Introduction / History

The Embu are a farming community on the southern slopes of Mt. Kenya. They live together with the Mbeere people, and they and the Mbeere speak two dialects of the same language, Kiembu.

Christianity was brought by CMS (Anglican) missionaries who set up a camp at Kigari in 1910. They started schools, health clinics, and helped with agricultural concerns in addition to evangelism and starting churches. Because of the advantages of education available to them, the Embu and Mbeere peoples have had reasonable development in physical facilities, education, agriculture, animal husbandry and housing.

To the people of old, God, Mwenenyaga, lived on Mt. Kenya which they called Kirinyaga, and had to be appeased by animal sacrifice in special groves left sacred for that purpose. Only the old men could offer sacrifices. This, however, has been replaced by Christianity and the groves dismantled and converted to farmland.

In the early evangelism, the CMS missionaries came to Embu from working with the Gikuyu people. The missionaries had learned the Gikuyu's language, and their helpers were invariably Gikuyu speakers. As a result, they introduced Gikuyu as the language to be used in literacy work, and when Gikuyu scriptures were translated (the New Testament in 1926 and the Bible in 1951), there did not appear to be need for KiEmbu/KiMbeere scripture. It is evident however, that the languages spoken by the people are significantly different from the Gikuyu. Pastors and evangelists typically translate the Gikuyu into Kiembu as they preach, the quality of the translation being dependent on the speaker's level of understanding of Gikuyu.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Because they live at high elevations, the Kembus have remarkable cardiovascular systems. Most are farmers who also have livestock.

The literacy level in Embu District is above the average for the nation. The Kiembu language has been put in print, and several literacy books have been developed but not introduced in schools. Other works include riddles and proverbs in Kiembu, and the history of the Embu people. They also have a complete Bible. Some Kiembus are university educated.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Largely thanks to mission efforts in previous decades, the Embus are very Christianized. God can use them to reach the lost in East Africa.

What Are Their Needs?

The Kiembus face two major difficulties in the 21st century. Their land has been divided into smaller plots as their population increases, forcing many to leave their farms with few options for sustaining themselves. The other problem is alcoholism. They have keg, a cheap but potent alcoholic beverage that is weakening their families and communities.

Prayer Items

Pray for the Holy Spirit to purify the Embu Church and give them an intense love and dedication for Jesus Christ.
Pray for the Lord to send many as his witnesses to the lost in East Africa.
Pray for many Embus to form prayer groups who will also support their workers financially.

Scripture Prayers for the Embu in Kenya.

References

Anonymous.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embu_people
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/embu-0
https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/embu.html