This paper studies the relationship between language attitudes and the involvement of Sabaot stakeholders in the implementation of the Kenyan language-in-education policy (mother tongue [MT] as subject). Attitudes were vitally important for how the policy was interpreted, the extent to which stakeholders invested their time and the way in which the implementation was actually practiced. While some stakeholders seemed to have an inherent belief in the vital place of the MT and its use in education, others became convinced of it through micro-language planning activities which focused on raising the prestige and image of the Sabaot language. An ethnographic research approach was used to observe the actual language practices of stakeholders and interview participants. Implications from the study reveal that fostering favourable attitudes towards MT should be made a priority in any minority language planning initiative, since attitudes play such a key role in determining stakeholder involvement in implementation. (Contains 2 notes and 2 tables.)