Kenyan musical instruments are as varied as the country's mix of nomadic pastoralists,
Bantu cultures, and the sastal Swahili.

Rich in vocal traditions, nomadic passtralists
such as the Maasai and the Turkana avoid
bulky instruments. Instead, they favor animal
horns and flutes. Cultures in western Kenya
are renowned for their lyres, such as the Luo
nyatiti and the Kiisi obokano. Virtuosic one-
stringed fiddle traditions stretch across the
nation and include the Mijikenda mbeveve.
Ritual drumming is also found throughout
the country among Bantu cultures.

Double-reed pipes such as the nzumari,
which spread from the Arabian Peninsula
along the Indian Ocean trade routes, are
popular among the coastal Swahili and the
Mijikenda people. Percussion instruments
made from recycled mechanical parts are
used in the Africanized Christian church.