Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Kamba
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Thematic map of East Africa displaying major cultural and linguistic regions, with areas shaded for Bantu, Cushitic, and Nilotic language groups. Red lines mark cultural region boundaries and rift areas, with numbered labels identifying specific ethnic groups and languages across countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, and parts of neighboring nations.
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Kamba

people
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

News •

Wamunyu courts turn to Kamba elders to ease minor case backlog • Oct. 28, 2026, 1:10 PM ET (The Standard)

Kamba, Bantu-speaking people of Kenya. They are closely related to the neighbouring Kikuyu.

Though primarily agriculturists, the Kamba keep considerable numbers of cattle, sheep, and goats. Their main staple crops are millet, sorghum, and corn (maize). Overcrowding and soil erosion in the Machakos district have driven many to work in Nairobi. The Kamba have long been known as traders.

Traditionally the basic group among the Kamba was a unit of flexible social and territorial boundaries called an utui, based on a core patrilineage. The Kamba were grouped into some 25 dispersed patrilineal clans varying greatly in size. Individuals were organized in age grades, but these were not based on initiation as among the Kikuyu and others. Men in the eldest grade traditionally formed local district councils that governed several utui. Now government-appointed chiefs and headmen work with them.

Traditional Kamba religion resembled the Kikuyu’s, with belief in a high god, Ngai, and in ancestral spirits; the ancestral cult was particularly well developed. Communication with spirits was carried on through mediums. Most Kamba have become Christian.