The History of Kenya

The modern history of the region begins in the 8th century when Arabs settle on the east coast.
In 1497, Vasco da Gama landed in Kenya. Portuguese traders settled on the Kenyan coast in the 16th century and were expelled by the Arabs in 1720.
In 1885, the Germans established a protectorate that comprised the possessions of the Sultan of Zanzibar. In 1888, the British East Africa Company arrived in the region.
The Germans decided not to fight for the region and handed over their possessions on the coast to the British in 1890.

From October 1952 till December 1959, the state of emergency was in force in Kenya following a rebellion against British rule, the so-called Mau-Mau rebellion. In 1957, elections were held under British rule. The Kenya African National Union of Jomo Kenyatta won and formed a government.

Kenya became independent on 12 December 1963. Kenyatta became president. After his death in 1978, he was succeeded by Daniel Arap Moi who was re-elected altogether four times.At the beginning of the nineteen nineties, thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands became homeless during tribal conflicts.
The 1997 elections were marred by corruption and fraud, but Moi was re-elected again. Moi did not stand for re-election on 27 December 2002 and opposition leader Mwai Kibaki was elected president.

Population and area:

Kenya – 28.7 million - 580.367 km2
Germany – 83.5 million – 357.022 km2
the Netherlands – 16.4 million – 41.528 km2