Kenya: Culture and Heritage

Kenya’s Culture

Experience harambee! A Bantu word that means togetherness, is exactly what drives Kenya. Community-focused, the family structure is incredibly important. Kenya tours introduce you to a melting pot of people, where traditional and modern norms mark its unique character today, bursting with linguistic and cultural diversity. The current estimated population is about 46.7 million. Over 40 ethnic groups reside in Kenya, the largest being the Kikuyu, who migrated to Kenya at the turn of the 18th century. 

In the major cities and towns, you will notice a mix of tribal, Western and Islamic dress styles, often accessorized wonderfully with traditional, colorful jewelry.

In smaller villages, the local communities have preserved their traditional dress and some of the nomadic and pastoral peoples such as the Maasai, Samburu and Turkana wear simple cloth pieces and skins, blended with incredibly elaborate bead and metal jewelry, often worn on the head or arms.

Kenyan culture revolves around music, which is a fusion of African, hip-hop/street, India and European beats. Drumming is a passion by the Akamba and Mijikenda peoples and can you experience this art for yourself particularly by the coast. Or you can discover benga, a musical style integral to classical Kenyan music.

There is a lot of a capella (unaccompanied) singing to be enjoyed in Kenya, promoted primarily by the Maasai and Samburu peoples. You might also notice the influence of Congolese rumba during our Kenya tours.

Heavily influenced by European, Arabic and Islamic settlers over the centuries, the majority of Kenyans (two-thirds) are Christian and 15% of Kenyans are Muslims. With beliefs, particularly among the ethnic peoples that spirits live on, respect and reverence for deceased ancestors is quintessential. English is the official language spoken in Kenya, while Kiswahili is the national language of Kenya.