Nandi people

The Nandi are a Southern Nilotic tribe of the Kalenjin ethnic group. They speak the Nandi dialect, which is closely related to Kipsigis, a Kalenjin language part of the broader Nilo-Saharan linguistic family. With a population of nearly 1 million, they historically occupied the highland areas of the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya, in what is today Nandi County. The Nandi resisted British colonial rule in the early 20th century. They are agriculturalists and pastoralists.

Before the mid-19th century, the Nandi referred to themselves as Chemwalindet (pl. Chemwalin) or Chemwal (pl. Chemwalek) while other Kalenjin-speaking communities referred to the Nandi as Chemngal. It is unclear where the terms originated from, though in early writings the latter term was associated with ngaal which means camel in Turkana This is notable given the significant population shifts brought about by Ateker movements during this time.

Various accounts suggest that the name Nandi was applied to these people after the mid-19th century and more so after the assimilation of the Uasin Gishu Maasai (referred to in various accounts as Sirikwa people). A similar process is seen occurring among the Kipsigis, formerly known as Lumbwa at the same time.It is suggested that the name was applied by outsiders and comes from the cormorant which is known as mnandi in Kiswahili. A Nandi person like other Kalenjin will usually identify themselves by their name and family name, and where they come from.