SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Encyclopedia > History of Kenya

Updated 180 days 20 hours 4 minutes ago.

The history of Kenya as a land occupied by sentient humans extends for several million years, even though the history of Kenya as an independent state is relatively short. Contents 1 Pre-civilized history 2 Early Kenyan civilizations 3 Colonial history 4 Independent Kenya 5 Multi-party politics 6 See also 7 External links [edit] Pre-civilized history Recent finds near Lake Turkana indicate that hominids like Australopithecus anamensis lived in the area which is now Kenya from around 4.1 million years ago. More recently, discoveries in the Tugen Hills dated to approximately 6 million years ago precipitated the naming of a new species, Orrorin tugenensis. View over Lake Turkana Lake Turkana, formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya (although the far northern end of the lake crosses into Ethiopia), which covers a surface area of 6405 km² (2473 mi²), making it the worlds largest permanent desert... Binomial name †Australopithecus anamensis Leakey et al, 1995 Australopithecus anamensis is a fossil species of Australopithecus. ... Binomial name †Orrorin tugenensis Senut et al, 2001 Orrorin tugenensis is considered as the second oldest possible hominin ancestor related to modern humans (other than Sahelanthropus tchadensis) and is the only species classified in genus Orrorin. ... [edit] Early Kenyan civilizations Site of the Great Mosque of Gedi which dates from the 13th century. 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 1st century AD. Kenya's proximity to the Arabian Peninsula invited colonization, and Arab and Persian settlements sprouted along the coast by the 8th century. During the first millennium AD, Nilotic and Bantu peoples moved into the region, and the latter now comprise three-quarters of Kenya's population. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1984 × 1488 pixel, file size: 708 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1984 × 1488 pixel, file size: 708 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This article needs cleanup. ... (Redirected from 2000 BC) (21st century BC - 20th century BC - 19th century BC - other centuries) (3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC) Events 2064 - 1986 BC -- Twin Dynasty wars in Egypt 2000 BC -- Farmers and herders travel south from Ethiopia and settle in Kenya. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... The 1st century was that century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Gregorian calendar. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... Nilotic people or Nilotes, in its contamporary usage, refers to some ethnic groups mainly in southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania, who speak Nilotic languages, a large sub-group of Nilo-Saharan languages. ... Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (light brown) vs. ... Swahili, a Bantu language with many Arabic loan words, developed as a lingua franca for trade between the different peoples. Arab dominance on the coast was eclipsed in the 16th century by the arrival of the Portuguese, whose domination gave way in turn to that of Oman in 1698. The United Kingdom established its influence in the 19th century. A mean of establishing this influence was through the missionaires: the first Christian mission was founded on August 25, 1846, by Dr. Ludwig Krapf, a German and missionary of the Church Missionary Society of England, who established himself among the Mijikenda on the coast. He later translated the Bible to Swahili. This article is about the language. ... Bantu is a language family that belongs to the Niger-Congo group. ... Arabic redirects here. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Johann Ludwig Krapf (born January 11, 1810 in Tübingen-Derendingen; died November 26, 1881 in Korntal-Münchingen) was a German missionary in East Africa, an explorer, linguist, and traveler. ... For other uses, see Missionary (disambiguation). ... The Mijikenda (literally the nine, also called the Nyika or Nika) are the nine tribes along the coast of Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... This article is about the language. ... [edit] Colonial history The colonial history of Kenya dates from the establishment of Imperial Germany's protectorate over the Sultan of Zanzibar's coastal possessions in 1885, followed by the arrival of Sir William Mackinnon's British East Africa Company (BEAC) in 1888, after the company had received a royal charter and concessionary rights to the Kenya coast from the Sultan of Zanzibar for a 50-year period. Incipient imperial rivalry was forestalled when Germany handed its coastal holdings to the British Empire in 1890, in exchange for German control over the coast of Tanganyika. The colonial takeover met occasionally with some strong local resistance: Waiyaki Wa Hinga, a Kikuyu chief who ruled Dagoretti who had signed a treaty with Frederick Lugard of the BEAC, having been subject to considerable harassment, burnt down Lugard's fort in 1890. Waiyaki was abducted two years later by the British and killed. This article or section should include material from German Monarchy The term German Empire (the translation from German of Deutsches Reich) commonly refers to Germany, from its consolidation as a unified nation-state on January 18, 1871, until the abdication of Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm II on November 9, 1918. ... In 1698 Zanzibar became part of the overseas holdings of Oman, falling under the control of the Sultan of Oman. