Swahili along with English are the official language of Kenya. It is widely spoken in East and Central Africa. Swahili is well-seen in Kenya and is the language of primary schooling and used in the media, at home and in certain occupations. English, on the other hand, is the language of preference for big corporations, and higher education and it is used in government. Samia is a dialect spoken by the Luhya people in West Kenya, and like Swahili, it is a Bantu language. It is the mother tongue of many tribes in Western Kenya, therefore, it is spoken at home and with friends. For the first two years of schooling, children are taught in their mother tongue and then they continue their education in Swahili and English.
In this episode, we hear from Eliud, a native speaker of these languages who tells us about his experience with the languages and his efforts to maintain and preserve his mother tongue while living outside Kenya.
