The Orma Oromo, settled in Kenya’s Tana River County near the Indian Ocean, say they have maintained their language, culture and customs for more than five centuries, passing them down through generations.

Community representatives have publicly called for Afaan Oromo to be included in Kenya’s education system to safeguard their linguistic heritage.

Senior secretary of the Orma Council of Elders, Usman Gutu, explained that children in Orma areas now learn primarily in Swahili, English or Somali at school, which threatens the transmission of their mother tongue to younger generations.

Gutu expressed fear that the community’s language and cultural practices might not survive beyond the current generation.

Ali Wariyo, the Member of Parliament for Garsen in Tana River County, noted that the Orma have lived more than 2,000 kilometres from Oromia for over 500 years while continuing to preserve their identity.

Wariyo highlighted ongoing land pressures along the Maro and Sabaki waterways, where territorial disputes and government projects have disrupted schooling and led to livestock losses for the Orma.

Researcher Jaatan Diida observed that while the Orma have largely retained their language, strong religious influences have led to the breakdown of the traditional Gada system and that 99 % of the community now practices Islam.