Kenya is home to thousands of villages characterized by unique ways of life. While most of these villages live according to their culture, others have adopted lifestyles from other cultures, including from the Western Nations.

One such village is Mitahato in Githunguri, Kiambu county. The village has become the cultural and linguistic destination of many French language enthusiasts.

As you stroll through the village, you will find residents conversing in French as they engage in their daily activities, with Bonjour and Bonsoir being the common salutations.

So how did Mitahato become the only place outside French-speaking countries where French is spoken so widely?

The story of Mitahato village began in 2018 when its founder, Chris Mburu, visited his British friend, Doune Porter, whom he had worked with at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva.

Porter lived in a small town called Die (pronounced as Dee) in France, which Mburu says resembled Mitahato, with almost the same population of 3000 people.

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Inspired, Mburu promised to make Mitahato, the village where he was born and raised, speak French.

After returning to Kenya, he converted his former house into a library and started teaching children and adults the French language for empowerment and network building.

“Having worked in the international space, l discovered French is a very important language. It has the power to open eyes, minds, opportunities, and new frontiers for young people of Mitahato.”

In August 2019, the Mitahato Village French Library was the venue of a ceremony attended by 15 French people from Paris, including children who interacted extensively with the children of Mitahato and taught each other French and Kikuyu songs.

The library was later officially launched by the former Ambassador of France to Kenya Aline Kuster-Menager on October 30, 2020.

French lessons at the library are free, and many schools across the country visit to learn the language.

“Learning French is about discovering a big part of the world. There are many French-speaking countries even in Africa,” Mburu, the founder of Francophone Network of Kenya (FNK) explained.

The village is adorned with flags from 93 countries worldwide, each representing a member nation of the Francophone community.