Kabila›Ethnic groups›Kalenjin
Indigenous
Kalenjin
Kalenjin
Also known as: Biikap Kuutiit, Kalenjok
KenyaTanzaniaUgandaPatrilineal lineageKalenjin11 sub-groups
Language
Kalenjin
Language family
Nilo-Saharan › Nilotic › Southern Nilotic › Kalenjin
Lineage system
Patrilineal
Population
6,358,113
About the Kalenjin

The Kalenjin are a Southern Nilotic ethnic group native to East Africa, encompassing over 20 Kalenjin-speaking tribes sharing a common cultural and linguistic lineage. Known as Biikap Kuutiit (People of the Mouth/Speech Community). Globally recognised for dominance in long-distance running.

Origin story & oral tradition
Oral traditions trace ancestry to Misiri (ancient Egypt) with migration south along the Nile Valley. Archaeological and linguistic evidence places the cradle of Nilotic languages in the Nile Valley. The name 'Kalenjin' (meaning 'I tell you' in Nandi) was adopted in the 1940s, formalised in 1948 with the founding of the Kalenjin Union in Eldoret.
How they identify
NoteKalenjin is an umbrella identity; sub-tribe affiliation (Nandi, Kipsigis, Tugen…) is the more specific self-reference.
PeopleKalenjin
PersonKalenjin
HomelandRift Valley (Nandi Hills, Kericho, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia)
Cultural notes
Deity
Asis (sun god)
Age sets
  • Chumo
  • Sawe
  • Korongoro
  • Kipkoimet
  • Kaplelach
  • Kipnyigei
  • Nyongi
Governance
Kokwet (council of the locality) and age-set system (ibinda)
Initiation
Circumcision (yatitaet) and initiation (tumdo)
Sub-groups (11)
Keiyo
Keiyo
→
Kipsigis
Kipsigis
→
Marakwet
Marakwet
→
Nandi
Nandi
→
Ogiek
Ogiot
→
Pokot
Pokot
→
Sabaot
Sabaot
→
Sebei
Sabiny
→
Sengwer
Cherang'any
→
Terik
Terik
→
Tugen
Tugen
→
Sources
At a glance
Group nameKalenjin
EndonymKalenjin
LanguageKalenjin
LineagePatrilineal
Population6,358,113
Sub-groups11 documented
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