Somalis in Kenya
Encyclopedia
Somalis in Kenya are citizens
and residents of Kenya
who are of Somali
descent. Somalis are one of the largest Cushitic
-speaking ethnic minority
groups in the country. They first started arriving in the area in the 19th century. Following the civil war
in Somalia
that broke out in 1991, many Somalis sought asylum in the Somali-inhabited enclaves of Kenya. An entrepreneurial community, they have increasingly begun asserting themselves in the business sector as more have immigrated into the country, particularly in Eastleigh
.
, approximately 900,000 ethnic Somali people
live in Kenya. Although provisional results from the 2009 census reported a much larger number of over 2.3 million Somali residents, they are believed to be inaccurate due to inconsistencies in the gathered data. The figure has consequently been nullified for an official recount.
SIL Ethnologue reports a breakdown of the Somali population in Kenya from the 1989 census, consisting of 45,098 individuals, as well as an additional number of Somalis identified on a clan
basis: 27,244 from the Hawiye
clan, 100,400 from the Degodia clan, and 139,597 from the Ogaden
clan.
, and originally came from Ethiopia
and Somalia
in Northeast Africa. Most are herdsmen
and Muslim
. Cushites are concentrated in the northernmost North Eastern Province
(Northern Frontier District), which borders Somalia.
The Cushitic-speaking peoples in Kenya are divided into two groups: the Southern Cushites and Eastern Cushites. The Eastern Cushites include the Oromo
and the Somali. Of these, the Somali are the most recent arrivals to Kenya, having first started arriving from Somalia only a few centuries ago.
Throughout much of the 20th century, the Northern Frontier District (NFD) was a part of British East Africa. On June 26, 1960, four days before granting British Somaliland
independence, the British government declared that all Somali-inhabited areas of East Africa should be unified in one administrative region. However, after the dissolution of the former British colonies in the region, Britain granted administration of the Northern Frontier District to Kenyan nationalists despite a) an informal plebiscite demonstrating the overwhelming desire of the region's population to join the newly-formed Somali Republic
, and b) the fact that the NFD was and still is almost exclusively inhabited by ethnic Somalis.
On the eve of Kenyan independence in August 1963, British officials belatedly realized that the new Kenyan administration was not willing to give up the Somali-inhabited areas it had just been granted administration of. Led by the Northern Province People's Progressive Party (NPPPP), Somalis in the NFD vigorously sought union with their kin in the Somali Republic to the north. In response, the Kenyan government enacted a number of repressive measures designed to frustrate their efforts in what came to be known as the Shifta War
. Although they ultimately lost the war, Somalis in the region still identify and maintain close ties with their kin in Somalia, and see themselves as one people.
Following the civil war
in Somalia that broke out in 1991, many Somalis sought asylum in the Somali-inhabited enclaves in Kenya. An entrepreneurial community, they have increasingly begun asserting themselves in the business sector as more have immigrated into the country, particularly in Eastleigh
.
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
and residents of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
who are of Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
descent. Somalis are one of the largest Cushitic
Cushitic languages
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947...
-speaking ethnic minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
groups in the country. They first started arriving in the area in the 19th century. Following the civil war
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
that broke out in 1991, many Somalis sought asylum in the Somali-inhabited enclaves of Kenya. An entrepreneurial community, they have increasingly begun asserting themselves in the business sector as more have immigrated into the country, particularly in Eastleigh
Eastleigh, Nairobi
Eastleigh is a suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. It is located east of the Central business district. Predominantly inhabited by Somali immigrants, it has been described as "Little Mogadishu", as well as "a country within a country with its own economy" on account of its robust business...
.
Population
According to the 1989 Kenyan censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, approximately 900,000 ethnic Somali people
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
live in Kenya. Although provisional results from the 2009 census reported a much larger number of over 2.3 million Somali residents, they are believed to be inaccurate due to inconsistencies in the gathered data. The figure has consequently been nullified for an official recount.
SIL Ethnologue reports a breakdown of the Somali population in Kenya from the 1989 census, consisting of 45,098 individuals, as well as an additional number of Somalis identified on a clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
basis: 27,244 from the Hawiye
Hawiye
The Hawiye is a Somali clan. Members of the clan primarily live in central and southern Somalia, in the Ogaden and the North Eastern Province , and in smaller numbers in other countries. Like many Somalis, Hawiye members trace their ancestry to Irir Samaale...
clan, 100,400 from the Degodia clan, and 139,597 from the Ogaden
Ogaden (clan)
The Ogaden is a Somali clan, and one of the largest Darod subclans.-Overview:Members of the Ogaden clan primarily live in the central Ogaden plateau of Ethiopia , the North Eastern Province of Kenya, and the Jubaland region of Southern Somalia...
clan.
History
Cushites form a significant minority of Kenya's population. They speak Afro-Asiatic languagesAfro-Asiatic languages
The Afroasiatic languages , also known as Hamito-Semitic, constitute one of the world's largest language families, with about 375 living languages...
, and originally came from Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
in Northeast Africa. Most are herdsmen
Pastoralism
Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and sheep. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. Cushites are concentrated in the northernmost North Eastern Province
North Eastern Province (Kenya)
North Eastern Province is the third largest province in Kenya and has thirteen constituencies represented in the Kenya National Assembly.The region is home to a rare type of antelope called the Hirola, which is classified as an endangered species. The NFD's pastoralists also possess livestock in...
(Northern Frontier District), which borders Somalia.
The Cushitic-speaking peoples in Kenya are divided into two groups: the Southern Cushites and Eastern Cushites. The Eastern Cushites include the Oromo
Oromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
and the Somali. Of these, the Somali are the most recent arrivals to Kenya, having first started arriving from Somalia only a few centuries ago.
Throughout much of the 20th century, the Northern Frontier District (NFD) was a part of British East Africa. On June 26, 1960, four days before granting British Somaliland
British Somaliland
British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
independence, the British government declared that all Somali-inhabited areas of East Africa should be unified in one administrative region. However, after the dissolution of the former British colonies in the region, Britain granted administration of the Northern Frontier District to Kenyan nationalists despite a) an informal plebiscite demonstrating the overwhelming desire of the region's population to join the newly-formed Somali Republic
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, and b) the fact that the NFD was and still is almost exclusively inhabited by ethnic Somalis.
On the eve of Kenyan independence in August 1963, British officials belatedly realized that the new Kenyan administration was not willing to give up the Somali-inhabited areas it had just been granted administration of. Led by the Northern Province People's Progressive Party (NPPPP), Somalis in the NFD vigorously sought union with their kin in the Somali Republic to the north. In response, the Kenyan government enacted a number of repressive measures designed to frustrate their efforts in what came to be known as the Shifta War
Shifta War
The Shifta War was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis in the Northern Frontier District of Kenya attempted to join with their fellow Somalis in a Greater Somalia...
. Although they ultimately lost the war, Somalis in the region still identify and maintain close ties with their kin in Somalia, and see themselves as one people.
Following the civil war
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
in Somalia that broke out in 1991, many Somalis sought asylum in the Somali-inhabited enclaves in Kenya. An entrepreneurial community, they have increasingly begun asserting themselves in the business sector as more have immigrated into the country, particularly in Eastleigh
Eastleigh, Nairobi
Eastleigh is a suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. It is located east of the Central business district. Predominantly inhabited by Somali immigrants, it has been described as "Little Mogadishu", as well as "a country within a country with its own economy" on account of its robust business...
.