.The Akamba trace their origin to the area around Mount Kilimanjaro, from where their ancestors migrated to the great bend of the river Tana.
They then moved to Taita hills and finally reached Tsavo west. Around mid 15th century AD, the Akamba followed the eastern
banks of river Athi, from where one group moved across the Athi to Ulu.
Due to Oromo attacks, another group of the Akamba moved south to the Galana river and settled in the region around Chyulu hills north of Mount Kilimanjaro. Due to drought in the Chyulu area, some Akamba migrated and settled in the Mbooni hills near Machakos around mid 16th century.
Soon, due to population increase, some Akamba migrated farther to Iveti, Kilungu, Masaku and Makueni. In the course of their migration and settlement, the Akamba met and interacted with the Agikuyu.
environmental factors that influenced Akamba migration and settlement into Kenya
- Those in Mbooni region took up agriculture due to soil fertility and ample rainfall in the area.
- The Akamba who moved to drier areas like Chyulu hills became hunters.
- Others moved to Kitui and adopted pastoralism and hunting. It is this group that later participated in the Long Distance trade by providing ivory and slaves to the coastal traders in thee 19th century
