Whereas the official languages spoken in Kenya is English and Kiswahili, this East African nation is multilingual at the very core.
With over forty-two tribal communities dispersed across the landscape, Kenya is non- homogenous, and ethnically robust and diverse, yet bound by the spirit and pride for national-hood!
The Bantu Speaking nation, traditionally prosperous farmers and gatherers, is the largest enclave in Kenya, and is predominantly comprised of the Kikuyu, Luhya, Kisii, Kamba, Meru and the coastal Mijikenda, the later having emerged as result of intermarriage between the Bantu & Asian migrants.
The Nilotic Speaking nations comprise of the Luo, Kalenjin, Maasai, Samburu and the Northern Kenya Turkana. They are the second-largest nation in Kenya, traditionally identified as herdsmen, farmers, fishermen with fordable clout as warriors and cattle-rustlers, a practice that is still alive to date.
The Cushitic Speaking, are categorized as Southern & Eastern, and identified traditionally as hunters and gatherers. They are mainly the Dahalo, ( Kenya) Somali, Arabs, Oromo, Asians and other minority enclaves. They are characterized by their entrepreneurial and gregarious nature.
Since English and Kiswahili is Lingua franca, peri-urban and rural dwellers are unperturbed groups, in fact, less multilingual. For instance, most rural dwellers predominantly speak their ethic languages and allied dialects for mundane communication.
According to Kenya Bureau of Statistics, KBS, there are over sixty tribal African dialects and languages spoken, besides those of the minority groups of Cushitic and European extraction. These later groups, are mostly comprised of the rooted descendants of foreign settlers like the Arabic, Hindi, European among others.
One of the most delightful aspects of an African Safari expedition, is that you’ll always have an opportunity to meet and engage the local communities, and partake of their cultural activities they’ve practiced and preserved since times of yore.
Agile African Expeditions is an accredited Tours & Travel Company, passionate about African travel expeditions, and thrives in providing exceptional African Wildlife, Cultural & Beach Holiday experiences to her esteemed and diverse clientele base
“Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno; it is a photographer’s paradise, a hunter’s Valhalla, an escapist’s Utopia. It is what you will & it withstands all interpretations. It is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one. To a lot of people, as to myself, it is just home.” -Beryl Markham
