*The Kikuyu people are affirmed on this date, 2000 BCE. The Kikuyu people are the largest ethnic group in Kenya, Africa. They speak the Bantu Kikuyu language. With a population of 8.1 million as of 2019, they account for close to 17% of the total population of Kenya. The term Kikuyu is derived from the Swahili form of the word Gĩkũyũ, which means "large sycamore tree." The Kikuyu belongs to the Northeastern Bantu branch. Their language is most closely related to that of the Embu and Mbeere. Geographically, they are concentrated in the vicinity of Mount Kenya.
The exact place the Northeast Bantu speakers migrated from after the initial Bantu expansion is uncertain. From archaeological evidence, their arrival at the northern side of Mt. Kenya dates to around the 3rd century, as part of the larger group known as Thagicu. By the 6th century, there was a community of Agikuyu newly established at Gatung'ang'a in Nyeri. The Agikuyu established themselves in their current homeland of Mt. Kenya region in the 13th century. Jomo Kenyatta and Wangarĩ Maathai were Kikuyu. This date was chosen to coincide with Kenya’s independence from Great Britain.
