There is also Benga in the province of Nyanga, see Benga, Gabon

Benga is a musical genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capitol city of Nairobi. In the 40s, the African Broadcasting Service aired a steady stream of Congolese rumba, South African kwela, Zairean finger-style guitar and various kinds of Cuban dance music. There was also popular folk songs of Kenya's Luo and Kikuyu peoples.

The Luo of Kenya have long played an eight-string lyre called nyatiti , and guitarists from the area sought to imitate the instrument's syncopated melodies. In benga, the electric bass guitar is played in a style reminiscent of the nyatiti.

In 1967, the first major benga band, Shirati Jazz , was formed by Daniel Owino Misiani . The group launched a string of hits that were East Africa's biggest songs throughout the 1970s and 80s. Shirati Jazz's biggest rival is Victoria Jazz , formed in 1972 by Ochieng Nelly Mengo and Collela Mazee . Despite many personnel changes, Victoria Jazz remained popular throughout the 70s, when the Voice of Kenya radio station pushed an onslaught of East African pop.

Modern benga artists include Kapere Jazz Band and the rootsy Ogwang Lelo Okoth .