Kenya is a cultural microcosm of Africa. Over the past centuries, people from many parts of the continent and beyond have been migrating to Kenya, each bringing with them some distinctive feature of their own culture and language. What has resulted is a vibrant and colourful cultural mosaic, a melting pot of 28 million people. From the Indian Ocean to the shores of Lake Victoria, and from the southern plains through the Rift Valley to the vast desert expanse in the north, Kenyans have had to adapt their cultures and customs to the physical environment around them.
Interestingly, some of the smallest groups of Cushitic speaking Kenyans occupy the largest land area in the north of the country. These people, who make up roughly three percent of the country, lead a nomadic existence in a harsh and arid climate, roaming the northern regionsof the country. Further to the south, Kenyans speaking Bantu and Nilotic languages live in fixed settlements on more fertile and productIve lands. It is these three language groupings which bind together the cultural tapestry of over 40 distinct ethnic groups.