A Brief History of Kenya

According to archeological evidence, Kenya is one of the countries in the world that possesses the largest and most complete record of man's cultural development. The country has a variety of environment factors that make human survival in the prehistoric period plausible. Although the written history about Kenya in the pre-colonial era is scant and skewed, available evidence indicates that long before colonization, there was an emerging civilization in Kenya. Archeological digs have presented to us tools, ranging from crude to advanced, which testify of man's occupation in Kenya during the Iron Age period. Among the first known visitors to Kenya were Arab immigrants who settled in the coastal region in the 8th century. The Portuguese, the first known Europeans settlers, came shortly after the Arabs. In the 19th century, the British government colonized Kenya. From 1890 to 1952, Kenya resisted colonization with planned as well as sporadic rebellion. The last rebellion, known as the Mau Mau Rebellion, caught the attention of the whole known world at the time. Often resistance to colonization was met with excessive force. In June 1963, Kenya attained "Madaraka" (internal self-government.) On the 12th of December 1963, Kenya became an independent republic with Mzee Jomo Kenyatta as the first President. Upon Kenyatta's death on 22 August 1978, the then vice President, Hon. Daniel arap Moi assumed Presidency. Moi was the President of Kenya until December 2002. Following a constitutional change that restricted the presidency to two terms only, Moi handed over to President Mwai Kibaki who won the 2002 general election.

About Kenya in General

Kenya lies across the equator on the East Coast of Africa. To the North, Kenya borders Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Uganda is to the west of Kenya while Tanzania is to the south and the Indian Ocean is to the east. Kenya is approximately the size of the State of Texas, USA. Kenya covers an area of 582,646 sq km (222,000 sq miles). The current population is about 30 million people of which 49.5% are children below the age of 15 years. 40% of the national population is Protestant, 30% Roman Catholic, 6% Muslim, and 23% other religious believers. The capital city of Kenya, Nairobi, has a population of about 3 million people. The national population growth is 2.4% (1998 estimates).
Although Nairobi has a nickname, "The City in the Sun", the city enjoys fairly cool temperatures throughout the year. In general, Kenya has very pleasant and favorable climate all year round. Long rains come around April - May and short rains around November - December. The Kenyan economy is largely depedent on agriculture. The country exports Tea, Coffee, and Minerals. Although the GDP is estimated at $8.9billions, the per capita income is only $300 (1998). Of all surrounding nations, Kenya appears more stable economically. As is with other nations in the world, Kenya is grappling with the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS pandemic. According to the government estimates, about 2 million Kenyans are living with the HIV/AIDS virus. The cumulative death is estimated to be 1.5 million with the death rate of 700 persons per day. Approximately, 1.2 million orphans are attributable to HIV/AIDS scourge. The figure represents approximately 13% prevalence of total orphans.
Despite the harsh realities, there is hope. Many within government, non-governmental organizations, and ordinary nationals are stepping up to claim a better tomorrow. The church has a wide door of ministry now. Many people are open to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the ministries that eliminate or alleviate ignorance and suffering.