Explore Kenya

Interactive Timeline

Explore our Interactive Timeline. Discover key events in Kenyan History from 1824 to the present day.

For a full timeline list Click Here

History

The Rift Valley, which runs through the centre of Kenya, is known as “the cradle of mankind” as a result of the now famous archeological digs by the Leakey family. They discovered several hominoid skills, one of which is thought to be 3.5 million years old.

Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula and Shirazis from Persia began to visit the coast of Kenya from the 8th century AD onwards. They traded and settled there, over the years, bringing glassware, textiles and wine in return for ivory, slaves and rhino horn.

The British constructed a railway from Mombasa to Uganda and white settlers began to move into the fertile highlands north of Nairobi in search of farming land in the late 19th century. Much of this land originally belonged to either the Maasai tribe or the Kikuyu tribe; the Kikuyu nursed a particular grievance against the British and the resulting alienation of land.

In 1953 a herd of white farmer’s cattle were killed, followed shortly by a massacre of 23 Kikuyu thought to be loyal to the British colonial regime. The Mau Mau rebellion had begun. The British defeated the Mau Mau by 1956, but over 13,500 Africans had died and just over 100 Europeans, with a further 20,000 Kikuyus thrown into detention camps. Jomo Kenyatta (a Kikuyu) was arrested and put on trial for allegedly being a Mau Mau leader and sentenced to seven years in a remote jail in Turkana (N.W. Kenya).

Independence came to Kenya on 12 December, 1963 with Kenyatta as the first president. He died in 1978 and under his rule, Kenya was to become one of the most stable and prosperous African nations.

Timeline List

	Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
	01/01/1698	Ruled by Oman	The region is ruled by Oman. After nearly 3 years of war, Arabs take over Mombasa
	02/09/1824	British Protectorate	The Mombasa region is under British protectorate from 9 February 1824 to 25 July 1826.
	01/01/1890	German Coastal Regions	Germany hands over rule of the coastal regions to the British Empire; in return Germany takes control of Tanganyika
	01/01/1890	Waiyaki Wa Henya	Waiyaki Wa Henya (a Kikuyu chief) burns down Lugard’s fort
	01/01/1892	Waiyaki Abducted	Waiyaki abducted and killed by the British
	01/01/1894	Jomo Kinyatta	Jomo Kinyatta is born in the early to mid 1890s.
	07/01/1895	British East Africa	British East Africa (modern-day Kenya and Uganda) becomes official
	12/19/1901	First Railway	The first railway in Kenya (from Mombasa to Lake Victoria) is completed
	01/01/1902	The East Africa Protectorate allows white settles	The East Africa Protectorate allows white settles to move to the more fertile highlands and farm there.
	01/01/1905	Coffee	British settlers start growing coffee in Kenya
	01/01/1907	Nairobi replaces Mombasa	Nairobi replaces Mombasa as the centre of colonial power
	08/22/1914	Kenyans fight for Britain	200,000 Kenyans fight for Britain in WWI. 50,000 die
	03/01/1957	First African elections	First African elections to the Legislative Council
	08/14/1961	Kenyatta Freed	Kenyatta is freed from jail and assumes presidency of Kanu.
	12/12/1963	Kenyan Independence	Kenya granted independence. KANU (Kenya African National Union) forms an emergency government with Kenyatta as prime minister.
	12/12/1964	Republic of Kenya	Republic of Kenya formed. KANU’s leader Kenyatta becomes president, and Odinga vice-president.
	01/01/1966	Kenya People’s Union	A rival party, the Kenya People’s Union (KPU) is formed by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
	07/05/1969	Tom Mboya	Assassination of government minister Tom Mboya sparks ethnic unrest. KPU banned and Odinga arrested. Kanu only party to contest elections, Kenya is now a single party state
	01/01/1974	Kenyatta re-elected.	Kenyatta is re-elected.
	08/22/1978	Kenyatta dies	Kenya's president, Jomo Kenyatta, died at his home in Mombasa.
	10/14/1978	Daniel arap Moi	Former Vice-President Daniel arap Moi becomes President
	06/01/1982	One-party State	Kenya officially becomes a one-party state after the National Assembly amends the constitution.
	08/01/1982	Military Coup Attempt	Members of the Kenyan Air Force attempt a military coup, suppressed by the Kenyan Army – Private Hezekiah Ochuka rules Kenya for about six hours.
	03/04/1986	Out of Africa	‘Out of Africa’, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep and filmed in Kenya, is released
	01/01/1987	International Allegations	International allegations that opposition groups suppressed, and some criticism of human rights issues.
	01/01/1989	Dr. Richard Leakey	Moi appoints Dr. Richard Leakey the director of Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS). Leakey fires 2,000 game-park officials who are suspected of helping poachers kill rhinos and elephants for their ivory tusks and valuable horns.
	02/12/1990	Robert Ouko Dies	Death of the foreign minister, Robert Ouko, in possibly suspicious circumstances, leads to increased dissent against government.
	08/01/1991	Forum for the Restoration of Democracy	Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (Ford) formed by six opposition leaders, including Oginga Odinga. Party outlawed and members arrested. Creditors suspend aid to Kenya amid fierce international condemnation.
	12/01/1991	Climate Change Conference	Nairobi Conference of Global Warming and Climate Change represents Kenya taking a leading role on climate change in Africa.
	12/01/1991	Constitution Re-amended	The constitution is re-amended. Kenya is no longer a single-party state
	01/01/1992	2,000 people killed	Approximately 2,000 people killed in tribal conflict in the west of the country.
	12/01/1992	Moi Re-elected	Moi wins another 5-year term in office
	01/01/1994	Conference on Policy Options	Conference on Policy Options and Responses to Climate Change in Nairobi continues Kenya’s international Climate Change role.
	01/01/1995	Safina Launched	New opposition party - Safina - launched by palaeontologist Richard Leakey. Party refused official registration until November 1997.
	01/01/1997	Demonstrations Calling for Democratic Reform	Demonstrations calling for democratic reform. World Bank withholds disbursement of $5bn in structural adjustment credit.
	12/01/1997	Moi re-elected Again	Moi re-elected again in controversial elections (KANU party majority).
	01/01/1999	Government Drive Against Corruption.	Moi appoints Richard Leakey to head government drive against corruption.

