There are three extinct languages in Kenya: Elmolo, Kore and Omotik.
The El Molo people spoke Elmolo on the southeastern shore of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. Most of the El Molo population has shifted to the neighbouring Samburu language.
The Kore live on Lamu Island on the northern Kenya coast. After the defeat by the Maasai in the 1870s, they fled to the northern part of Kenya, where they were taken captive by the Somalis. They were later set free by British imperial forces around the end of the 19th, after which they moved to Lamu. They have lost their language, a Maa variety, and now speak Somali. They have adopted many Somali customs.
Omotik(Sawas) is a Nilotic language spoken by the Omotik people in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. Most of the population has shifted to using the Maasai language.
Join the Lughayangu Community!
