About Kenya

I have begun to dream of Kenya.
All the feelings of Joy I have there are coming back so real

it is as if I am already there.
I can see each child's face and imagine what they look like now.
I have a list going to remember all I need to bring
and all I want to bring for the children.
The flag of Kenya was officially adopted on December 12, 1963.

The Kenyan flag is based on that of Kenya African National Union.

The colours symbolize black majority,

red for the blood shed during the struggle for freedom,

and green for natural wealth;

the white was added later and symbolizes peace.

The black, red, and white traditional Maasai shield and two spears symbolize the defense of all the things mentioned above.

The Kenyan flag is based on the black over red over green flag of Kenya African National Union

the political party that led the fight for freedom and independence of Kenya.

Upon independence, the white fimbriation, symbolizing peace and unity,

and the shield were added.

As civilization developed and evolved during the New Stone Age, Kenya became a major migratory route for groups in search of fertile land for food production and grazing. As far back as 2000 BC, evidence indicates that early tribal groups began experimenting with agriculture and the tending of cattle. The highlands and Rift Valley regions of southern Kenya are especially rich in this early history of human evolution.
The first migrants to arrive were pastoral nomads from Ethiopia who moved south to Kenya in search of fertile land to graze their flocks. These Cushites were eventually forced south into central Tanzania as the Kenyan climate changed over the centuries and water became scarce.
The Yaaku, or Eastern Cushites, followed a thousand years later and settled in the central region of Kenya. This second wave of nomads marked the beginning of an ongoing influx of different tribal groups drawn to the region's fertile land. In fact, by 100 AD there may have been 1,400 pastoral communities living in the Rift Valley region. Even into the early part of this century, there was much movement within Kenya as competition over land rights dominated the largely agrarian society.
As tribes migrated throughout the valley during this period, they exchanged and developed cultures that are still identifiable in modern tribes today. When trade routes were established in the seventeenth century, European explorers discovered four basic population groups that continue to exist today: the Hamitic, Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, and Bantu. Many of these tribal groups continue to maintain their distinct social structures and traditions despite pressure in modern society to "westernize."
Near the end of the fifteenth century the first Europeans arrived on the Kenyan coast. In 1498, a Portuguese explorer named Vasco de Gama stumbled upon the East African coast in search of China. De Gama was initially rejected by the sultan at Mombasa although his bitter rival, the sultan of Malindi welcomed the explorers. The new immigrants did not settle in quietly, however, and within a few years the Portuguese had looted and ransacked several Swahili cities.
The Portuguese remained on the East African coast for 200 years with well established trading posts. These newest immigrants spent their time trading gold from the interior and exporting slaves to work on the plantations in North America and East Indies. Portuguese rule was harsh, unpopular, and economically debilitating for the local people.
Throughout the 17th century, the Arabs attempted to reestablish links with their East African outposts. This led to an ongoing series of confrontations with the Portuguese to establish dominance. The Omani ships prevailed and by the early 1700s, the Portuguese had been routed completely. By 1720, the last remaining Portuguese left for good leaving the East African coast again under Arab control. Other than a cross overlooking the sea near Mombasa, virtually no other trace of the hated Portuguese rule remains today.
The 18th century brought an emphasis on rebuilding the cities and reestablishing the once thriving trade routes. Under the leadership of the Sultan of Oman, Seyyid Said, the Arabs worked to regain economic and political supremacy over the region. The island of Zanzibar quickly became the center of a very lucrative trade in slaves and ivory from the interior and spices from the island itself.
During this time, Arab slavers moved into the interior of Kenya with the primary goal of exploiting rivalries between local tribes. The Arabs encouraged the powerful groups to conquer their weaker neighbors and sell them into slavery. The slaves were then forced to the coast and on to Zanzibar to be traded. Both ivory and slaves were hugely profitable and Zanzibar grew rich on the trade. This pattern continued despite the public outrage in Europe demanding an end to all slave trade. Eventually, the British brought their forceful anti-slavery message directly to the Sultan as they established a consulate at his court. After years of pressure, the Sultan finally relented and agreed to ban slavery in 1847.
By the mid-19th century, European interest in Kenya focused primarily on abolishing the slave trade and discovering the source of the Nile River. This period of exploration was characterized by Europeans as the Golden Age of Exploration. Between 1840 and 1880, famous names such as Livingstone, Stanley, Burton, and Speke mapped and recorded the interior of Africa. For the first time Europeans witnessed first-hand the unique beauty of Kenya and recorded it for history. The European governments, however, displayed no serious interest in the reports as the land appeared hostile and unproductive. At this stage, there was no incentive to occupy the newly discovered lands.
The end of the 19th century brought a change in this attitude. Bismark, the leader of Germany, expressed a desire to join his other European neighbors in securing a portion of the new land. During this period of international rivalry, often dubbed the "Scramble for Africa," the European powers all laid claim to African territories. The various claims of the nations were settled at the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885. At this time, most of the continent of Africa was divided into colonies: France claimed the majority of West Africa; Germany received much of the eastern territory that is now Tanzania; Belgium got the Congo region; Portugal retained control of Mozambique and Angola; and Britain received the remainder of the continent. Africans were not invited to attend the conference and therefore received not even an acre of their own land.
To western eyes, the region of East Africa appeared ripe with potential and there for the taking. The topic stirred an unusual amount of passion, conscience, and debate among the British political parties and the ruling classes. In the end, an overpowering sense of Victorian pride and scientific inquiry led the British to take a lead role in the exploration of the "Dark Continent." Written accounts from explorers and missionaries already established in the Kenyan upcountry further stoked Britain's imperial instincts.
In 1887 the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEA) was founded with its headquarters in Mombasa. Officers from the IBEA immediately began to establish outposts throughout the Kenyan interior. They carried with them a flag bearing the motto "Light and Liberty," signifying the anti-slavery sentiments of the day. Between 1888 and 1890 a contingent of British officials and soldiers cut a 500-kilometre-long dirt road to a swampy, flat area called Nyrobi by the Maasai, meaning "place of the cold waters." Fort Smith was built nearby as a British fortress and upcountry outpost.
IBEA also played a critical role in the eventual development of a railway from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. Each outpost required over 2,000 manloads of supplies each year. From a logistical point of view, a railway was the only viable means of supporting Britain's growing endeavors in the interior. Sir Gerald Portal, Britain's Acting Consul in Zanzibar, reinforced this recommendation in his plea to the Foreign Office: "To effect any real improvement in property or commerece, efficiently to reap the benefits of material progress that may be made, there is but one course open… The only means of effectively doing this is by a railway." Thus began the development of an unprecedented railway system linking the Kenyan coast to Lake Victoria. The "Lunatic Express" permanently established a British presence in East Africa.