This article aims to provide you information you need on the Kenyan tribes. The following table classifies the tribes according to the languages they speak:

Recent reports reveal that of the 40 or more ethnic groups currently in Kenya, the main Kenya tribes are Kikuyu (21%), Meru (5%), Kalenjin, Luyha, Luo (14%), Kisii, Kamba, Swahili, Masai, and Turkana. Each tribe contributes to the country’s rich, diverse and world-renowned culture. Their unique history, lifestyle, language, food has been a topic of discussion, study and research for years. The long preserved culture of the Masai and Samburu tribe has helped them remain two of the few cohesive and culturally authentic ethnic tribes of Kenya.

You can find information on the major tribal groups listed below:

Kikuyu Tribe: This tribe originally belongs to the Bantu group. It is beleived to have been founded by a man called Gikuyu. It is widely believed that the the Kikuyu God, Ngai, took Gikuyu to the top of Kirinyaga and told him to stay and build his home there. With his wife, Mumbi, Gikuyu had nine daughters and a tenth daughter he did not acknowledge. Traditionally farmers, Kikuyu homelands are good farmlands in Kenya.

Maasai Tribe: Mainly found in the southern regions of Kenya, Massai myths state that their rain God Ngai granted all cattle to them for safe keeping when the earth and sky split. They are nomadic herdsmen. However, with open plains slowly disappearing, it is increasingly difficult for them to remain a nomadic tribe.

Samburu Tribe: The Samburu Tribe lives at the foothills of Mount Kenya. These semi-nomadic pastoralists mainly rear livestock. They consume meat only on special occasions and normally make soups from roots and bark and eat vegetables wherever it can be grown. You will find members of this tribe dressed in very traditional clothing of bright red material with multi-beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Turkana Tribe: The second largest group of nomadic pastoralists in Kenya, they are mainly concentrated in regions of northern Kenya. You will find them dressed in bright and charming traditional dresses and ornaments.

For more information on the Kenyan tribes, you can refer to the Kenya Advisor website.