Kenyan Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa, famous for its wildlife, the Great Rift Valley and Mount Kenya. Swahili and English are official languages. Many Kenyan Asians came to Birmingham in the late 1960s and 1970s, and more recent Kenyan arrivals include nurses, doctors, students and professionals.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 3,791 people living in the city had been born in Kenya; and 276 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Kenyan. Many Kenyan-born residents are of Indian heritage, from families who moved to Britain in the 1960s and 1970s.

Working for Birmingham

Kenyan nurses, carers and doctors work across Birmingham's hospitals and care homes, and Kenyan professionals work in finance, IT, education and business. Kenyan Asian families built businesses that are now part of the city's economy, and Kenyan students study at its universities.

Birmingham grew rich as the city of a thousand trades, and that spirit of making and doing is still strong. Today the trades sit alongside healthcare, education, finance, law, logistics and technology. The Kenyan community brings energy to that mix, from people starting small businesses to those caring for patients, teaching in classrooms and keeping homes and workplaces in good repair.

Culture and community life

Jamhuri Day on 12 December celebrates independence, and Kenyan food, including nyama choma, ugali and chapati, is shared at gatherings. Kenyan churches and community groups bring families together, and Kenya's world-beating distance runners are a source of great national pride.

For anyone who wants to learn more, the best introduction is the simplest one: say hello. Birmingham's communities are at their best when they meet, share food and learn from one another, and the Kenyan community is a warm part of that everyday exchange.