Society & Culture & Entertainment History

What You Should Know About the History of Kenya

Early Humans in Kenya:

Fossils found in East Africa suggest that protohumans roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Recent finds near Kenya's Lake Turkana indicate that hominids lived in the area 2.6 million years ago.

Pre-Colonial Settlement in Kenya:

Cushitic-speaking people from northern Africa moved into the area that is now Kenya beginning around 2000 BC. Arab traders began frequenting the Kenya coast around the first century AD.

Kenya's proximity to the Arabian Peninsula invited colonization, and Arab and Persian settlements sprouted along the coast by the eighth century. During the first millennium AD, Nilotic and Bantu peoples moved into the region, and the latter now comprises three-quarters of Kenya's population.

The Europeans Arrive:

The Swahili language, a mixture of Bantu and Arabic, developed as a lingua franca for trade between the different peoples. Arab dominance on the coast was eclipsed by the arrival in 1498 of the Portuguese, who gave way in turn to Islamic control under the Imam of Oman in the 1600s. The United Kingdom established its influence in the 19th century.

Colonial Era Kenya:

The colonial history of Kenya dates from the Berlin Conference of 1885, when the European powers first partitioned East Africa into spheres of influence. In 1895, the U.K. Government established the East African Protectorate and, soon after, opened the fertile highlands to white settlers. The settlers were allowed a voice in government even before it was officially made a U.K.

colony in 1920, but Africans were prohibited from direct political participation until 1944.

Resistance to Colonialism - the Mau Mau:

From October 1952 to December 1959, Kenya was under a state of emergency arising from the "Mau Mau" rebellion against British colonial rule. During this period, African participation in the political process increased rapidly.

Kenya Achieves Independence:

The first direct elections for Africans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957. Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963, and the next year joined the Commonwealth. Jomo Kenyatta, a member of the large Kikuyu ethnic group and head of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), became Kenya's first President. The minority party, Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU), representing a coalition of small ethnic groups, dissolved itself voluntarily in 1964 and joined KANU.

The Road to Kenyatta's One-Party State:

A small but significant leftist opposition party, the Kenya People's Union (KPU), was formed in 1966, led by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a former Vice President and Luo elder. The KPU was banned shortly after and its leader detained. No new opposition parties were formed after 1969, and KANU became the sole political party. At Kenyatta's death in August 1978, Vice President Daniel arap Moi became President.

A New Democracy in Kenya?:

In June 1982, the National Assembly amended the constitution, making Kenya officially a one-party state, and parliamentary elections were held in September 1983. The 1988 elections reinforced the one-party system. However, in December 1991, Parliament repealed the one-party section of the constitution. By early 1992, several new parties had formed, and multiparty elections were held in December 1992. Because of divisions in the opposition, however, Moi was reelected for another 5-year term, and his KANU party retained a majority of the legislature. Parliamentary reforms in November 1997 expanded political rights, and the number of political parties grew rapidly. Again because of a divided opposition, Moi won re-election as President in the December 1997 elections. KANU won 113 out of 222 parliamentary seats, but, because of defections, had to depend on the support of minor parties to forge a working majority.

In October 2002, a coalition of opposition parties joined forces with a faction which broke away from KANU to form the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). In December 2002, the NARC candidate, Mwai Kibaki, was elected the country’s third President. President Kibaki received 62% of the vote, and NARC also won 59% of the parliamentary seats (130 out of 222).

(Text from Public Domain material, US Department of State Background Notes.)
SHARE
RELATED POSTS on "Society & Culture & Entertainment"
Today in American History - February 1
Today in American History - February 1
Top 10 Things to Know About Harry Truman
Top 10 Things to Know About Harry Truman
The Tuxedo: A Brief History
The Tuxedo: A Brief History
History Of Poland
History Of Poland
Battle of Boydton Plank Road
Battle of Boydton Plank Road
Today in American History - June 22
Today in American History - June 22
How to Create a Magazine With Word
How to Create a Magazine With Word
Phlegethon - River Phlegethon
Phlegethon - River Phlegethon
Love's Grave, Meleager
Love's Grave, Meleager
Galilee
Galilee
A Brief History of Niger - Part 1
A Brief History of Niger - Part 1
What You Should Know About Jim Crow Laws
What You Should Know About Jim Crow Laws
Step-by-Step Instructions for an Acrylic Abstract Painting
Step-by-Step Instructions for an Acrylic Abstract Painting
Tabula Veliterna
Tabula Veliterna
The American Civil War Was Foretold In Patrick Henry's Prophecy
The American Civil War Was Foretold In Patrick Henry's Prophecy
Why Is Art Important in Life?
Why Is Art Important in Life?
The Expressionist Theory
The Expressionist Theory
Victory Wreaths
Victory Wreaths
Two concerned Korean children stand in front of a tank in Haeng-ju, Korea
Two concerned Korean children stand in front of a tank in Haeng-ju, Korea
Battle of Naulochus
Battle of Naulochus
Ananda Mahidol as Rama VIII of Thailand, 1935
Ananda Mahidol as Rama VIII of Thailand, 1935
Solstice and Christmas
Solstice and Christmas

Leave Your Reply

*