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other persons named William Mackinnon, see William Mackinnon (disambiguation). ... The Imperial British East Africa Company was the administrator of British East Africa References Flags Of The World Categories: United Kingdom history stubs | Africa-related stubs ... For the toll-free telephone number see Toll-free telephone number Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar is part of Tanzania Coordinates: , Country Tanzania Islands Unguja and Pemba Capital Zanzibar City Settled AD 1000 Government  - Type semi-autonomous part of Tanzania  - President Amani Abeid Karume Area  - Both Islands  637 sq mi (1,651 km²) Population (2004)  - Both Islands 1,070... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Year 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Flag of Deutsch-Ostafrika (1885-1919) Flag of Tanganyika (1919-1961) Flag of the Republic of Tanganyika 1962–64 Tanganyika is the name of an East African territory lying between the largest of the African great lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika, after which it was named. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard, GCMG, CB, DSO, PC (Chinese Translated Name 盧押, or more rarely, 盧嘉) (January 22, 1858–11 April 1945) was a British soldier, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator, who was Governor of Hong Kong (1907–1912) and Governor-General of Nigeria (1914–1919). ... Year 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... Following severe financial difficulties of the British East Africa Company, the British government in July 1, 1895 established direct rule through the East African Protectorate, subsequently opening (1902) the fertile highlands to white settlers. A key to the conquest of Kenya's interior was the construction, started in 1895, of a railroad from Mombasa to Kisumu, on Lake Victoria, completed in 1906. This was to be the first piece of the Uganda Railway. In building the railway the British had to confront strong local opposition, especially from Koitalel Arap Samoei, a diviner and Nandi leader who prophesied that a black snake would tear through Nandi land spitting fire, which was seen later as the railway line. For ten years he fought against the builders of the railway line and train. Later, determined to continue the railway line, the British assassinated Samoei. The Imperial British East Africa Company was the administrator of British East Africa References Flags Of The World Categories: United Kingdom history stubs | Africa-related stubs ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... British East Africa was a British protectorate in East Africa, covering generally the area of present-day Kenya and lasting from 1890 to 1920, when it became the colony of Kenya. ... Year 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Kisumu ( ) is a port city in western Kenya at 1131m, with a population of 322,024 (1999 census). ... For other places with the same name, see Lake Victoria (disambiguation). ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Uganda Railway is a railway system linking the interiors of Uganda and Kenya to the Indian Ocean at Mombasa in Kenya. ... The Nandi is a Kenyan ethnic group or tribe living in the highland areas of the Nandi Hills in Rift Valley Province; they form a sub-group of the Kalenjin Before British colonization, they were sedentary cattle-herders, sometimes also practicing agriculture; their settlements were more or less evenly distributed... The settlers were partly allowed in 1907 a voice in government through the Legislative Council, a European organization to which some were appointed and others elected. But since most of the powers remained in the hands of the Governor, the settlers started lobbying to transform Kenya in a Crown Colony, which meant more powers for the settlers. They obtained this goal in 1920, making the Council more representative of European settlers; but Africans were excluded from direct political participation until 1944, when the first of them was admitted in the Council. Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... A Legislative Council in British constitutional thought is the second-to-top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor, inferior to an Executive Council and equal to or superior to a Legislative Assembly. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... As a reaction of their exclusion from political representation, the Kikuyu people, the most subject to pressure by the settlers, founded in 1921 Kenya's first African political protest movement, the Young Kikuyu Association, led by Harry Thuku. This was to become the Kenya African Union (KAU), an African nationalist organization demanding access to white-owned land. In 1947 its presidency was given to Jomo Kenyatta. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Young Kikuyu Association, formed in 1921, was a protest movement in Kenya, organized by Harry Thuku. ... Harry Thuku was born in 1895 in Kenya into the Kikuyu ethnic group, one of the groups that lost the largest amount of land to white settlers during the British takeover of Kenya. ... Kenya African Union was a political organization that was meant to voice Kenyan voice to Britain, the colonial government of the time. ... African nationalism is the nationalist political movement for one united Africa, or the lesser goal of the recognition of African tribes by establishing their own state and preservation of their native cultures. