The Bantu

The largest and wealthiest of the three tribal groups are the Bantu tribes. The Bantu are industrious farmers who have settled in the central highlands and in the coastal hinterlands. The Kikuyu alone number nearly seven million. They are joined in the central highlands by the Embu, Meru, Mbeeri, Kemba, and Tharaka tribes. The Mijikenda group is comprised of nine sub-tribes on the Kenyan coast. The Pokomo group of thirteen sub-tribes inhabits the Tana River area. In the West are the Gusii, Guba, Kuria, and the Luyia group of seventeen sub-tribes.