History of Kenya

History of Kenya

Key Dates

• 2.5 million years BC: earliest human traces in the Great Rift Valley, which is why this region is often called the "cradle of humanity".

• 2000 BC: arrival of nomadic tribes from Ethiopia. They were followed a millennium later by Bantu populations from the west, and later still by other groups from the northwest. These three groups still make up Kenya’s population today.

• 8th century: Arabs establish colonies in several coastal areas.

• 1498: Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama becomes the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope and reach the East African coast, stopping notably in present-day Malindi.

• 16th–17th centuries: The Portuguese struggle militarily and politically to conquer the East African coast in order to control the sea route to the Indies.

• 1698: The army of the Imam of Muscat (Sultanate of Oman) gradually takes control of the coast and islands of the region. The Portuguese are definitively expelled in 1729 and retreat to Mozambique.

• 18th–early 19th centuries: Arabs dominate this part of Africa and develop the highly lucrative slave trade.

• Mid-19th century: first European expeditions, particularly British, into the interior of Kenya and Tanzania. This is the era of Stanley and Livingstone, as well as J.H. Speke, who discovered Lake Victoria in 1858. Anglo-German rivalries for control of the region also begin.

• 1860: Separated from the Sultanate of Oman, the Sultanate of Zanzibar is created. Its authority extends over the islands and coast of East Africa, from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique.

• 1886: The United Kingdom and Germany sign a treaty (of partition) recognizing the Sultan’s sovereignty over Zanzibar while significantly reducing the territory under his control. The Germans take possession of the coast of present-day Tanzania, while the British secure the coast of Kenya.

• 1895: Creation of British East Africa, establishing a protectorate over nearly all of Kenya. A few years later, the first English settlers arrive, most of whom settle in the central highlands.

• 1914–1918: World War I directly affects this part of Africa, particularly southern Kenya, where German and British forces clash.

• 1920: The territory’s status changes from protectorate to British colony.

• 1920s: First calls for independence from Black populations, with figures like Jomo Kenyatta of the Kikuyu Central Association.

• 1930s: The colony’s policies are increasingly shaped by the 30,000 white settlers in Kenya, tea and coffee producers, to the detriment of the indigenous populations and Arab and Indian minorities.

• 1952–1956: As Jomo Kenyatta gains prominence in the independence movement, the Mau Mau uprising (Kikuyu) erupts against colonial rule. The British suppress it harshly but later grant some political rights to different ethnic groups.

• 1963: After gaining partial autonomy in 1961, Kenya achieves independence within the Commonwealth. The following year, Jomo Kenyatta, who had spent several years in prison during the Mau Mau revolt, is elected president.

• 1978: Death of Jomo Kenyatta while still in office. He is succeeded by Vice President Daniel arap Moi, who is re-elected until 2002 amid an authoritarian regime, ethnic unrest (notably between 1992 and 1996), and repeated crackdowns on opponents.

• 1998: Attacks target the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, killing hundreds and injuring thousands.

• 2002: Mwai Kibaki is elected president, then re-elected in 2007 in disputed elections that escalate into weeks of bloody riots.

• 2013: Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Jomo Kenyatta, becomes Kenya’s fourth president despite his role in the 2007 post-election violence.

• 2011–2015: The country faces a surge in attacks and raids by Somali Al-Shabaab terrorists, leading to a significant drop in tourist visits.