Somalis in Kenya
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,385,572 (2009 census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| North Eastern Province · Nairobi · Mombasa | |
| Languages | |
|
Somali (mother tongue) English, Swahili (working languages) |
|
| Religion | |
| Islam |
Somalis in Kenya are citizens and residents of Kenya who are of Somali descent. They have historically inhabited the Northern Frontier District (North Eastern Province), which was carved out of the Jubaland region of present-day southern Somalia during the colonial period. 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 established themselves in the business sector, particularly in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh.
According to the 2009 Kenya census, approximately 2,385,572 ethnic Somalis live in Kenya. Among these individuals are a number of ethnically Somali international migrants, around 300,000 of whom inhabit the wider East and South Africa regions. These ethnic Somalis are distinct from the Bantus and other minorities of Somalia, who according to USAID constitute most of the estimated 413,170 refugees from Somalia in Kenya.
SIL Ethnologue reports a breakdown of the Somali population in Kenya from the 1989 census, consisting of 312,339 individuals. Of the latter, 45,098 were from unspecified Somali clans, 27,244 from the Hawiye clan, 100,400 from the Degodia clan, and 139,597 from the Ogaden clan.
Somalis in Kenya have historically inhabited the Northern Frontier District (NFD), later renamed the North Eastern Province. The NFD came into being in 1925, when it was carved out of the Jubaland region in present-day southern Somalia. At the time under British colonial administration, the northern half of Jubaland was ceded to Italy as a reward for the Italians' support of the Allies during World War I. Britain retained control of the southern half of the territory, which was later called the Northern Frontier District.
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