List of Kenya tribes - T to Z

Tachoni

The Tachoni people are a sub-group of the Luhya tribe, which is the 2nd largest tribe in Kenya. You can find people of the Tachoni tribe living both in modern cities as well as in their traditional countryside territory of western Kenya. The Tachoni speak the Wanga dialect of the Luhya language. Extended families live in large groups and the men sometimes have more than one wife, if he has enough cattle to pay the bride price. The Tachoni are more likely to perform female circumcision as a rite of passage, than others in the Luhya group.

Taita

The Taita tribe has become thoroughly modernized and none of the tribe live in their traditional or rural way anymore. Their customs and practices are not well-recorded, making their old way of life difficult to establish. Their territory is in the overpopulated Taita-Taveta district, in south-eastern Kenya. Also called the Kitaita or the Dawida, there are around a quarter million people in this tribe. They were originally successful farmers, but became more trade-oriented up until the British colonial period. - More about the Taita tribe

Taveta

Their territory is in the south-central parts of the country, between the Tsavo National park and Mount Kilimanjaro. The Taveta are often agriculturalists, though many have turned to cash crops in this modern age. The population of Taveta people is around 15,000. The religion of this Kenya tribe is mixed, with some having converted to either Christianity or Islam, and some have retained their traditional spiritual ways.

Watha

This is a traditionally tribe of hunters and gatherers, located in east Kenya. Today, many of the Watha people have turned to farming and cash crops for their livelihoods. Many of the Watha have converted to Christianity, which has led to fewer husbands taking more than one wife. Women are no longer getting married at 14 either. Sometimes the Watha are called the Sanye.

Yiaku

The Yiaku is a nearly extinct Kenya tribe, with a population of around 4,000 and less than 10 people still speaking their Yiaku language. Today, most speak the Maa language of the Masai. The tribe had 4 major clans within it. Their lands were near Mount Kenya, in the Mukogodo forest. Living deep in the forests, these people were hunters and gatherers. Many now have herds of cattle for their income and food supply instead. Unlike the typical practice of measuring wealth in cows, this Kenya tribe considered beehives to be the marker of status and prosperity.

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