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jomo Kenyatta (October 20, 1889 – August 22, 1978) served as the first Prime Minister (1963–1964) and President (1964–1978) of Kenya. ... From October 1952 to December 1959, Kenya was under a state of emergency arising from the Mau Mau rebellion against British colonial rule. African participation in the political process developed rapidly during the latter part of the period as British policymakers sought to isolate the insurgents and their supporters. The first direct elections for Africans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957. Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Mau Mau Uprising was an insurgency by Kenyan rebels against the British colonial administration from 1952 to 1960. ... An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority, by any irregular armed force that rises up against an enforced or established authority, government, or administration. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... [edit] Independent Kenya Despite British hopes of handing power to more "moderate" African rivals, it was the Kenya African National Union (KANU) of Jomo Kenyatta, a member of the large Kĩkũyũ tribe and former prisoner under the emergency, which formed a government shortly before Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963. A year later, Kenyatta became Kenya's first president on the establishment of a republic. The Kenya African National Union, better known as KANU, ruled Kenya for nearly 40 years after its independence from British colonial rule in 1963, until its electoral loss at the end of 2002. ... Jomo Kenyatta (October 20, 1889 – August 22, 1978) served as the first Prime Minister (1963–1964) and President (1964–1978) of Kenya. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The minority party, the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU), representing a coalition of small tribes that had feared dominance by larger ones, dissolved itself voluntarily in 1964 and former members joined KANU. The Kenya African Democratic Union was a political party in Kenya. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... 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 and its leader detained after political unrest related to Kenyatta's visit to Nyanza Province. No new opposition parties were formed after 1969, and Kenya became a single party system under KANU. In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... The Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (c. ... Joluo (commonly known as Luo) are an ethnic group in Kenya and Tanzania. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... At Kenyatta's death (August 22, 1978), Vice President Daniel arap Moi became interim President. On October 14, Moi became President formally after he was elected head of KANU and designated its sole nominee. In June 1982, the National Assembly amended the constitution, making Kenya officially a one-party state. On August 1 members of the Kenyan Air Force launched an attempted coup, which was quickly suppressed by Loyalist forces led by the Army, the General Service Unit (GSU) — paramilitary wing of the police — and later the regular police, but not without civilian casualties. is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Daniel Toroitich arap Moi (born September 2, 1924) was the President of Kenya from 1978 until 2002. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Kenya Air Force has F-5 Freedom Fighters as well as BAe Hawks. ... The 1982 Kenyan coup was a failed attempt to overthrow President Daniel arap Mois government. ... The Kenyan Police Emblem The General Service Unit (GSU) is a paramilitary wing of the Kenyan Military and Kenyan Police, consisting of highly trained police officers and special forces soldiers, transported by 7 dedicated Cessnas and 3 Bell helicopters[1] Having been in existence since the late 1940s, the GSU... [edit] Multi-party politics After local and foreign pressure, in December 1991, parliament repealed the one-party section of the constitution. Multiparty elections in December 1992, gave the President's KANU Party a majority of seats, and Moi was re-elected for another five-year term, although opposition parties won about 45% of the parliamentary seats. Kenyan democracy movement did scatter before the elections, which helped KANU to retain power unilaterally. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Further liberalisation in November 1997 allowed the expansion of political parties from 11 to 26. President Moi won re-election as President in the December 1997 elections, and his KANU Party narrowly retained its parliamentary majority. For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Constitutionally barred from running in the December 2002 presidential elections, Moi unsuccessfully promoted Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first President, as his successor. A rainbow coalition of opposition parties routed the ruling KANU party, and its leader, Moi's former vice-president Mwai Kibaki, was elected President by a large majority. