria and Turkana in Lake
Turkana).
(c) The Bantu
Bantu is a linguistic term which carries no connotation as to:
-Race or- Culture
-It refers to people who speak Bantu languages.
-It was coined from Umuntu -plural, Abantu in reference to person and people in plural.
The Bantu Problem
One of the many difficult problems in early history of Africa leave alone Kenya is that of the
origin and spread of the Bantu.
Why the problem?
Because
- The Bantu do not constitute genetically an ethnic group
- There is no homogeneity of physical type amongst them
- We have to study them broadly as a linguistic group
Examples of Bantu groups in Kenya include:-
-The Abaluhya of Western Kenya.
-The Kikuyu of Central Kenya.
-The Meru, Embu and Kamba of Eastern parts of Kenya.
-The Abagusii and Kuria found in Nyanza province (geographically part of
Western Kenya).
-The Mijikenda (meaning nine villages and consist of nine groups -for example, the
Giriama, Digo and Ribe Rabai Kambe Choni, duruma, jibana and Kauma), Pokomo and Taita of
Coastal province of Kenya among other groups.
Note:
- The Bantu groups form the largest group of Kenya’s population.
- Since the pre-colonial period, it is true that all Bantu groups are basically mixed
farmers. They cultivate the land and keep animals as well. They also traded amongst
themselves and with other Kenyan groups.
- It is also difficult to generalize the Bantu culture -indeed, the Bantu are a “hybrid
community” with different culture and various dialects (for example, over 16
dialects are spoken among the Bantu of Western Kenya alone).
General Remarks on Kenyan groups
- They have interacted over the years by way of marriage, through trade,
association, assimilation and absorption. Therefore, it is hard to speak of a “pure” ethnic group in
Kenya.
- Interaction has also been through ethnic conflicts (at times escalating into fierce
conflicts), mainly caused by fight over scarce resources, mainly land, grazing pasture and
water points. Other times ethnic clashes have been fuelled by politicians to gain political
mileage.
- Of importance also to note -in the pre-colonial period (all Kenya groups except the Wanga ( a
group of the Bantu of Western Kenya) were acephalous in nature (meaning they had
governments, mainly represented by council of elders but they had no centralized governments in
place). It is only the Wanga who had a centralized system with Nabongo (meaning King) as their
leader.
- Besides, cattle played an important role in the lives of Kenyan groups.
Why?
- Animals supplemented agriculture
- They were an investment (capital accumulation)
- a source of increased prestige and wealth
- a medium of exchange
- and animals were and are still used in social cultural aspects for example
- in dowry paying and in rituals/ sacrifices.
Today
There is more interaction among Kenya groups due to urbanization, though trade, politics,
education and search for land and new settlement patterns in various parts of the country.
- But ethnicity is still maintained as form of identity and belonging.
- Thus, all Kenyans belong to specific ethnic groups and they identify with them.
The Swahili
Also of importance to Kenyan history are the Swahili speakers.
Note:-
- The term Swahili refer to a people as well as culture.
- To understand the origin of the Swahili - it has been common for historians to view them as
representing a fusion of the Shirazi (that is Persian and Arabian) traders and immigrants with the
Coastal Bantu (the Mijikenda and Pokomo).
- This fusion was thought to have occurred just prior to the ninth century along
Kenya’s coastal region.
- In the process, a Swahili culture evolved -with it emerged Kiswahili as a
Language -which is now spoken in various parts of Kenya and Tanzania, Zanzibar as well as in
other parts of the Eastern Africa region, and as far as the Democratic Republic of Kenya.

Note:
-The Swahili have also associated with the Indian Ocean trade.