This is a timeline of the History of Kenya comprising important legal and territorial changes as well as political, social, and economic events in Kenya, read more at History of Kenya.
Findings at Olorgesailie in Southern Kenya indicate that advanced middle stone age technology and long distance trade was established by this time.[4][5]
~40 kyr
Ostrich shell bead jewellery and obsidian tools dating to this time are found at Enkapune ya Muto in the Central rift valley. The rock shelter is occupied in phases until 1,300 years ago.[6]
An ancient massacre occurs at Nataruk in Turkana County. The remains of 27 men, women and children are found with some showing lesions consistent with blunt and sharp force trauma. These findings call into question the origins of human inter-group conflict.[8][9]
Bantu Groups migrate into Kenya bringing with them iron age technology. The Urewe culture, one of Africa's oldest iron smelting centres, settle in the great lakes region including western Kenya. Other groups settle in Southern Kenya[19][20][21]
Growth of Azanian and Zanj settlements in the Swahili coast. Local industry and international trade flourish.[22]
7th century AD
Year
Date
Event
614AD - 900AD
Starting with the first Hijrah (migration) of Prophet Muhammad's followers to Ethiopia, Islam spreads across Eastern, Northern and Western Africa.[22][25]
630AD - 890AD
Archaeological evidence indicates that crucible steel is manufactured at Galu, south of Mombasa. Metallurgical analysis of iron artefacts indicates that the techniques used by the inhabitants of the Swahili coast combined techniques used in other African sites as well as those in West and South Asian sites.[22][26]
The oldest Swahili texts in existence date to this period. They are written in old Swahili script (Swahili-Arabic alphabet) based on Arabic letters.[28]
Oral histories recall the settlement of Shungwaya found north of the Tana River. Several coastal and central Kenyan Bantu groups are said to have migrated from this settlement due to pressure from Oromo speaking groups.[31][32]
Chinese Admiral Zheng He visits Malindi. Some of his ships are reported to have sunk near Lamu Island. Recent genetic tests done on local inhabitants confirmed Chinese ancestry[35][36]
Vasco da Gama travels to Mombasa and Malindi. Attacks on merchant ships led to a hostile reception in Mombasa. In Malindi the reception was friendlier. He established trade relations, erects a pillar and hires a guide to travel to India.[38][39][22]
The slave trade grows exponentially with a large slave market based at Zanzibar.[44][45]
18th century
Year
Date
Event
1700-1900
Complex water furrows for irrigation are constructed by the Marakwet to facilitate intensive agriculture. Clan owned and communal, these irrigation systems are still in use.[46]
Frere Town settlement in Mombasa is established. This is another settlement for freed slaves rescued by the British Navy. Despite pressure from the British to stop the East African slave trade, it continues to persist.[48]
1875 - 1884
The peak of the slave plantation economy in East Africa. 43,000 – 47,000 slaves are present on the Kenyan coast (44 percent of the local population)[48]
Significant numbers of South Asians migrate into modern Kenya. Through Indian Ocean trade, there has been an Indian presence on the East African Coast since antiquity.[54][55][22]
The British East African Protectorate is transformed to the Kenya Colony[67]
Young Kikuyu Association is started by Harry Thuku. Advocating for African suffrage, he was inspired to start a nationalist movement. Thuku renamed his organisation the East African Association, as he was striving for multi-ethnic membership. He included the local Indian community and reached out to other tribes. The colonial government accused Thuku of sedition, arrested him and detained him until 1930.[68]
The ‘Piny Owacho’ (Voice of the People) movement in Kavirondo culminates in a large mass meeting advocating for land rights, fairer taxes and fairer treatment by the colonial authorities.[68]
Archdeacon W. E. Owen, an Anglican missionary and prominent advocate for African affairs, starts the Kavirondo Taxpayers Welfare Association.[68]
The second portion of Uganda Protectorate is transferred to Kenya. This constitutes largely the present-day Turkana County[59]
1930
Vittorio Merlo Pick, an Italian missionary, observes and records a traditional Kikuyu poem 150 stanzas long narrated through the use of a memory device and rattle gourd, the Gicandi. Most pre-colonial history in East and Central Africa was recorded orally. The best known memory device from this region still in use is the Lukasa memory board from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[72][73]
1935
Makhan Singh pioneers the trade union movement in Kenya by starting Labour trade union of Kenya. He organised the Railway workers strike in 1939 which was heavily suppressed by the colonial government.[68]
