History of Kenya
Brief history of Kenya summarized
A brief review of the history of Kenya, a country on the African continent.
The Kenyan Principles
The earliest inhabitants of Kenya were hunter-gatherers, but from about 2,000 BC pastoralists arrived in the region. Then, from 800 AD, the Arabs set sail for Kenya. Some settled and intermarried and created the Swahili culture along the coast.
The first European to arrive in Kenya was Vasco da Gama in 1498. Subsequently, the Portuguese dominated the Kenyan coast for two centuries. However, they did not penetrate inland. However, the Portuguese brought new crops to Kenya, maize and cassava.
Then, in the late 19th century, Kenya came under British control. In 1883 Joseph Thomson was sent to make a map of Kenya. Then, in 1885, the European powers carved up Africa among themselves at the Berlin Conference, and Britain was assigned Kenya.
Kenya was originally administered by the British Imperial East Africa Company, which was formed in 1887. However, in 1895 the British government assumed responsibility for Kenya. Then, in the years 1895-1901, the British built a railway through the region.
In the early 20th century, as settlers flocked to Kenya taking the best land and the natives were forced to make reservations. Indians also came to Kenya and formed a middle class or merchants.
Africans naturally resented their treatment and in 1921 they formed the East African Association to fight for their rights. In 1924 it changed its name to the Central Kikuyu Association. In 1927 Jomo Kenyatta became his secretary.
Meanwhile, schools were founded in Kenya and Africans received a better education. Many of them fought in World War II, but afterward were once again treated as second-class citizens. Their resentment eventually turned into the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya.
The Mau Mau was formed in 1952. They took secret oaths to kill Europeans and African collaborators. In 1952, a state of emergency was declared in Kenya. British troops were sent in to deal with the insurgency.
Then in 1953 the British began detaining Kikuyu in concentration camps. Slowly the British hunted down the insurgents and by the end of 1956 the uprising was over.
However, the movement towards African independence was unstoppable. An African political party, the Kenya African National Union, was formed in 1961, and in May 1963 KANU won a majority of seats in the Kenyan assembly. Kenya finally became independent on December 12, 1963. In 1964 Jomo Kenyatta became President of Kenya and Kenya joined the Commonwealth.
Modern Kenya
The late 1960s and 1970s were prosperous years for Kenya, and agriculture developed rapidly. However, Kenyatta died in 1978 and Daniel arap Moi became the leader of Kenya. In 1982 he banned opposition political parties and in 1987 he changed the Kenyan constitution to strengthen his powers. However, in the 1990s, Moi faced growing opposition.
In 1991, Moi was forced to allow the formation of other political parties in Kenya. Despite opposition, he was re-elected in 1992 and 1997. Then, in 1998, a bomb exploded at the US embassy in Nairobi. The explosion killed 224 people and for a short period of time had a devastating effect on tourism in Kenya. However, the tourists soon returned.
Then in 2002 Mwai Kibaki became the leader of Kenya and in 2003 he introduced free primary education. However, in 2009 northern Kenya suffered from a drought. However, today the Kenyan economy is growing rapidly.
Kenya is developing rapidly and there is every reason to be optimistic about its future. Meanwhile, in 2013, Uhuru Kenyatta became the President of Kenya. Currently, the population of Kenya is 48 million.
Share the story of Kenya.