How Many Languages are Spoken in Kenya – Languages and Dialects

Kenya is diverse with many languages and dialects spoken across the country. This is in addition to its diverse number of tribes and ethnicities. According to Ethnologue, Kenya had 68 living languages as of 2024^[1].

Quick Facts

1. Kenya had 68 living languages in 2024.
2. The total number of indigenous languages was 61.
3. Most Kenyan languages (56.7%) are from the Niger-Congo Family.
4. Kenya had seven living non-indigenous languages including English.
5. Kenya had one extinct indigenous language called Singa.

Concepts and definitions

A living language is one where at least one person speaks it as a first language.^[2] For instance, Luo is a living language in that many people in Kenya speak it as their first language.

As of 2024, Kenya had 68 living languages, of which 61 were indigenous languages.

Indigenous languages are those that are native to a region or country. These languages do not necessarily need to be the national languages of the country.

For instance, even though English is an official language in Kenya, it is not an indigenous language.

If a language is not living, then it is extinct. Kenya has one extinct language called Singa.

The status of languages in Kenya can be known through vitality counts, which tell us whether an indigenous language is institutional, stable, endangered, or extinct.

As of 2024, Kenya had 37 stable languages, 18 institutional ones, six endangered languages, and one extinct language.^[3]

List of living languages in Kenya

Below is a list of all living languages in Kenya. These are languages with at least one person speaking them as their first language.

Note that some of these languages have alternative names and dialects.^[4] For instance, the Kiembu language is also known as Embu or Embo. Its dialects include Embu and Mbeere.

Another example is the Markweeta language, which is also known as Marakuet, Marakwet, or Markweta. Dialects of the Marakweeta language include Cherang’any. Endo, and Sambirir.

A significant share of Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-Saharan languages spoken in Kenya are endangered.

Many languages in Kenya are stable, meaning that even though formal institutions do not sustain the languages, they are widely spoken at home and in the community, with children learning and using the language.

This is true of languages in all the three language groups.

However, while most languages are stable, 33.3% of Afro-Asiatic languages and 21.4% of Nilo-Saharan languages are endangered – meaning it is no longer common for children to learn and use these languages.

None of the Niger-Congo languages in Kenya are endangered. However, the only extinct language in Kenya – Singa, is from this family.

The Niger-Congo family has the highest proportion of institutional languages with 47.1% of the languages being sufficiently developed and are sustained by institutions outside the home and community.

In contrast, only 8.3% of Afro-Asiatic languages in Kenya are institutional, and only 7.1% of Nilo-Saharan languages.

Most Kenyan languages are from the Niger-Congo language family

A language family is a group of interrelated languages with a common ancestry. In Kenya, 56.7% of the languages are from the Niger-Congo family. 

On the other hand, the Nilo-Saharan language family comprises 23.3% of languages in Kenya, while the Afro-Asiatic language family comprises 20% of the languages.

Examples of Kenyan languages from the Niger-Congo family include Bukusu, Gikuyu, Kamba, and Kigiryama.^[5]

Languages from the Afro-Asiatic language family include Aweer, Dahalo, Borana, Somali, Rendille, and Orma.^[6]

Finally, some languages from the Nilo-Saharan language family include Tugen, Terik, Dholuo, Keiyo, Maasai, and Nandi.^[7]

Kenyan languages from the Niger-Congo Family

Below is a list of all the languages spoken in Kenya that are from the Niger-Congo Family and their vitality. The Niger-Congo Family has 1,552 languages globally.

Note that language vitality is the extent to which a language is used in daily life for communication purposes.^[8]

A language is said to have high vitality if it is used both at home and outside, by everyone, and for most, if not all, topics.

Kenyan languages from the Nilo-Saharan family

The Nilo-Saharan language family consists of 210 languages, 15 of which are spoken in Kenya.

Below is a list of Kenyan languages from the Nilo-Saharan family and their vitality.

Kenyan languages from the Afro-Asiatic family

Globally, this is a sub-group of 382 languages, of which 11 are spoken in Kenya. Below is a list of Afro-Asiatic languages in Kenya and their vitality.

See Also

1. Population of Kenya by tribe and ethnicity
2. Population of Kenya by tribe and ethnicity in 1948

References