English in Kenya: a sociolinguistic profile

Abstract

Abstract: This paper is a sociolinguistic profile of the English language in Kenya. After a brief description of Kenya, the paper discusses the history of the English language in Kenya, its general presence in Kenya, its users and uses. The attitudes of Kenyans towards the English language, speakers of English and learning English are also discussed. Data used in this paper have been collected from several sources including the internet and newspaper articles and, as this paper shows, English will remain a significant language in Kenya serving various functions such as instrumental functions, interpersonal functions and regulative functions. Although attitudes towards the English language vary, there is a general consensus that English is a useful language especially in terms of bringing about social mobility.