Kenya History

Kenya is one of the most ancient countries of the world. The first inhabitants appeared there by 3000-1500 B.C. Although the Kikuyu, Kamba, Luo and Masai tribes had different origins, they shared the same area. The first who visited this country were the Portuguese, they got the control over the eastern part of the country. By 1730 the Kenyan Coast was conquered by the Omani Arabs. The capital was shifted to Zanzibar, this helped Arabs to make their power over this region stronger. At the end of the 19th century Kenya became a colony of the British Empire. The British built a railway between Mombasa and Kampala using the slaves from India. There were some attempts to fight the British rule but the most significant event in the history of the country was the Mau Mau Rebellion. In 1956 the Mau Mau rebellion was crushed, many people died, detention camps were set up. Finally, Kenya gained its independence on the 12th of December, 1963. Jomo Kenyatta, representative of the Kenya African National Union party, formed the first government. He became the country's first president.