By Winnie Kamau
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) recently released the breakdown of the 2019 Population and Housing Census results.
The data that was released showed the distribution of ethnic groups from the highest led by Kikuyus at 8.1 Million to the least which is the Dahalo community with 575 people.
The 2009 census done 10 years ago according to KNBS did not capture many distinct ethnic groups.
The Galjeel who appeared as a distinct ethnic group in the 2009 census, does not appear in 2019, even as a sub-ethnic group of the Kenyan Somali.
The Makonde was recognized as a new ethnic group by the Government in 2016. They were originally from Mozambique and were not included in any census as Kenya citizens before.
The Dahalo (ranked 45) and considered Kenya ‘s smallest ethnic group with only 575 people in the 2019 census. It appeared as a sub-ethnic group of the Mijikenda in 2009 census with a population of 2,398. They are also known as the Sanye and reside in Tana River and Lamu. Their language is considered endangered and only 7 individuals could speak it in 2015.
The Swahili ethnic group had the largest loss of people as its population fell from 110,614 in the 2009 census to 56,074 in the 2019 census, dropping from rank 21 to 27. It is possible that some of its sub-ethnic groups no longer considered themselves as Swahili. They reside mainly in the Coast.
The Gosha had the largest loss proportionally of any ethnic group in Kenya when its population fell from 21,864 in 2009 census to only 645 in 2019, dropping in rank from 30 to 43, the third smallest of Kenya’s 45 ethnic groups. The Gosha resides mainly in Mandera in North-Eastern Kenya but most live in Jubaland in Somalia.
The number of Kenyan Europeans fell from 5,166 in the 2009 census to 1,738 in the 2019 census. The number of Kenyan Americans fell from 2,422 in 2009 census to only 596 in the 2009 census. It is possible that these two groups may have taken up dual citizenship and decided to declare their non-Kenyan nationality in the 2019 census.
