Factbook
Histoire de Kenya — Chronologie
Dates clés de l'histoire de Kenya, d'après le Factbook Magna et l'Encyclopédie universelle.
1890In 1890, Germany and the UK divided up the region, with the UK taking the north and the Germans the south, including present-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda.
1895In 1895, the British established the East Africa Protectorate, which in 1920 was converted into a colony, and named Kenya after its highest mountain.
1952Numerous political disputes between the colony and the UK led to the violent Mau Mau Uprising, which began in 1952, and the eventual declaration of independence in 1963.
1963Independence: 12 December 1963 (from the UK).
1963Jomo KENYATTA, the founding president and an icon of the liberation struggle, led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when Vice President Daniel Arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession.
1969The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982, after which time the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) changed the constitution to make itself the sole legal political party.
1991MOI gave in to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in 1991, but the ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud.
2002MOI stepped down in 2002 after fair and peaceful elections.
2007Opposition candidate Raila ODINGA challenged KIBAKI's reelection in 2007 on the grounds of widespread vote rigging, leading to two months of ethnic violence that caused more than 1,100 deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands.
2010In 2010, Kenyans overwhelmingly voted to adopt a new constitution that eliminated the prime minister, introduced additional checks and balances to executive power, and devolved power and resources to 47 newly created counties.
2013Uhuru KENYATTA won the first presidential election under the new constitution in 2013.
2017He won a second and final term in office in 2017 after a contentious repeat election.
2019Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages Religions: Christian 85.5% (Protestant 33.4%, Catholic 20.6%, Evangelical 20.4%, African Instituted Churches 7%, other Christian 4.1%), Muslim 10.9%, other 1.8%, none 1.6%, don't know/no answer 0.2% (2019 est.) Urban population: 29.5% of total population (2023).
2022In 2022, William RUTO won a close presidential election; he assumed the office the following month after the Kenyan Supreme Court upheld the victory.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 10.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 4.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 15.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 20.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 47.2% of total i Energy use: 5.486 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: agriculture, transportation, services, manufacturing, construction, telecommunications, tourism, retail Agriculture: sugarcane, milk, maize, bananas, tea, potatoes, cassava, cabbages, camel milk, mangoes/guavas (2023) Electricity access: 76% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 5.325 million NAIROBI (capital), 1.440 million Mombassa (2023) fast growing, third largest Sub-Saharan economy; strong agriculture sector with emerging services and tourism industries; IMF program to address current account and debt service challenges; business-friendly policies foster infrastructure investment, digital innovation and public-private partnerships; vulnerable to climate change-induced droughts Inflation: 4.5% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 1.1% of GDP (2024 est.).
2025Population: 55.8 million (2025 estimate).
