Which major language groups are represented among Kenya’s peoples?

The African peoples of Kenya are divided into three primary language groups:

• Bantu: This is the largest group, with speakers primarily concentrated in the southern third of the country. Major groups include the Kikuyu, Kamba, Meru, Nyika, Luhya, and Gusii.1
• Nilo-Saharan: This is the second-largest group, represented by peoples such as the Luo, Kalenjin, Maasai, Samburu, and Turkana.1
• Afro-Asiatic: These peoples constitute a small fraction of the population and inhabit the arid and semiarid regions of the north and northeast. They include the Somali and Oromo peoples, who speak Cushitic languages.123

While these groups represent the indigenous linguistic landscape, Swahili—which evolved from a mix of local Bantu languages, Arabic, and other influences—serves as the country's lingua franca and an official language alongside English.1