subject: The Kenyan Culture [print this page] The Kenyan Culture The Kenyan Culture
Kenya is made up of about forty tribes. Though the major groups are about 13 and the rest smaller groups, there are about 61 different languages spoken in the country. The majority of Kenyans are Bantu speakers and they include the Kikuyu, Kamba, Kisii, Luhya and other smaller groups. The Nilotic speakers include the Masaai, Luo and the Kalenjin. The Hamitic speakers are the Turkana, Rendille, and the Samburu. The Hamitic speakers are the smallest group and live on the marginal areas of the country. The Highest concentration of people is found in the central area of the country.
The Official language is English. Swahili is more used than English and it is the national language. Kenya is not a homogenous country and therefore has people of all colors speaking different languages. It is a multilingual country. There are African tribal languages that are used by people of the same tribe. This though is slowly dying with urbanization and modernization. Intermarriage is also making the use of ethnic language hard and most people opt to use Swahili.
The People of Kenya have the freedom of worship and religion. Most have chosen to be Christians while a minority is Muslims. Others have stuck to traditional worship and have followed the steps of their ancestors. There is a small Hindu and Sikh minority. This is so because of the Asians who have made Kenya there motherland. Christians are mostly on the central and west parts of the country while Muslims are concentrated on the coastal region and some eastern parts of the country.
