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Where did Kenya get its name?
Kenya is named after a mountain of the same name. The Kikuyu people, who lived around present day Mt Kenya, referred to it as “Kirinyaga” or “Kerenyaga”, meaning mountain of whiteness because of its snow-capped peak.
What was Mount Kenya’s original name?
The Kikuyu name for Mount Kenya is Kirima Kĩrĩ Nyaga (Mt. Kirinyaga), which literally translates to the mountain that which has the “Nyaga” – Ostriches.
When was Kenya founded?
December 12, 1963
Kenya/Founded
What was Kenya called before 1963?
The British Empire established the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, from 1920 known as the Kenya Colony. The independent Republic of Kenya was formed in 1963.
What was Kenya before Kenya?
The British Empire established the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, from 1920 known as the Kenya Colony. The independent Republic of Kenya was formed in 1963. It was ruled as a de facto one-party state by the Kenya African National Union (KANU), led by Jomo Kenyatta during 1963 to 1978.
Why does Kenya mean?
Origin of name Kenya is named after a mountain of the same name. The Kikuyu people who lived around present day Mt Kenya referred to it as Kirinyaga or Kerenyaga, meaning ‘mountain of whiteness’ because of its snow capped peak.
What was Kenya called before Kenya?
How did the Republic of Kenya get its name?
The mountain’s name was later accepted as the name of the country, although it was not widely used during the colonial period, as the country was known as the East African Protectorate at that time. It was renamed the Colony of Kenya in 1920, and then adopted the name the Republic of Kenya when the country gained independence in 1963.
When did the first Europeans come to Kenya?
The European and Arab presence in Mombasa dates to the Early Modern period, but European exploration of the interior began only in the 19th century. The British Empire established the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, from 1920 known as the Kenya Colony.
Why did the British resettle people in Kenya?
Kenya became a focus of resettlement of young, upper class British officers after the war, giving a strong aristocratic tone to the white settlers. If they had £1,000 in assets they could get a free 1,000 acres (4 km 2); the goal of the government was to speed up modernisation and economic growth.
Who was the first person to become president of Kenya?
The first president and founding father of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta. The first direct elections for native Kenyans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957. Despite British hopes of handing power to “moderate” local rivals, it was the Kenya African National Union (KANU) of Jomo Kenyatta that formed a government.