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The Akamba are a Kenyan people who speak “ki-kamba” and are mostly found in the Central Eastern part of the country (Kitui, Machakos, Makueni and Mwingi districts). As early pioneers in iron smelting within the region, they had advanced weaponry (e.g, iron-tipped arrows) that gave them an edge over surrounding communities and earned them a reputation as gallant warriors, great marksmen and tradesmen.
Trading mainly in ivory, beer, honey, iron implements and beads, they bartered their wares with neighbouring Maasai and the Kikuyu, as well as with the Arabs along the coast. The sociopolitical structure of the Akamba includes the family unit, “musie” (both nuclear and extended), which subsequently is a part of the small and the big clan “mbai”. A clan traces its origins to a known hero.
There are about 20 big clans, each distinguished by its distinctive animal totem, with members considered close kin who predominately practice exogamy. Initiation/circumcision “nzaiko”, provides another basis of defining subsets within the population. Occurring between the ages of 10 and 15, it sorts out the population into age sets/groups.
