The Maasai: Unlike most of the other Kenyan tribes the Maasai, together with the Turkana & Samburu (who are closely related to the Maasai), have continued with their traditional lifestylesliving as their ancestors have been doing for thousands of years. This is contrary to most otherKenyan tribes who have adapted more Western lifestyles.

Masaai girls, Kenya

The Embu Tribe: The Embu number about half a million people and their territory is located on thesoutheast side of Mount Kenya.

The Kalenjin Tribe: Numbering c. 3 million people, the Kalenjin’s territory is in the Great RiftValley.

The Kamba Tribe: Also called the Akamba, this tribe lives in the East-Central are of Kenya.

The Kikuya Tribe: Living in the fertile central highlands, they dominate the country politically andeconomically.

The Kisii Tribe: The Kisii live in a heavily populated area in the Western corner of Kenya, near theshores of Lake Victoria

The Luhya Tribe: The second biggest of the country, the Luhya makes up around 14% of Kenya’spopulation and live in the Western region.

The Luo Tribe: With over 3 million people, the Luo tribe is the third largest in Kenya. They aremostly settled farmers with cattle.

The Meru Tribe: Numbering c. 1.5 million, the Meru live on the north-eastern side of Mount Kenya

The Samburu Tribe: The Samburu are closely related to the Maasai and reside in Northern Kenya.They are one of the smaller tribes in Kenya, forming only 0.5% of the population.

The Swahili Tribe: This tribe has their roots in trading have had contact with Arab and Persiantraders since the 9th century. They mostly live along the coast of the Indian Ocean.

The Turkana Tribe: They number only around 350,000 and are a very traditional tribe, with most oftheir people still living rural lives as they have for generations.

Did You Know?

Although undoubtedly themost ‘famous’ andrecognizable of the EastAfrican tribes, the Maasaiaccount for only 0.7% ofKenya’s population, with asimilar number living inTanzania.

Masaai Tanzania

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