Homeland
The El Molo live in two villages near Loiyangalani on the south-eastern shore of Lake Turkana. The 2019 census counted 1,104 people.
Name and language
The name El Molo is Samburu for people who do not live by livestock. The El Molo language, a Cushitic language related to Daasanach and Arbore, lost its last fluent speaker in 1999. The community now speaks Samburu, and revival classes have been attempted.
Livelihood
The El Molo are Kenya's best-known fishing people. They take tilapia and Nile perch from the lake on doum-palm rafts, and in the past also hunted crocodile and hippo.
Experience it with respect
The El Molo villages lie near Loiyangalani, a gateway to the Lake Turkana National Parks and one of the great remote journeys in Kenya. Visit only with a local guide and the community's agreement, pay what is asked, and ask before you take any photo.
Sources
From The Peoples of Kenya: An Ethnographic Reference (Kenya Experience, November 2026), a synthesis of published sources. Practices described as traditional are historical baselines; today most Kenyans are Christian or Muslim, live in or near towns and speak Swahili and English. Spot something to correct? Write to kibetck@kenyaexperience.org.
