A brief history of Kenya

The early history of Kenya

Kenya’s human history dates back millions of years. Along the shore of Lake Rudolf and the Koobi Fora area, anthropologists have unearthed some of the earliest fossilised hominids – including remains of our distant relatives: Homo habilis. 

But let’s fast-forward a little, from the prehistoric to around 2000 BC. At this time, we find Cushitic-speaking peoples from Northern Africa settling in the region we recognise today as Kenya. Nilotic peoples (tribes from the Nile valley) and Bantu peoples (from central Africa) soon followed. These people were predominantly farmers and herders, and they brought with them new technologies and skills, as well as customs and beliefs. 

Later, in the first century AD, Arab traders began frequenting Kenya’s coast. They settled, establishing ports for trade in spices, ivory, and slaves. This was a key period in the shaping of modern Kenya; and by 800 AD, these ports had developed into thriving cities. Islamic religious practices became more widespread, although local African traditions also remained. As a result, what we would recognise today as Swahili culture was born – and its language became lingua franca between the different ethnic groups. 

Then, the Europeans arrived.

When did Europeans arrive?

The year is 1498. The great Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama (sound familiar? He was also the first European explorer to reach India by sea) likes the look of the Port of Mombasa. After all, it’s an ideal resupply stop for ships bound for the far east. Arab settlers initially fend off Portuguese attacks – but eventually, the Portuguese capture Kenya’s coastal regions, and hold onto them for over two centuries.

In 1698, though, the tables turned once again. Islamic Omani forces ousted the Portuguese, and almost all of the East African coast remained under Omani control until 1840. However, enter: the British.

The British arrived – or ‘intervened’ – under the banner of combatting the Arab slave trade. However, their intentions were clearly part of a wider ‘scramble for Africa’ perpetrated by European countries from the latter half of the nineteenth century to the start of World War One. A new age of imperialism, which would be perceived as extremely reprehensible in today’s politics.

British colonial rule in Kenya

The ‘scramble for Africa’ was even negotiated by European powers at the 1884-5 Berlin Conference. As a result, the British were ‘granted’ control over the East Africa coast, forming the ‘British East Africa Protectorate’. 

Quick fact: Kenya only became ‘Kenya’ in 1920, when the East Africa Protectorate was officially announced a British colony, and renamed after the country’s highest mountain.

The British soon began to expand their territory, moving inland to try gain access to Africa’s fertile highlands. A railway line was built, and indigenous ethnic groups were forcibly suppressed as part of a campaign of ‘pacification’. A brazen policy of land reallocation, in favour of white settlers, was also passed by the British – effectively robbing Africans of their land. Unsurprisingly, this colonial oppression provoked lasting resentment from the indigenous African population – it would later surface in the Mau Mau rebellion, and Kenya’s fight for independence.

Kenya’s struggle for freedom

Despite assisting Britain in both World Wars – with tens of thousands of Kenyans volunteering to help defeat German, then Italian forces – few concessions for justice and equality were granted to Kenya. 

Inevitably, resentment turned into action. 

Early indigenous organisations which campaigned for Kenyan rights were swiftly banned by the colonial government. However, the Kenyan African Union, founded in 1942, splintered into the Mau Mau: a group which decided, in 1952, to engage in armed resistance against British rule. Key figures included Dedan Kimathi, and Jomo Kenyatta (later President of Kenya). 

The colonial government responded in brutal fashion; declaring a State of Emergency, and sending in the army. This escalated the conflict significantly, driving more Africans to join the Mau Mau cause, and to take part in the raging guerilla warfare. 

However, by 1956 Kimathi was captured, put on trial, and hanged a year later. This effectively ended the rebellion. Although unsuccessful, the Mau Mau rebellion was a defining episode in Kenya’s fight for freedom.

1963: Kenya gains her independence

By 1960, perceptions around the morality of colonial authority had shifted. The British government no longer wanted to pursue colonial ambitions; and at a conference on the future of Kenya, politicians officially recognised the inevitability of independence under African majority rule. 

In 1963, Kenyatta (although previously imprisoned for taking part in the Mau Mau rebellion) triumphed in Kenya’s elections. He was sworn in as the nation’s first ever Prime Minister, and Kenya was officially declared free from British rule. As president, Kenyatta adopted a pro-peace stance: offering amnesty to Mau Mau fighters while advocating tolerance to European settlers. His economic policy was also essentially capitalist, or Western – however, he did redistribute thousands of small land holdings back to African people. 

As with many young nations, Kenya’s early years were troubled by political instability, attempted coups, and financial turbulence. Today, though, the country enjoys relative stability and economic prosperity. 

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The contents of this blog post do not constitute legal or financial advice and are provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific legal and / or financial advice you should contact a specialist lawyer or financial advisor. Information true at time of publishing.