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born October 26, 1961) is the leader of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the former ruling party of Kenya. ... Mwai Kibaki (born November 15, 1931) is the President of Kenya. ... [edit] See also Colonial Heads of Kenya Heads of Government of Kenya (12 December 1963 to 12 December 1964) Heads of State of Kenya (12 December 1964 to today) List of the Colonial Heads of Kenya (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) For continuation after independence, see: Heads of State of Kenya See also Kenya Heads of State of Kenya Heads of Government of Kenya Lists of incumbents Categories: Kenya ... List of the Heads of Government of Kenya See also Kenya Heads of State of Kenya Colonial Heads of Kenya lists of incumbents Categories: Kenya ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... List of the Heads of State of Kenya See also Kenya Heads of Government of Kenya Colonial Heads of Kenya lists of incumbents Categories: Kenya | Lists of office-holders ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... [edit] External links U.S. State department. Background Note: Kenya BBC News Country Report: Kenya History of Kenya Another perspective on the history of Kenya v • d • e History of Africa Sovereign states Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe Dependencies, autonomies and other territories Canary Islands (Spain) · Ceuta (Spain) · Madeira (Portugal) · Mayotte (France) · Melilla (Spain) · Puntland · Réunion (France) · St. Helena (UK) · Socotra (Yemen) · Somaliland · Southern Sudan · Western Sahara · Zanzibar (Tanzania) Categories: History of Kenya | National histories The History of Africa began in the Bronze Age with the earliest written records from ancient Egypt. ... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... Children of the 1983-1987 revolution Until the end of the 19th century, the history of Burkina Faso was dominated by the empire-building Mossi, who are believed to have come up to their present location from Northern Ghana, (where there exists the ethnically related Dagomba group). ... The known history of Cape Verde dates from the first Portuguese explorers, who arrived in the fifteenth century. ... The Central African Republic is believed to have been settled from at least the 7th century on by overlapping empires, including the Kanem-Bornu, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, and Dafour groups based around Lake Chad region and along Upper Nile. ... Early history Migration & states Colonization Stanley (1867–1885) Congo Free State Leopold II (1885–1908) Belgian Congo (1908–1960) Congo Crisis First Republic (1960–1965) Zaire Mobutu regime (1965–1996) First Congo War Kabilas rise (1996–1998) Second Congo War Africas Great War (1998–2003) Transitional government Towards... This is the history of Côte dIvoire. ... The History of Equatorial Guinea is diverse and varied. ... The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe were uninhabited before the arrival of the Portuguese sometime in 1469, 1470, or 1471. ... // European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. ... The history of South Africa is viewed differently by various scholars and by its various population groups because South Africa is a multicultural country. ... A dependent territory, dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a State. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Types of administrative and/or political territories include: A legally administered territory, which is a non-sovereign geographic area that has come under the authority of another government. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ceuta is a Spanish exclave in North Africa, located on the northernmost tip of Morocco, on the Mediterranean coast near the Straits of Gibraltar. ... Motto Das ilhas, as mais belas e livres(Portuguese) Of all islands, the most beautiful and free Anthem A Portuguesa (national) Hino da Região Autónoma da Madeira (local) Capital (and largest city) Funchal Official languages Portuguese Government Autonomous region  -  President Alberto João Jardim Establishment  -  Settled 1420   -  Autonomy... Area  â€“ Total    20 km² (8 mi²) Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ Density  65,488  3274. ... Puntland considers itself as an autonomous state within Somalia. ... Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, who named it for Helena of Constantinople, the island now known as Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. ... // What is left of Awam Temple or the Sun temple in Marib. ... The History of Somaliland encompasses a wide range of historical Somali issues and archaeological sources which date back to Prehistoric times. ... Recent archaeological discoveries on the early occupation of the East African Coast have filled in a number of gaps in the history of earliest settlement on the Island of Zanzibar associated with Later Stone Age hunter-gatherer communities communities who used microlithic tools. ...

	Results from FactBites:
	Encyclopedia4U - History of Kenya - Encyclopedia Article (741 words) Arab traders began frequenting the Kenya coast around the first century A.D. Kenya's proximity to the Arabian Peninsula invited colonization, and Arab and Persian settlements sprouted along the coast by the eighth century. The colonial history of Kenya dates from the establishment of a German protectorate over the Sultan of Zanzibar's coastal possessions in 1885, followed by the arrival of the British East Africa Company in 1888. From October 1952 to December 1959, Kenya was under a state of emergency arising from the Mau Mau rebellion against British colonial rule. History of Kenya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1123 words) The history of Kenya as a land occupied by sentient humans extends for several million years, even though the history of Kenya as an independent state is relatively short. Kenya's proximity to the Arabian Peninsula invited colonization, and Arab and Persian settlements sprouted along the coast by the 8th century. A key to the conquest of Kenya's interior was the construction, started 1n 1895, of a railroad from Mombasa to Kisumu, on Lake Victoria, completed in 1906.
	More results at FactBites »