Total population | |
---|---|
2,780,502 (2019 census)[1][2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
North Eastern Province · Nairobi · Mombasa | |
Languages | |
Somali (mother tongue) English, Swahili (working languages) | |
Religion | |
Sunni Islam |
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Culture of Kenya |
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Kenyan Somalis are citizens and residents of Kenya who are of Somali ethnic descent. They have historically inhabited the North Eastern Province, previously called the Northern Frontier District, 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.