The Dorobo of Kenya and Tanzania

Scripture: “Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land.” Micah 7:14. Pray the Dorobo would come under the protection of the Good Shepherd and be shepherded by godly Dorobo pastors.

Population: 67,000

Location: The Dorobo live mostly in the Rift Valley in the highland forests and mountainous areas.

History: The Dorobo are not actually a single people group, but a diverse group of peoples descended from the ancient San people who originally settled in the Rift Valley around 1000 AD and lived as hunter-gatherers. The name ‘Dorobo’ comes from the Maasai word Il-torrobo for ‘the ones without cattle.’ In Kenya they are also known as the Okiek, and they are considered a pioneering group of Kalenjin who first moved to the Rift Valley from the north.

Culture: Many Dorobo have been assimilated into the cultures of neighboring tribes, such as the Maasai, Samburu, Kipsigis and Nandi. They often provided a service doing jobs considered unclean by the dominant neighbors. Many are still hunter-gatherers. They are adaptable to their environment, and often make their living through beekeeping, especially where hunting has been banned.

Religion: Animism. Perhaps 1% are evangelical Christian. There are at least 25 churches among the Dorobo with over 20 trained pastors.