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Kikuyu
Sign in to saveAlso known as Kikuyu people, Agikuyu, Akikuyu, Gekoyo, Gikuyu, Kikuju, Wakikuyu
ethnic group in Kenya
Key facts
- Kenya
- 8,148,668
via Wikipedia infobox
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The Kikuyu (also Agĩkũyũ/ Gĩkũyũ) are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya, and originated in West-Central Africa. They are native to Central Kenya and were part of the Thagicu group that settled around Mount Kenya and primarily inhabit the fertile central highlands of Kenya. Traditionally, the Kikuyu community was organized into nine clans Anjirũ, Ambũi, Agacikũ, and Aceera, among others. At a population of 8,148,668 as of the 2019 census, they account for ~17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them the country's largest ethnic group.
The term Kikuyu is the Swahili borrowing of the autonym Gĩkũyũ ( Gikuyu pronunciation: [ɣèkòjóꜜ]).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kikuyu” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.