The different ethnic groups or tribes in Kenya may be grouped in three linguistic classes: Bantus, Cushites and Nilotes/Paranilotes. Bantus comprise 65% of the population, Cushites are 3-4% and Nilotes/Paranilotes around 30-31%.

Each of these classes may be subdivided according to dialect groups, as shown in the table below. Bantus are classified as Western, Central and Coastal. The Paranilotic languages in Kenya are divided in three groups: Teso, Maasai and Kalenjin. The only Nilotic language currently spoken in Kenya is Luo. The Nilotic languages, also spoken in Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, belong to the family of Nilo-Saharian languages. Finally, Cushites are mainly shepherds speaking Somali or Galla, languages that belong to the Afro-Asian family of tongues that originated in northern Africa and the Middle East.