1936
George V dies, Edward VIII becomes the colony's new monarch until December 1936 when he abdicated. His younger brother George VI ascends the throne
Jomo Kenyatta visits Kisumu in an effort to gain nationwide support for KAU. This visit inspires Oginga Odinga, the Ker (Chief) of the Luo Union, to join KAU.[68]
Tom Mboya emerges to become a key figure in the anti-colonial struggle. Through the trade union movement (Kenya Federation of Labour), he gains local and international admiration and respect, becoming the first Kenyan to feature on the cover of Time magazine.[68][79]
The first election for African members of the legislative council (MLC) is held. Oginga Odinga and Tom Mboya are elected. Daniel Arap Moi is the only previously nominated MLC who gets elected.[68]
1958
25 June
Oginga Odinga calls for the release of Jomo Kenyatta at a Legislative council debate. He endures months of persecution for taking this stand. It then becomes the rallying call for the African nationalist movement.[68]
1959 - 1963
The Kennedy Airlift scholarship program is started by Tom Mboya and William X Scheinman to address the shortfall of skilled African labour in soon to be independent Kenya. Nobel prize winner Wangari Maathai, Barack Obama Sr. and George Saitoti are amongst the beneficiaries of these airlifts. The program lasts until 1963. Over 800 students from East Africa benefit from this program.[81]
1959
6 March
The colonial government attempts to crush Tom Mboya's Nairobi People's Convention Party. This is the most organised and effective political party in Kenya at a time when national African parties are banned. Mboya's home is raided by the police and over 40 party members are arrested and sent to their tribal homes. This is the biggest round up since the Mau Mau emergency.[82][68]
Kenya becomes a republic with Jomo Kenyatta as the first President of Kenya
1965
28 January
The Kenyatta government sends the Kenya army to Meru district, where Mau Mau fighters are gathered under the leadership of Field Marshall Mwariama and Field Marshall Baimungi. These last Mau Mau leaders had been insisting that they should get land and be absorbed into the civil service and Kenya army. Both leaders and several Mau Mau fighters are killed[96][97]
1965
24 February
Anti-colonial activist and socialist politician, Pio Gama Pinto is assassinated. This is independent Kenya's first political assassination.[98]
1966
Bildad Kaggia and Oginga Odinga accuse the Kenyatta government of pursuing corrupt land distribution policies that did not favour the poor and the landless.[68]
Kenya's vice president, Oginga Odinga, leaves the ruling party KANU and starts a left leaning party, the Kenya People's Union. 29 members of parliament including Kaggia defect from KANU to KPU.[68]
A security Act is passed in Parliament that permits the government to carry out detention without trial. This act is used against KPU members who are arrested in round up a few weeks later. Those arrested include Ochola Mak'Anyengo (Secretary-General of the Kenya Petroleum Oil Workers Union), Oluande Koduol (Oginga Odinga's private secretary) and Peter Ooko (Secretary general of the East African Common Services Civil Servants Union)[100][101]
Richard Leakey leads a preliminary search of Koobi Fora. This archaeological site yields a wealth of stone tools and hominin fossils that shape the understanding of human evolution and development.[102]
Tom Mboya, widely considered as heir apparent to Kenyatta, is assassinated.[105]
1969
25 October
The Kisumu Massacre occurs. Two days later, all KPU leaders are arrested and detained without trial and KPU is banned. Oginga Odinga is placed under house arrest. Kenya becomes a de facto one party state.[106]
United Nations Environmental Program is founded with its headquarters in Nairobi. Kenyan scientist Reuben Olembo plays a key role in starting it and becomes the deputy executive director. He later becomes the assistant UN secretary general (1994-1998).[109]
General elections are held in Kenya. Former KPU members including Odinga are prevented from running for office.[111]
1975
March
Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, a popular left leaning politician and gadfly critical of the Kenyatta government is assassinated.[112]
1977
Ngugi Wa Thiongo, renowned Kenyan writer is detained without trial. His play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want) provokes government authorities to arrest him. Continuous harassment after his release in 1978 forces him into exile from 1982 until 2002.[113]
East Africa's first woman to receive a PhD, Wangari Maathai starts the Green Belt Movement. This organisation aims to mobilise the community to conserve the environment and reduce poverty.[114]
Oginga Odinga attempts to start a new political party. Section 2a of the Kenyan constitution is amended making Kenya a de jure one party state therefore preventing his efforts.