Interactive Map

Explore Kenya through our interactive Google map. Click the links and points below to find out about different areas of Kenya.

Tourism

Tourism in Kenya has been increasing rapidly since the 1960s and is now the country’s biggest export. Most tourists come from Germany although the UK isn’t far behind. The most popular tourist destinations are the coastal resorts and safari parks.

While the growth of tourism has been good news for Kenya’s economy, its wildlife and ecosystems are suffering. The main problems are:

• Overcrowding in the game parks and building on animals’ natural habitat
• Visitors harassing wildlife in the parks (by driving too close and frightening them)
• Tourists dropping litter, endangering animals and the environment
• Poaching; although hunting is illegal, there is still a black market for ivory and animal skin

Many Kenyans feel that they aren’t reaping the benefits of tourism. The majority of foreign visitors stay in the ‘tourist traps’ around Mombasa and the game reserves, and few venture into the central and northern regions. They often feel that tourists are only interested in the beaches and animals, and don’t want to get to know the Kenyan people or learn about life in Kenya.

Tribes

There are more than 70 tribal groups in Kenya. The tribe most people have heard of is the Maasai, but this tribe actually makes up no more than 5% of the population. 20% of Kenyans are descended from the Kikuyu tribe. There are also many Kenyans of Asian origin, whose ancestors were brought there as workers by the British in the 19th century.

Nowadays, tribal boundaries are less clear due to migration and urbanisation, but cultural heritage is still important to Kenyans. Different tribes have different traditions and beliefs, especially when it comes to issues like religion and FGM, and often have distinctive languages and musical traditions.

One tribe, the Kalenjin, has even attracted international attention as a result of their incredible success providing Olympic runners for Kenya. From 1980 on, about 40% of the top honors available to men in international athletics at distances from 800 meters to the marathon have been earned by Kalenjin. In recent years, Kenyan women have also become a major presence in international athletics at these distances, and most of these women are also Kalenjin.

National Anthem

The Kenyan national anthem was chosen in 1963. The tune comes from a traditional song which mothers in the Pokomo region sing to their children.

There are two sets of words; one in Swahili and one in English.

Flag

Here is the Kenyan flag. The colours are symbolic: black represents the people of Kenya; red represents the blood shed during the country’s struggle for independence; green represents the land and white represents peace. The shield in the centre symbolises Kenya’s pride and cultural heritage.

