According to the 1999 census, Kenya has a population of over 30 million inhabitants and grows at an annual rate of approximately 1.6 per cent, whilst the life expectancy is just over 47 years.
Most of the Kenyans dwell in the rural areas, with the urban population at approximately 25 per cent. The main tribes in Kenya are Kikuyu, luhya, luo, Kalenjin, Kamba, Kisii, Meru, Maasai and Turkana. The rest comprise about 15 per cent of the total Kenyan population, with the one percent being non-Africans (Asians, Europeans and Arabs). The local languages still strongly exist, but swahili is the national language while English is the official language.
The people of Kenya are as diverse and contrasting as the country’s landscapes. They include the Cushitic speaking nomads, Bantu speakers and the Nilotes. Together, their different cultures and traditions add to the amazing beauty of Kenya.

Culture

The diverse cultures of the people of Kenya can be seen through language,food, music, beliefs and practices. The Maasai are famous for their red shukas(cloth that is tied round the body) and red ochre hair. The Swahili are known for their Taarab (slow Swahili music), the Akamba for their weaving while the Kisii are famous for their soap stone carvings. The diversity is also spiced up by the different dialects spoken by the people. Swahili and English are the most spoken while different communities have their respective languages.
Do not leave Kenya without a Khanga or Kikoy… the all purpose wrap around cloth adorned by both men and women. It makes a truly treasurable gift. Originally made from several Portuguese handkerchiefs sewn together to make a brightly coloured cloth, the Khanga is a versatile cloth that can be worn oradapted into clothing, tablecloths, bed linen etc

The Nilotes moved from the West of lake Turkana into Kenya. The luos migrated from southern sudan to Uganda and settled on the shores of lake Victoria. From there they began spreading along the shores to Kisumu and Kano plains. The Maasai moved through the plains before settling in the Rift Valley area. The swahili people had long settled along the Kenyan Coast.

The Nilotes are split into three subgroups: Plain Nilotes represented by the Maasai, samburu and Turkana; the River lake Nilotes, are represented by the luo – who live near lake Victoria; the third are the highland Nilotic group represented by the Kalenjin. some of the Kalenjin tribes include the Nandi, Kipsigis, Turgen, Keiyo, Marakwet and the Pokot. The Plain Nilotes are pastoralists and nomads mainly depending on their animals; the Highland Nilotes practice livestock and crop farming and keep animals while the River lake Nilotes depend on fish.

some Bantu split into two groups when moving into Central Tanzania, settling between Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Indian ocean. The first group migrated north forming the Taveta, Dawida and Akamba peoples. The second group moved along the Coast into the hilltops behind the north coastline, becoming the Mijikenda. The third group moved westwards and settled in the Kenya highlands, which became the Agikuyu, Aembu, Chuka, Tharaka, and the Ameru.

The Cushites of Kenya are represented by the somali, Rendille and oromo. They live in the northern part of Kenya.

Popular music in Kenya encompasses a wide range of styles of both local and international origin. In Kenya, culture is one of the crucial factors in defining music. Instruments used for traditional music include the African Drum (Ngoma), a variety of rattles and shakers, small harps, the Wandindi (a Kikuyu fiddle), and the Nyatiti, which is widely used in Western Kenya. The word Ngoma (drum) is still used to describe most forms of traditional music and dance.

The 1960’s saw the arrival of independence, the electric guitar, and the birth of modern Kenyan popular music. There were two definite influences; from the south African Jazz and Zimbabwean ‘highlife’ guitar work, and much more significantly, from the West, the distinctive rumba rhythm of Congolese pop. A hybrid form of music evolved, widely known as Benga,which is fast and quite rhythmic.

Among Kenya’s notable heroes is the late Jomo Kenyatta, born Kamau wa Ngengi. He was the first president of Kenya and founding father of the nation.

Dedan Kimathi was a Mau Mau leader and freedom fighter. He was arrested and hanged for his role in the Mau Mau uprising as a field marshal after leading thousands of fighters in the struggle for Kenya’s independence.

Koitalel arap samoei, a diviner and Nandi leader prophesied that a black snake would tear through Nandi land spitting fire. This was later seen as the train on the railway line. He fought against the builders of the railway line for 10 years.

Mekatilili wa Menza resisted British attempts to eradicate Giriama traditional culture through the destruction of Kaya, sacred forest
shrines and places of worship. she led the Giriama people into a rebellion
against the British. Mekatilili was later captured and exiled at Western Kenya.

Professor Wangari Maathai is the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, the first woman in central and eastern Africa to hold a PhD, and also the first woman head of a university department in Kenya. In 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement which has planted more than 10 million trees nationwide.

Also making Kenya proud is Ibrahim Hussein, the first African to win the Boston and New york marathons in 1988. Paul Tergat, five time winner of the world cross country and the world marathon record holder. He is also an Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Programme. He is regarded by many as one of the most astounding long distance runners of the last decade.

Four time winner of the Boston Marathon, Catherine Ndereba has won consecutively five of the nine marathons.

Tecla lourupe holds the world records for 20, 25 and 30 kilometres and previously held the women’s world marathon record. she is the three-time World Half-Marathon champion.she was the first African woman to win the New york City Marathon. birth to the first Kenya Constitution. Kenya finally achieved internal selfgovernment on 1 June, 1963, now celebrated annually as Madaraka Day. on 12 December 1964 (now celebrated as Jamhuri Day) Jomo Kenyatta was sworn in as the first president, a position he held until his death in 1978. The then Vice-President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi took over and ruled for 24 years until December 2002 when he handed over the presidency to the current president, Mwai Kibaki after a general election.