The first colonists from Europe to have a presence in Kenya were German, but in 1890, the region came under the control of the Imperial British East Africa Company, and Kenya was part of the British East Africa protectorate until it became a British crown colony in 1920.
Disputes over land were common, leading to the Mau Mau rebellion in 1952, which effectively put Kenya into a state of emergency for the next seven years.
The first direct elections took place in 1957, with the Kenya African National Union led by Jomo Kenyatta forming the first government.
Kenya gained its independence on December 12th 1963 and was admitted into the Commonwealth as a republic exactly one year later, with Jomo Kenyatta as president.
Nairobi National Park is the only national park in the world to be in a capital city – on its savannah plains it is possible to view rhinos, lions, giraffes and other safari species with the city’s skyline as a backdrop.