Coat of Arms

Kenya also has a coat of arms, which you can see below. "Harambee" means "all stand together" and is the slogan of the KANU political party as well as part of the name of the National football team. It was first used by the first President, Jomo Kenyatta, in an attempt to unite the more than 40 tribes into one independent nation.

On the Maasai shield in the middle is a picture of a rooster carrying an axe, which traditionally heralds a new and prosperous life. The colours have the same meaning as in the flag of Kenya, described above.

The two lions stand on top of Mount Kenya, the highest mountain in the country. In the foreground are some important Kenyan agricultural products: tea, coffee, pineapples, maize, pyrethrum and sisal.

Money

The currency in Kenya is shillings (KSh). There are about KSh120 in £1, so a shilling is worth a bit less than 1p. The slang for a shilling is a ‘bob’.

Using the currency converter, you can get a feel for roughly how much it costs to buy some things in Kenya, although recent political and economic events mean that food prices are rising:

Languages

Click here to use this translation tool and find out how to say things in Swahili!

The official languages of Kenya are Kiswahili (‘Swahili’ in English) and English, although there are over 60 languages spoken in the country! Most of these are African languages.

Swahili is a Bantu language but is closely related to Arabic as a result of the area’s strong trading connection with Arabic-speaking countries at various stages in its history. Here are some Swahili words and phrases to get you started – some of which you may already recognise!

Here is some basic Swahili to get you started:

One of the newest of all the many languages spoken in Kenya is ‘Sheng’ (from Swahili and English), which is a slang-based language which arose during the 1970s in Nairobi slums and is considered fashionable and cosmopolitan among a growing segment of the population. While primarily a language of urban youths, it has spread across all social classes and to neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda. It is the language of many East African hip hop artists and students. It has roots in various languages including English, here are some examples:

Sport

Football

Football is very popular in Kenya, and Premiership games draw big crowds. Some of the characters in Makutano Junction support Mathare United, a team based in Nairobi. Many Kenyans have a favourite English football club too. The Kenyan National football team is nicknamed The Harambee Stars, with players from clubs all over the world including the USA, France, Germany, Italy and Indonesia. The team hopes to qualify for the World Cup for the first time very soon.

Motor Racing

In the motor racing arena, Kenya is home to the world famous Safari Rally, commonly acknowledged as one of the toughest rallies in the world, and a part of the World Rally Championship for many years until its exclusion after the 2002 event owing to financial difficulties. Some of the best rally drivers in the world have taken part in and won the rally, such as Björn Waldegård, Hannu Mikkola, Tommi Makinen and Colin McRae. Though the rally still runs annually as part of the Africa rally championship, the organisers are hoping to be allowed to rejoin the World Rally championship in the next couple of years.

Beijing Olympics

Kenya won several medals during the Beijing Olympics: 5 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze. This made it Africa's most successful Nation in the 2008 Olympics. New athletes gained attention, such as Pamela Jelimo, the women's 800m gold medalist who went ahead to win the Golden League jackpot, and Samuel Wanjiru who won the men's marathon.

Long-distance Runners

Kenya is in fact famous for producing top-class long-distance runners (see Tribes). Catherine Ndereba broke the women’s marathon world record in Chicago in 2001 and took silver in the marathon at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Rugby Union

Kenya is also beginning to make a name for itself in rugby union, and has an annual sevens tournament which is popular. In 2006 Kenya’s sevens team ranked 9th in the IRB Sevens World Series.

Music

Kenyans love music and dancing and Nairobi has a vibrant music scene. Lingala (an upbeat style of dance music with guitars) is very popular, as well as benga music. Hip-hop and gangster rap can be heard all over Nairobi, with American artists like 50 Cent inspiring homegrown talent like Emmanuel Jal, who performed at Live8 in 2005. Dancehall is also popular; Sean Paul regularly performs in Kenya.

Explore the links below to hear some modern Kenyan music!

Listen to a real Kenyan radio station, with music, chat and news!

A whirlwind tour through some recent hip-hop releases popular in Kenya

Jamaican reggae musicians perform in Kenya to huge crowds

The Churchill Live chatshow goes dancing crazy with a live music history of popular Kenyan dancing crazes

Kenyan revelers dance the night away at a music event

A drama and dance competition for Kenyan schools gets featured in the Kenyan news

Culture

Kenya has many of its own celebrities but Kenyan people are also interested in famous people from all over the world. In 2006, Consumer Insight found out who the top 10 people most recognized or admired by people in Kenya. Do you know who they all are?

