SUMMARY
The Orma is an ethnic group inhabiting the desert region along Tana River in south-eastern Kenya. It is one of the smallest of Kenya´s over 70 different ethnic groups, numbering between 65 000 - 70 000. The Orma is very closely related to the Wardei and they are only considered to be distinct groups since the 19th century. Both groups originate from the Ormo people, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. The process that led to the formation of the Orma and Wardei groups was initiated when the Ormo was conquered by the Somali in the early 19th century. While the group that today is called Orma fled into the Tana River region, the present-day Wardei were taken captive and were enslaved in Somalia. Around 1930, this group could leave Somalia and joined their relatives in the Tana River region of Kenya.
The Orma is a pastoralist and semi-nomadic tribe. However, despite the fact that the Tana River region mainly consists of desert, a growing minority is involved in farming. The Orma mainly keep cattle, goats and sheep and, more seldom, camels and donkeys. Generally, cattle are central to Orma culture as they are the main source of food, serve as bride price and have many ritual functions. The high value ascribed to cattle has resulted in frequent cattle raids against neighbouring groups, including the closely related Wardei.
The Orma has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.
Wardei (alternatively Wardey) is an ethnic group residing primarily in Kenya’s Tana River basin. The Wardei is very closely related to the Orma people, and the two have only been considered to be distinct groups since the 19th century. Like the Orma, the Wardei is related to the Oromo, which is the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. During the early 19th century, various Somali groups conquered Orma areas in present-day Somalia, enslaving some Orma. In the 1930s, the captive Orma were allowed to reunite with their kin around Tana River; it was this group that became known as the Wardei. While many Wardei identify as ethnic Orma, the group has adopted some parts of Somali language and culture.
The Wardei is primarily a semi-nomadic pastoralist group that keeps various kinds of animals, such as goats and cattle. In more recent years, some Wardei have taken up farming, despite the arid conditions around Tana River. On occasion, the Wardei and their neighboring groups – such as the Orma and Pokomo – have engaged in cattle rustling activities. In general, intergroup tensions in the Tana River basin are aggravated by environmental stress and competition for productive land, as well as the general political climate in Kenya.
