Akiek people

The Akiek are an ethnic and linguistic group in Tanzania and Kenya, living in the Arusha Region in northern Tanzania and in southern Kenya, with an estimated population of 3,700 people. The Akiek language is said to be a moribund language: only a few elderly speakers are left. The Akiek in Tanzania now speak Maasai, and those in Kenya speak Kikuyu.

The Akiek are a subgroup of the Ogiek or Okiek, who intermarried and lost contact with the core of the Ogiek. The terms Akiek and Okiek are sometimes used interchangeably and confusingly. The correct name of the original people is Ogiek.

See also

• OGIEK
• Ogiek language
• List of ethnic groups in Tanzania