Many Kenyans are proud of the fact that the President of the USA, Barack Obama, has Kenyan family members, and there has been much press attention on them and Kenya since his election for this reason. Many commentators have speculated that this unusual personal overseas connection may be an important factor affecting the way that America interacts with the rest of the world.

Famous Kenyans

Kenya has produced many famous people of its own: politicians, writers, artists, runners, athletes and more. Here’s a small fact file on some famous Kenyans.

Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and was praised by the awarding committee as a “source of inspiration for everyone in Africa fighting for sustainable development, democracy and peace”.

She is a leading campaigner in Kenya for the environment, democracy and the rights of women. In 1977 she began an organisation – primarily of women – known as the Green Belt Movement which aimed to curtail the devastating effects of deforestation in Kenya – something for which she was arrested several times. In the late 1980s she thwarted government plans to build a prominent skyscraper in the middle of Nairobi’s main park.

Her campaign mobilised poor women to plant some 30 million trees in Kenya; her desire was to produce sustainable wood for fuel use, as well as to combat soil erosion.

Her former husband, whom she divorced in the late 1980s, was said to have remarked that she was “too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn and too hard to control”.

Jomo Kenyatta spent most of his life campaigning for Kenya's independence.

But the African Union leader kept up his fight on his release in 1960 and finally led his country to Independence in 1963. He was made Kenya’s first President and remained in office until his death on 22 August 1978.

Kenyatta - the name he adopted in the 1920s - is Swahili for "the light of Kenya" and he is widely seen as the founding father of the nation.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o has been widely regarded as East Africa’s most influential writer. He was born James Ngugi in 1938 in British ruled Kenya. He attended a mission school and became a devout Christian. He later rejected Christianity and in 1976 changed his name from James Ngugi - which he regarded as a sign of colonial influence – to Ngugi wa Thiong’o.

His criticism of colonial rule, Christianity and post colonial abuses earned him as much admiration from the public as trouble from the Kenyan authorities. In the late 1970s he announced that he would not write in English any more and would concentrate on writing books in his mother-tongue, Kikuyu, and Ki-Swahili.

His best known novels include “Weep Not, Child” (1964) – the first novel in English to be published by an East African – “The River Between” (1965) and “A Grain of Wheat” (1967).

Pamela Jelimo is a Kenyan athlete specializing in 800 metre running events, whose recent success has made her a celebrity in Kenya. She became the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold medal when, aged 18, she won the 800m event in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and she was the first Kenyan to win the $1,000,000 Golden League Jackpot after winning the same event at all six Golden League meetings.

Pamela’s family is from the Nandi tribe in the West of Kenya, and the story of her rise to wealth and stardom from humble beginnings has made her very popular in Kenyan media. Her older brothers could not afford to finish school but Pamela walked for miles across steep slopes to sell milk from her family’s cattle in order to pay for her schooling, and in a risky show of faith her mother sold her last cow in order to pay for Jelimo’s final exams. After winning some junior events, Pamela was employed by the Kenyan police service, who paid her the equivalent of about £90 a month, until her sporting successes began to earn her enough money that she could focus completely on training.

However, success has invited almost too much attention for the teenage millionaire. As well as becoming the centre of an exhausting media frenzy and receiving many proposals of marriage – often from strangers – Jelimo has needed to support her family; her mother (who brought her up as a single parent due to tribal customs) has had to cope with several men claiming to be Pamela’s father. In fact, Pamela had already secretly married a childhood sweetheart in 2008, and her mother has done her own thing too: when yet another round of journalists arrived at her home in October 2008, her mother exclaimed angrily: "I am the mother and father of Jelimo!"

Pamela Jelimo breaks world junior 800m record!!

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru is a Kenyan long distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympic men's Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32. He has lived in Japan since the age of sixteen when he began his schooling there, but he competes for Kenya and holds several world records.

In April 2009, Wanjiru won the London Marathon in a time of 2:05:10 - a new personal record and a new course record. He was pleased with the achievement and stated that he hoped to break Haile Gebrselassie's world record in the near future. In fact, his stated aim is to achieve a marathon time of less than two hours within five years – a feat which has never been achieved!

Samuel Wanjiru and Pamela Jelimo ‘crowned’ Kenyan sports personalities of the year