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Meeting and Greeting

The most common greeting is the handshake.

When greeting someone with whom you have a personal relationship, the handshake is more prolonged than the one given to a casual acquaintance.

Close female friends may hug and kiss once on each cheek instead of shaking hands.

When greeting an elder or someone of higher status, grasp the right wrist with the left hand while shaking hands to demonstrate respect.

Muslim men/women do not always shake hands with women/men.

The most common greeting is “Jambo?” (“How are you?”), which is generally said immediately prior to the handshake.

After the handshake it is the norm to ask questions about the health, their family, business and anything else you know about the person.

To skip or rush this element in the greeting process is the height of poor manners.People are generally addressed by their academic, professional or honorific title followed by their surname.

Once a personal relationship has developed, you may be able to address a person by their title and first name, first name alone, or nickname. Wait for the Kenyan to determine that your friendship has reached this level of intimacy.

Women over the age of 21 are often addressed as “Mama” and men over the age of 35 are often addressed as “Mzee”. Children generally refer to adults as Aunt or Uncle, even if there is not a familial relationship.

Gift Giving

In general, Kenyans give gifts for events of significance in a person’s life or days of religious significance.

Gifts need not be expensive. In fact, practical gifts are preferred. Kenya is a poor country and a gift of something that the person cannot generally afford is always welcome.

It is customary to give small gifts to servants, trades people, and service workers at Christmas.

If invited to dinner at a Kenyan’s home, bring pastries, flowers, or sweets for the hostess. In rural areas, gifts of sugar or tea are quite common.

Gifts should be nicely wrapped, although there are no prohibitions concerning the colour of paper.

Do not bring alcohol unless you know that your host drinks.

Gifts should be given using the right hand only or both hands. Never use the left hand.

Dining Etiquette

Kenyans table manners are relatively formal.

Dining patterns vary tremendously according to ethnicity, location and socio-economic position of the host.

The best course of action is to behave formally. When is doubt, watch what others are doing and follow their lead.

Except for formal functions, there is generally not a seating plan. However, there may be a special place for the most honoured guest.

Guests are expected to wash their hands before and after the meal. In some homes, a washing basin will be brought to the table. If so, hold your hands over the basin while water is poured over them.

The honoured guest is usually served first, followed by the men, children, and women.

Servants often bring the courses to individual guests who are expected to take what they want.

Do not begin eating until the eldest male has been served and started eating.

It is a good idea to take a small amount the first time the platters are brought so that you may take second helpings when urged.

Beverages are not generally served with meals since Kenyans think it is impolite to eat and drink at the same time. They are generally served at the completion of the meal.

It is considered polite to finish everything on your plate, although it is not mandatory.

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The most popular language in Kenya is Swahili and English. English was inherited from Kenya's British colonial past. English is the language of choice in business, academics and social set-ups in Kenya. Swahili (also called Kiswahili) is the national language of Kenya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UI8l7N-76I

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Kenya is not a homogeneous country ethnicity wise. The make-up of Kenyans is primarily that of 13 ethnic groups with an additional 27 smaller groups. The majority of Kenyans belong to ‘Bantu’ tribes such as the Kikuyu, Luhya and Kamba. There are also the ‘Nilotic’ tribes such as the Luo, Kalenjin, Maasai and Turkana. The ‘Hamitic’ people include the Turkana, Rendille and Samburu. Around 13% of the population are of non-African descent, i.e. Indian, Arab and European.

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Like most Africans, Kenyans place a large emphasis on the respect and reverence of their deceased ancestors. This is not ancestor worship per se, but rather a belief that when someone dies their spirit lives on and must be acknowledged. The belief is that the person only really dies completely when their relatives no longer remember them.
One’s ancestors are thought to be able to influence events in life since they are in a limbo state and closer to God than the living. Therefore, they may make offerings to them or name a baby after one so that his spirit can live in the child. Demonstrating respect towards ancestors is believed to maintain harmonious relationships within the family, extended family, and clan or tribe.

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The national government is composed of three arms: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Each arm is independent of the other and their individual roles are set by the Constitution of Kenya. The full name of the country is the "Republic of Kenya". Its official Swahili name is 'Jamhuri ya Kenya'.

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Men control access to most productive assets in Kenya. The major ethnic groups in Kenya share a patriarchal culture in which men own formally or informally the key productive assets such as land, livestock and medium to large businesses. A woman, for example, may milk the family cow and sell the milk products, but she could not sell the cow itself because it is “owned” by her husband. For conservation, this means that activities which include the use of productive resources like land or livestock should include men and women in decision-making.

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Kenya - the name is almost synonymous with the word "safari". Perhaps no other place on the planet conjures such a spirit of adventure and romance. For first-time visitors, the sheer diversity of things to do is dazzling. Wildlife, of course, is top on the list. Witness throngs of wildebeest thundering across the savanna during the Great Migration in Maasai Mara, come eye-to-eye with an elephant in Amboseli, or marvel at Lake Nakuru flecked with thousands of flamingoes. In these sun-soaked lands, ancient tribes such as the Maasai, Kikuyu, and Samburu retain their traditional customs, living in relative harmony with the natural world. Beyond the world-famous safari parks lies a trove of coastal treasures. Visitors can snorkel and dive fish-rich coral reefs, relax on pearly beaches, experience the melting pot of cultures and cuisines in Mombasa and Malindi, and explore tropical islands steeped in Swahili history.
Topographically, Kenya is stunning. Surrounded by calderas and mountain ranges, the Great Rift Valley divides the country. To the east of this sweeping valley, visitors can climb the snow-cloaked equatorial peaks of Mount Kenyaand fish for trout in crystal clear streams. Hell's Gate National Park harbors obsidian caves and hisses with natural geysers and hot springs. To experience the romance of Kenya's colorful colonial history captured in the film Out of Africa, head to Nairobi. This bustling capital is the gateway to one of the world's most evocative and exciting travel destinations.

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There are two dominant influences on the climate in Kenya: the onshore monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean, and altitude. The winds determine the onset of Kenya’s two rainy seasons, with the hot northeast monsoon or kaskazi blowing dry air in from the Persian Gulf from November to March/April and the warm, moist kusi monsoon blowing in from the southeast from April/May to October. It’s the slightly cooler kusi that normally delivers the heaviest rain, a season known as the ‘long rains’, in late-April, May and early June. The relatively cool season, from late-June to October, gets much less rain. There’s a second rainy season, the ‘short rains’, for a few weeks in November and December, followed roughly from mid-December to March by a dry season of hot, usually rainless, weather.