Prototype rebuild by the IMB Innovation Team. The official site is peoplegroups.org.

People group profile · PG015324

The Kokola of Malawi

The Kokola of Malawi, numbering about 406,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Malawi.

They are an indigenous people in the Bantu, Makua-Yao people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Kokola.

Pray for the KokolaPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Kokola people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Kokola

Fast facts

Country
Malawi
Population
406,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Bantu, Makua-Yao
Primary language
Kokola (kzn)
Primary religion
Ethnoreligion
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Pioneer Unreached People Group
Region
Eastern Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Kokola are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Kokola

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Ethnoreligion

60% adherents

Primary language

Kokola · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Kokola

Gospel resources in Kokola

  • Bible available, published 2018
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings not available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Kokola

  1. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
  2. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  3. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  4. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.

Download a prayer guide

Kokola in other countries

The same people is also reported in 1 other country.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
KokolaMozambique138,000Engaged yet Unreached

Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.