Kenyan Americans

Kenyan Americans are an ethnic group of Americans of Kenyans descent. As of the 2010 census, there were an estimated 92,638 Kenyan-born persons living in the United States. Most Kenyan Americans are concentrated in California, Texas, Maryland, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, and the greater Washington, D.C. area. [2]

Kenyan Americans
Total population
estimated 92,638[1]
Regions with significant populations
Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C., Boston, Seattle, New York, Minneapolis, MinnesotaMaryland, North Carolina and Texas southern United States
Languages
Swahili, English (Kenyan dialect)
Religion
Roman Catholicism , Protestantism and Islam

History

Restrictions against immigration from Asia and Africa led to little voluntary immigration from Kenya until the latter half of the 20th century. Kenyan emigration to the United States then noted a large increase, nearly doubling from the decades before.

This increase was caused by several factors; political instability and a downturn in the economy in the 1980s in Kenya coupled with a high rate of unemployment (over 35 percent) led to a greater desire to immigrate. Some immigrants were also attracted to technology-oriented careers in the United States that boomed in availability in the 1990s and early 2000s.[2]

Demography

Kenyan Americans come from ethnic groups such as the Kikuyu, Kisii, Luhya, Kamba, Kalenjin, Meru or Luo people.

The largest populations of Kenyans in the United States are found in Southern California, Massachusetts, and the greater Washington, D.C. area. Many Kenyans are also established in Georgia and North Carolina, states with important health care centers.

According to the 2010 census, approximately one-third of persons born in Kenya who are living in the US have become naturalized citizens.[1][2]

African immigrants are among the most educated groups in the United States. Like their recent immigrant counterparts Kenyan Americans give a high value to education.[2]

Organizations

Like other immigrant groups living in the US, Kenyan Americans have created many organizations. These include the Kenya Diaspora Advisory Council, the Kenya American Association, the Kenyan-Cincinnati Association ("kcaweb", whose goal is to facilitate Kenyan integration in social and cultural scopes in the tri-state area and promoting awareness of the culture of Kenya in the United States),[3] the Minnesota Kenyan International Development Association ("MKIDA", formed in 2003, to improve education and the economy of the Kenyan Americans) and KACA (Kenyan Americans Community Association).

The American Kenyan Educational Corporation focuses on funding secondary school students and building schools in Kenya.[2]

Notable people
Lists of Americans
By U.S. state
By ethnicity or nationality
  • Category

See also

References
  1. Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS). "American FactFinder - Results". Factfinder2.census.gov. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  2. "Kenyan Americans - History, Modern era, Significant immigration waves, Acculturation and Assimilation". Everyculture.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  3. "Kenyan-Cincinnati Association - …Lets grow together!". Kcaweb.org. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  4. "Donald Trump's apprentice comes home". Daily Nation.

Further reading
  • Azevedo, Mario. Kenya: The Land, The People, and the Nation (Carolina Academic Press, 1993).
  • Branch, Daniel. Kenya: Between Hope and Despair, 1963–2011 (Yale UP, 2011).
  • Maxon, Robert M., and Thomas P. Ofcansky. Historical Dictionary of Kenya (2nd ed. Scarecrow Press, 2000).
  • Rudolph, Laura C. "Kenyan Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2014, pp. 1-9). online
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