Sebei
Total population
273,839[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Uganda
Languages
Sebei, English
Religion
Christianity, Traditional African religions, Islam[2]
Related ethnic groups
Kalenjin people, other Nilotic people

The Sebei are a Southern Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting western Kenya, eastern Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo. They speak Kupsabiny, a Kalenjin language. The Sapiiny occupy three districts, namely Bukwo, Kween and Kapchorwa in Uganda, Transnzoia county, Bungoma county and West Pokot county in Kenya

Religion

The majority of Sabiny are Christians. According to the 2002 Census of Uganda, 40.5% of Sabiny are Anglican (Church of Uganda), 23.4% are Roman Catholic, 18.3% are Pentecostal, 9.7% are Muslim and 7% follow other religions.[3]

Culture

The Sebei people lead a fairly simple life style. The main structures of their lives are centered around cattle keeping, growing crops, and making beer. Common jobs held by the Sebei include cattle rearing and farming. The jobs depend on where you live. Because of their fairly laid back culture, the need for major social structure is limited. Sebei people are relatively peaceful, there are limited criminal offenses that one could do. In Sebei culture, there are two levels of criminal offense. The highest level is for murder and physical assault, the lower level is for property or major civil disputes between people or groups of people.[4]

Locations

The Sebei's live primarily on the slopes of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda.[5] They number about 300,000 people and occupy an area of 1,730.9 square km in the districts of Bukwo, Kapchorwa and Kween. Their territory borders the Republic of Kenya which is a home to more than six million Kalenjin, a large ethnic group to which the Sebei belong. The Sebei's now known mainly as Sapiny, speak Kupsabiny, a Kalenjin language spoken by other smaller groups of Kalenjin stock around Mount Elgon. The Sebei and Kenyan smaller groups (Book, Kony, Mosoop, Someek, Bongomek) inhabiting the hills of Mount Elgon are collectively referred to as the 'Sabaots.[6][7]

In Uganda

The majority of the Sebei people live in the country of Uganda. The percent of the Ugandan population that is Sebei is only 0.6%; meaning that there are about 300,000 Sebei in Uganda.[8][9]

Notable Sebei

Professor Sheme Chemangey Masaba,(phd) the first Sebei to become a government minister) Professor Alex Chemutai(phd) Ambassador Stephen Chebrot Yovani Chemonges, politician Aloni Muzungyo, Administrator David Arapta, Civil Service William Cheborion, Civil Service

See also

References

  1. ↑ Uganda Bureau of Statistics. "National Population and Housing Census 2014 - Main Report" (PDF).
  2. ↑ "Population composition" (PDF). ubos.org. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "Population Composition" (PDF). ubos.org. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Demographics". www.daviddfriedman.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  5. ↑ Goldschmidt, Walter; Gale Goldschmidt (1976). Culture and Behavior of the Sebei: A Study in Continuity and Adaptation. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 11. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  6. ↑ "The Sebei People and their Culture in Uganda". Go Visit Kenya. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  7. ↑ "INTRA-ETHNIC RELATIONS AMONG THE SABAOT OF MT.ELGON, KENYA, 1945-2010" (PDF). S2CID 157202293. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-08.
  8. ↑ "Sebei People and their Culture". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  9. ↑ "Refugee Review Tribunal" (PDF).
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