Learn Kenya before you go

10 phrases to learn

In Swahili (Kiswahili). Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.

At the table

• Wash your hands before and after the meal. In many homes a bowl of water and a towel are brought to the table.
• Eat with your right hand, and if you are given a spoon or fork, hold it in your right hand too.
• To eat ugali, pull off a small piece, roll it into a ball, press a dent in it with your thumb and use it to scoop up stew or greens.
• In traditional homes the guest of honour and the elders are served first. Wait until the eldest person has started before you begin to eat.
• Accept a cup of tea when it is offered, even if you only take a few sips; tea is a sign of welcome.
• On the mainly Muslim coast, in Mombasa and Lamu, pork and alcohol may not be served at the table, and during Ramadan it is polite not to eat in public in the daytime.

Local tips

Dishes to try

• Ugali: Maize flour cooked in boiling water until it becomes a firm, smooth dough. It is served in a round mound, and pieces are pulled off with the right hand, rolled into a ball and used to scoop up stew or greens.
• Nyama choma: Goat meat or beef slow-grilled over charcoal or wood, cut into bite-sized pieces and eaten with the hands, usually with ugali and a fresh kachumbari salad. Grilling it is a social event, and many people consider it the national dish.
• Sukuma wiki: Collard greens, or kale, chopped finely and fried with onions and tomatoes. It is cheap, grows all year round and is eaten with ugali in homes across the country.
• Githeri (Gĩtheri): Maize kernels and beans boiled together until soft, often fried afterwards with onions, tomatoes and sometimes potatoes, greens or a little meat.
• Mukimo: Potatoes mashed with green vegetables such as pumpkin leaves, peas or spinach, and often maize and beans, giving it a bright green colour. It is served with stew or nyama choma.
• Chapati: A soft, layered flatbread made from wheat flour and fried in a little oil on a flat pan. In Kenya it is richer and flakier than the Indian original, and it is a favourite for breakfast, with tea, or at celebrations.
• Pilau: Rice cooked in a meat broth with a spice mix of cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper, which turns it a warm brown colour. It is made with beef, chicken or fish, or without meat, and served at weddings and festivals with kachumbari.
• Kachumbari: A fresh, uncooked salad of chopped tomatoes, onions and chilli, with lemon or lime juice, coriander and salt. It is served with nyama choma, pilau and ugali to add freshness.

Cities to see

• Nairobi (capital): Nairobi National Park, with the city skyline behind the animals, The Karen Blixen Museum, The Nairobi National Museum.
• Mombasa: Fort Jesus, The narrow streets of the Old Town, Beaches to the north and south.
• Kisumu: Lake Victoria sunsets, Fresh fried fish at the lakeside, Benga music.
• Nakuru: Lake Nakuru and its flamingos, Rhinos in the national park, Farming in the Rift Valley.
• Eldoret: Distance runners and high-altitude training, The Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Maize and wheat farms.
• Malindi: The Vasco da Gama Pillar, Coral reefs and marine parks, The nearby ruins of Gedi.

Landmarks and the city map are on the Kenya trip