Native African culture has been diluted in many parts of Kenya by outside influences. So for example, Kenya’s music is often a mixture of African, Indian, European and American styles.

Many Kenyan communities have also adopted westernised or Islamic forms of dress, with their original tribal clothes, jewellery, body ornamentation and weaponry kept for special occasions or celebrations.

However, in certain parts of Kenya, particularly across the more arid and inaccessible north, communities retain their traditional culture and ways of living. Among nomadic and pastoral tribes such as the Maasai, Samburu and Turkana, people still wear cloths or skins and elaborate jewelry of beads and metalwork.

Belief systems among some remote tribes also remain indigenous. Across Kenya as a whole two-thirds of people are Christian. With the centuries-old influence of Arabic and Islamic traders and settlers (particularly along the coast), around 15% of Kenyans are Muslim.