The first case of HIV is recorded in Kenya. Despite evidence to the contrary prominent leaders are initially in denial of the extent of HIV in Kenya. By 1994, the Ministry of Health would estimate that 200,000 people died of AIDS[117]
A documentary series - The Africans: A Triple Heritage premiers on the BBC and PBS in the United States. This series is produced by one of Africa's most prominent public intellectuals, Prof. Ali Mazrui. He was born in Mombasa; a member of the prominent Mazrui family.[118]
1987
Barack Obama visits Kenya for the first time to meet his father's family.[119]
The body of Robert Ouko, the Kenyan Foreign Minister, is found. Initial police reports stated that his death was a suicide but forensic evidence suggests that he was murdered. Public pressure forces President Daniel Arap Moi to involve Scotland Yard in the investigation.[120]
1990
July
The Saba Saba protests - pro-democracy uprisings - engulf the country. Kenneth Matiba and Raila Odinga are amongst the many opposition leaders arrested and detained without trial.[121][122]
Nelson Mandela visits Kenya with the intention of visiting the grave of Dedan Kimathi. His request is turned down by government authorities. Dedan Kimathi was buried in an unmarked grave in Kamiti Maximum Prison after his execution in 1957. His grave site would not be identified until 2019.[123][124]
1991
Local and International Pressure mounts leading to the repealing of section 2a of the constitution. Kenya becomes a multiparty state.[125]
The 1992 Kenyan general elections are held. This is Kenya's first presidential multiparty election. This election is marred by irregularities and targeted ethnic violence in Rift Valley Province. President Daniel Arap Moi retains his seat.[126]
Kenyan hip hop group Kalamashaka release the hit song "Tafsiri Hii" produced by Tedd Josiah. Their modern hip hop style combined with Swahili lyrics to give a message of hope despite the social and political issues bedevilling Kenya inspires a generation of urban youth and local talent.[130][131]
1997
7 July
The Saba Saba anniversary confrontation leaves 10 people dead and several injured at the hands of government authorities. The run-up to the 1997 election is marred by violence against the opposition[121]
The 2002 Mombasa attacks occur. Paradise Hotel and an Arkia airline owned flight are attacked. Both are Israeli owned. The attack on the airline fails but 13 people are killed and 80 are injured at the hotel.[136]
Daniel Arap Moi, the longest serving president in Kenya's history, steps down from power.[137]
2003
14 September
Dr. Crispin Mbai, the head of a key and contentious committee in Kenya's constitutional reforms is murdered. Many perceive this as a political murder[138][139]
John Githongo, journalist and whistle-blower, resigns from his position as Permanent Secretary for Governance and Ethics. He later names top politicians involved in the Anglo-leasing scandal, a government procurement scam. Following threats to his life he moves to the UK in exile.[141]
The 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum is held. Widely perceived as a referendum against President Mwai Kibaki, 57% of voters reject the draft constitution. Two days later, Kibaki dismisses his entire cabinet.[144]
2006
The Murumbi gallery opens at the Kenya National Archives. Joseph Murumbi, former Kenyan Vice President, was one of the worlds foremost collectors of African artefacts and historical documents. He sold his collection to the Kenyan government in 1977.[145]
2007
Prof. Miriam Were, a prominent public health expert and HIV/AIDS researcher, receives the Queen Elizabeth II Gold Medal for Outstanding contributions to International Public Health and Supporting the Health Needs of Disadvantaged people. Despite downward trends in the national prevalence of HIV in Kenya, in 2007, approximately 1,400,000 persons are living with HIV.[146][147][148]
2007
March
Safaricom and Vodafone launch MPesa, a mobile phone based money transfer system, following successful trials in Thika in 2006. By 2019, this service will have 42 million active customers over 7 countries. Millions of people with limited access to banking services, through their mobile phones, gain access to financial services.[149][150]
President Kibaki declares this day a public holiday following the election of Barack Obama to become the first African American president of the United States.[153]
Entrepreneur and blogger Erik Hersman starts iHub, an innovation hub and hacker space. This quickly becomes a central pillar of the Silicon Savannah (the Kenyan tech scene). Between 2010 and 2019, 170 companies are formed out of iHub.[155]
2010
March
The Kenyan music group Just a band releases Kenya's first viral music video - Ha He - which tells the exploits of Makmende, referencing blaxploitation and kung fu motifs. The viral response highlights the uptake and penetration of technology and social media in Kenya[156]
Anglo-Irish firm, Tullow Oil, discovers oil in Northern Kenya. President Kibaki calls the find a major breakthrough[162]
2012
9 August
In what was dubbed "The Greatest 800 Meter Race Ever", David Rudisha wins the gold medal in the 2012 London olympics 800m race and breaks the world record.[163]
Kenya rebases its economy increasing in GDP size by 25.3 per cent. Newly classified as a middle-income country, Kenya becomes Africa's ninth largest economy, up from 12th.[167]
A Huruma building in Nairobi collapses. 52 people are killed and several injured. The high demand for Housing in Nairobi leads to some developers bypassing safety regulations.[172][173]
Afterwards, protests erupt in Nairobi, Western Kenya and the Coastal region. The police response is lethal. Over the next weeks after the election, at least 12 people are killed and over a hundred injured. Police operations include door to door crackdowns in areas not involved in the protests. The tragic death of 6 month old Samantha Pendo ignites an uproar over police brutality.[178][179]
2017
20 September
The Supreme Court annuls the election results. Fresh elections are called for within 60 days.[180]
Amidst a media black-out, Raila Odinga is sworn in as the "People's President" in an effort to persuade Uhuru Kenyatta to come to the negotiation table. Kenyan lawyer Miguna Miguna officiates the ceremony. He is deported in February following treason related charges and the legality of his citizenship is brought to question.[182][183][184][185]
2018
March
An investigative report reveals that Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm, played a critical role in President Uhuru Kenyatta's two campaigns, in 2013 and 2017.[186]
The DusitD2 complex which hosts an upscale hotel and several other offices is attacked. 21 people are killed and several injured. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the attack stating that it was a response to US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel[189][190]
US-based Kenyan scientist and inventor, Prof. Benson Edagwa is named the Emerging Innovator of the year at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for his work on developing long acting Antiretroviral treatments for HIV.[193]
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