Note for the folks at home: Kiswahili (the language of the Swahili culture - usually simplified to "Swahili" outside east Africa) is the national language of Kenya, making it the most popular common language among individuals of different tribes. There are about forty different tribes in Kenya, each having (at least) one "mother tongue" of its own --- usually dramatically distinct from Kiswahili. Add to this the fact that English is gaining ground country-wide, primarily in big cities, and you're left with the linguistic maelstrom that is modern Kenya. Moreover, visitors should expect even the youngest child growing up in Kenya to know two or three more languages than themselves.
