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Kenya History:
Modern
Kenyan History begins at around the 15th Century when the Portuguese
first arrived at the East Coast of Africa. Trade along the coastline
led to the development of settlements and eventually towns such
as Lamu, Mombasa and Malindi. The Portuguese were eventually expelled
from the Coast in the 18th century by the Omani Arabs.
The British first arrived in 1888 when the Imperial British
East Africa Protectorate was established. The Kenya-Uganda Railway
was built by the British to make the interior more accessible.
The British colonial rule met armed resistance by the Mau Mau
Freedom Fighters between 1952 and 1959 a period in which the
country was placed under a state of emergency. The Mau Mau rebellion
was eventually suppressed by the Colonial government.
Political parties such as the Kenya Africa Union (KAU) and
Kenya Africa National Union (KANU) emerged and began to lobby
for increased
rights for the Kenyan people. Kenya eventually attained its
independence from the British on the 12th of December 1963
with Jomo Kenyatta
as the first President.
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