Kenya is named after a mountain of the same name.The Kikuyu people, who lived around present day Mt Kenya, referred to it as Kirinyaga or Kerenyaga, meaning ‘mountain of whiteness,’ because of the snow capped peak. Mt Kirinyaga, which was the main landmark became synonymous with the territory the British later claimed as their colony. However, the name Kenya arose out of the inability of the British to pronounce Kirinyaga correctly.

Kenya is the ‘Cradle of Mankind’. Between 1998 and 1999, the remains and fossils of Kenyanthropus platyops, dating back over 2.6 million years, were discovered west of lake Turkana. The discoveries suggest the protohumans roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Today, these remains can be found at the National Museums of Kenya.

The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama
arrived in Malindi in 1498. He received a very warm welcome from the locals and Malindi became a Portuguese centre of trade. In time, the Portuguese expanded their influence across the Kenyan coastline. In 1593, Fort Jesus was built by the Portuguese to secure their dominance and protect themselves from Anglo Arab invasions and the growing resistance from the swahili people.

In 1698, Fort Jesus was taken over by the Arabs and soon after, the Portuguese left and the region was thereafter controlled by the sultan of oman.

Dr. ludwig Krapf, a German missionary of the Church Missionary society of England,established the first Christian Mission of Kenya among the Mijikenda on the Coast in 1846.

In 1886, the European colonial powers divided Africa between themselves at a conference in Berlin, Germany. In the period between 1780 and 1850 Britain, France, Germany and the United states established trading concessions with Zanzibar, but Britain was the main player in the control of East Africa. In 1895, Kenya became a British protectorate and the fort became a prison.soon after in 1890s and early 1900s construction of the Kenya - Uganda railway commenced, establishing a white settler community in the mainland.

The railway built by Indian workers under British rule reached half way through Kenya from Mombasa in 1898 and the city of Nairobi was founded a few years later. In 1901, the railway reached Kisumu (then Port Florence). European and Indian settlers began streaming to East Africa. White settlers were favoured and given influence on the management of the colony. This did not go down well with the locals who were forced to give up their land to the newcomers.

When Kenya became a British colony in 1919, organised African political activity developed.

The first African political protest movement in Kenya against the government was started in 1921 by the young Kikuyu Association, led by Harry Thuku. By 1944 KANU (Kenya African National Union) was formed and the late Jomo Kenyatta became the party’s president in 1947. In preparation for efforts to gain freedom from the British rule, members of the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru among other communities took oaths of unity and secrecy, and the Mau Mau movement began. The British sent military expeditions against this movement to assert their authority. The fight to gain self rule intensified with the deaths and detention of many heroes. The Mau Mau uprising (1952-56) resulted in over 10,000 deaths.Among the notable heroes during this uprising was Jomo Kenyatta, born Kamau wa Ngengi, who was charged with directing the Mau Mau movement. Jomo Kenyatta was arrested and sentenced to seven years imprisonment, while Dedan Kimathi was arrested and hanged for his role in the Mau Mau uprising as a Field Marshall, after leading thousands of fighters in the struggle for independence.

In 1962, the lancaster Constitutional Conference was held in london, giving birth to the first Kenya Constitution. Kenya finally achieved internal selfgovernment on 1 June, 1963, now celebrated annually as Madaraka Day. on 12 December 1964 (now celebrated as Jamhuri Day) Jomo Kenyatta was sworn in as the first president, a position he held until his death in 1978. The then Vice-President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi took over and ruled for 24 years until December 2002 when he handed over the presidency to the current president, Mwai Kibaki after a general election.