The Mbeere or Ambeere people are a

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...

ethnic group inhabiting the former

Mbeere District Mbeere District was a former administrative district in the Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Siakago. The district had a population of 170,950 and an area of 2,093 km2. The district was split from Embu District in 1996. In 20 ...

in the now-defunct Eastern Province of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. According to the 2019 Kenya National census, there are 195,250 Ambeere who inhabit an area of 2,093 km². They speak Kīmbeere language, which is a dialect very similar to the one spoken by their neighbours, the

Kamba Kamba may refer to: *Kamba people The Kamba or Akamba (sometimes called Wakamba) people are a Bantu ethnic group who predominantly live in the area of Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and north to Embu, in the southern part of the f ...

, Embu and

Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language. It may also refer to: * Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya *Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people *Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...

. Mbeere hosts the famous seven folks dams, which include: Masinga dam, Kamburu dam, Gitaru dam, Kindaruma dam, and Kiambere dam. The dams are a part of Tana River. Other local places of interest include the Mwea National Reserve, and Kiangombe hill, which peaked at 1804 meters stands out compared to adjacent topography, although is not as spectacular as the

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is locat ...

located less than 100 kilometers northwest.

History

The Mbeere are of

origin.Joseph Bindloss, Tom Parkinson, Matt Fletcher, ''Lonely Planet Kenya'', (Lonely Planet: 2003), p.35. Like the closely related

, Embu,

Meru Meru may refer to: Geography Kenya * Meru, Kenya, a city in Meru County, Kenya ** Meru County, created by the merger of *** Meru Central District *** Meru North District *** Meru South District * Meru National Park, a Kenyan wildlife park T ...

and

, they are concentrated in the vicinity of

. The exact place that the Mbeere's ancestors migrated from after the initial

Bantu expansion The Bantu expansion is a hypothesis about the history of the major series of migrations of the original Proto-Bantu-speaking group, which spread from an original nucleus around Central Africa across much of sub-Saharan Africa. In the process, t ...

from West Africa is uncertain. Some authorities suggest that they arrived in their present Mount Kenya area of inhabitation from earlier settlements further to the north and east, while others argue that the Mbeere, along with the closely related Eastern Bantu people the

, Embu,

and

moved into Kenya from points further south.Arnold Curtis, ''Kenya: a visitor's guide'', (Evans Brothers: 1985), p.7.

Economy

Most Ambeere are farmers who grow a variety of crops including Mangoes, melons, pawpaws and passion fruits, maize, beans, cowpeas, pigeon peas, black peas-njavi, millet, sorghum, etc. Mbeere has come to be known for

Miraa Khat or qat ( ''ch’at''; Oromo: ''Jimaa'', so, qaad, khaad, khat or chat, ar, القات ''al-qāt'') is a flowering plant native to eastern and southern Africa. Khat contains the alkaloid cathinone, a stimulant, which is said to cause e ...

, 2nd largest producer after

Meru District Meru or Meru District Council is one of the seven districts councils of the Arusha Region of Tanzania.The District covers an area of . and has an max elevation of . Meru District is bordered to the north by Longido District, to the east by Siha ...

. The miraa crop is commonly grown in the Northern part of the district. Apart from the Miraa and other farming activities, Mbeere is known as the source of the building materials such as rocks, ballast, and sand used all over Kenya. Charcoal is also widely produced in Mbeere and sold all over the country. Other economic activities such basket making (Ciondo), ropes (mikanda), and rearing animals such as cows and goats are also prevalent in Mbeere.

References

{{Authority control Bantu peoples Ethnic groups in Kenya Embu County