Important dates in Kenya

Pre-colonial history
Around 2000 BC, Cushitic-speaking people from
northern Africa settled in the part of East Africa that is
now Kenya. By the 1st Century AD, the Kenyan coast
was frequented by Arab traders, who due to Kenya's
proximity to the Arabian Peninsula, established Arab
and Persian colonies there. The Nilotic and Bantu
people also moved into the region during the first
millennium AD. and settled inland.
The Europeans
Evolving from a mixture of Bantu and Arabic, the
Swahili language then developed as a lingua franca for
trade between the different peoples. When the
Portuguese arrived in 1498, the Arab dominance on the
coast was clipped, as the Port of Mombasa became an
important resupply stop for ships bound for the Far
East. The Portuguese gave way in turn to Islamic
control under the Imam of Oman in the 1600s until
another European influence came along, this time from
the United Kingdom during the 19th century.
Colonial History
The roots of the colonial history of Kenya go back to
the Berlin Conference in 1885, when East Africa was
first divided into territories of influence by the
European powers. The British Government founded the
East African Protectorate in 1895 and soon after,
opened the fertile highlands to white settlers. Even
before it was officially declared a British colony in
1920, these settlers were allowed a voice in
government, while the Africans and the Asians were
banned from direct political participation until 1944.
During this period thousands of Indians were brought
into Kenya to work on building the Kenya Uganda
Railway Line and subsequently settled there, whilst
inviting many of their kith and kin who were mainly
traders from India to join them.
Resistance to Colonialism -- the Mau Mau
In 1942, members of the Kikuyu, Embu, Meru and
Kamba tribes took an oath of unity and secrecy to fight
for freedom from British rule. The Mau Mau Movement
began with that oath and Kenya embarked on its long
hard road to National Sovereignty. In 1953, Jomo
Kenyatta was charged with directing the Mau Mau and
sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. Another freedom
fighter Dedan Kimathi was arrested in 1956 for his role
in the Mau Mau uprising as one of the leaders of the
struggle for independence and was subsequently
hanged by the colonialists. Kenya was put under a
state of emergency from October 1952 to December
1959, due to the Mau Mau rebellion against British
colonial rule and thousands of Kenyans were
incarcerated in detention camps. During this period,
African participation in the political process increased
rapidly and in 1954 all three races (European, Asian
and African) were admitted into the Kenya Legislative
Council on a representative basis.
Kenya achieves independence
In 1957, the first direct elections for Africans to the
Legislative Council took place and those elected
increased the people's agitation for Jomo Kenyatta's
release from detention. In 1962 Kenyatta was released
to become Kenya's first Prime Minister, when Kenya
finally gained independence on December 12, 1963.
The following year, Kenya became a Republic with
Kenyatta as its first President. In the same year Kenya
joined the British Commonwealth.
The Road to Kenyatta's one party state
In 1966, a small but significant leftist opposition party,
the Kenya People's Union (KPU), was formed by
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a former Vice President and
Luo elder. KPU was banned shortly thereafter and its
leader arrested in 1969 and Kenya became a "de facto"
single party state. Following Kenyatta's death in August
1978, Vice President Daniel Arap Moi succeeded him
as Kenya's second President.
The Moi era
In June 1982, Kenya was officially declared a one party
state by the National Assembly and the constitution
was amended accordingly. Parliamentary elections
were held in September 1983 under a single party for
the first time and the 1988 elections reinforced the one
party system. However, in December 1991, Parliament
annulled the one party section of the constitution. A
diversity of new parties were formed in early 1992 and
in December of that year, multiparty democracy was
restored and elections were held with several parties
participating. Because of divisions in the opposition,
Moi was reelected for another 5-year term, and his
KANU party retained a majority in the legislature. Due
to parliamentary reforms in November 1997, political
rights were expanded, which led to an explosion in the
number of political parties. Again, Moi won re-election
as President in the December 1997 elections, because
of a divided opposition. KANU won 113 out of 222
parliamentary seats, but, because of defections, had to
depend on the support of minor parties to forge a
working majority.
President Mwai Kibaki
In October 2002, the National Rainbow Coalition
(NARC) was formed, emerging from a unification of
opposition parties together with a faction, which broke
away from KANU. Mwai Kibaki, the NARC candidate,
was elected as the country's third President in
December 2002. President Kibaki received 62 percent
of the vote, and NARC garnered 130 out of 222
parliamentary seats (59 percent of seats). During
Kibaki's first time in office, democratic space was
opened up even more and coalition politics took root.
The Grand Coalition
Kenya held its Tenth General Election on the 27th of
December 2007. A dispute that followed the
announcement of the result by the Electoral
Commission of Kenya (ECK) unfortunately degenerated
into an unprecedented seven-week long spate of
violence in some parts of the country, leading to loss
of lives, dislocation of some citizens, destruction of
property and general disruption of social and economic
life.
The former Secretary General of the United Nations
His Excellency Mr. Koffi Annan with the assistance of
eminent persons from across the African continent
including H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete, Chairman of
the African Union and President of Tanzania, H.E. Mrs.
Graca Machel, His Excellency Mr. Benjamin Mkapa and
His Excellency Mr. Joachim Chisano, helped broker a
reconciliation between H.E. President Mwai Kibaki and
his main contender Hon. Raila Odinga leading to the
signing of the National Accord and Reconciliation
Agreement, thus paving the way for the restoration of
peace and security in the country and a return to
normalcy in the affected regions.
The Agreement, included a fundamental change in the
Government structure to introduce the post of Prime
Minister, with two Deputy Premiers and the formation
of a Grand Coalition between the President's party of
National Unity and Hon.Odinga's Orange Democratic
Movement Party.
Following the agreement, H.E. the President and the
Prime Minister Designate appointed a National Accord
Implementation Committee to prepare a program of
action for the Grand Coalition Government (GCG),
synchronize the manifestos of the coalition parties and
identify short, medium and long term policies for
implementation by the GCG.
The Committee established a reconciliation and
building program covering the entire country with
activities cascaded down to all districts and
constituencies and involved the Private Sector, Civil
Society, Media, Community Based Organizations, Sports
Personalities and Faith Based Organizations in the
National Emergency Recovery Strategy.
In parallel to this, three important Bodies were
established: The Truth Justice and Reconciliation
Commission, The Commission of Enquiry on Post
Election Violence and Independent Review Committee
on the 2007 Elections. Through these Bodies truth,
reconciliation and healing will be brought to Kenya and
its people.
The parties also agreed on a process and roadmap for
comprehensive constitutional reform, which will
strengthen the institutions of Governance and address
the long term differences that contributed to the
violence.
Life in Kenya has settled down quickly with the country
coming out stronger and more united than before as
President Mwai Kibaki begins his second and final term
in office.

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