Sheng is an urban language that originated in Nairobi and has become a defining feature of contemporary Kenyan culture. It is primarily a blend of Swahili and English, but it also absorbs words from various local languages. The name Sheng itself reflects this hybrid nature; the “Sh” comes from Swahili and the “-eng” from English. The addition of the letter “h” was intentional, to distinguish it from being pronounced as “Seng.”
Though the term was first recorded in 1965, Sheng’s roots go back further, to the early 1950s in Nairobi’s Eastlands. It spread quickly through neighborhoods, schools, and social circles, gaining visibility through music, especially hip hop, Genge, and street poetry. Today, Sheng is widely spoken by urban youth across Kenya and continues to evolve rapidly, incorporating new words, expressions, and cultural references almost daily.
Recognizing its cultural significance, there are growing efforts to document and archive Sheng. One such initiative involves creating learning materials and audio resources to introduce people to the basics of the language. These resources aim to make Sheng accessible to those unfamiliar with it while acknowledging that its fluid, ever-changing nature defies rigid definition.
Pin Popping Paps, a well-known storyteller and interviewer, conducts most of his work in Sheng. As part of this initiative, he contributes to teaching the language through recorded sessions, helping listeners pick up key phrases and understand its usage in everyday contexts.
Learning Sheng is not only about mastering vocabulary but also engaging with an important aspect of Kenyan identity. It offers insight into urban life, humor, resilience, and creativity. Sheng reflects how language adapts to social realities, especially among young people who use it as a form of self-expression and cultural belonging.
Despite its dynamic nature, and the fact that some words may go out of fashion as quickly as they appear, Sheng remains a crucial linguistic marker of Kenya’s urban evolution. Understanding and documenting it is part of recognizing the value of local languages and the stories they tell about the societies that speak them.
