FLAG OF KENYA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY

The Kenyan flag is the national flag of this East African country. It is made up of three horizontal stripes of the same size. Its colors, from top to bottom, are black, red and green. Each strip is separated by a smaller one in white and in the central part is the traditional shield of the Maasai people in red. Below him, two spears intersect.

The history of Kenyan flags began enduringly with the Europeans. The British in particular established symbols to identify the colonial territory. These were maintained until the independence of the country. Before the arrival of the British, flags were rare, although groups such as the Omani Arabs did fly some.

Kenyan flag. (User: Pumbaa80).

Since independence in 1963, Kenya has had only one flag. This is inspired by the independence political party African National Union of Kenya.

The colors are Pan-African. Black represents the Kenyan people, while red, as usual, is identified with the blood shed to achieve independence. Green, for its part, is the symbol of the national landscape. In the center, the Maasai shield and swords represent the country's defense.

History of the flag

The history of the population of present-day Kenyan territory goes back vastly to prehistory. One of the first ethnic groups to populate the region was the Bantu, which still exists today. The first city-states to be established in the territory were called Azania.

However, closeness to the Arabs marked the history of Kenya. Some cities such as Mombasa and Malindi established commercial relations with the Arabs. The Swahili states, which also dominated Kenya, were influenced by the Arabs.

Since then, Swahili has been spoken, which is a Bantu language enriched with Arabic and English, and which today is the first language of Tanzania and the second of Kenya.

Another state that was formed was the Kilwa Sultanate. Although its location was mostly concentrated in present-day Tanzania, it also extended along the entire Swahili coast, including present-day Kenya. Its foundation occurred around the 10th century and power was maintained by a Persian sultan.

Arrival of the Portuguese

The first Europeans to make contact with the area currently occupied by Kenya were the Portuguese. Vasco da Gama, a renowned Portuguese navigator, reached the shores of Mombasa in 1498.

The objective from the first moment of the Portuguese was to establish naval bases that would allow them to dominate the Indian Ocean, without establishing colonies. In this way, the Portuguese sought an alternative maritime route to that used by the Venetians.

Furthermore, the Portuguese conquered Kilwa in 1505. The entire established structure consisted of forts that were mainly attacked by Omani Arabs. Colonization did not take place in this part but much further south, in present-day Mozambique.

The Portuguese imperial flag was a white cloth with the royal coat of arms of the country, which was constantly adapted according to the monarch on duty. The crown was imposed on him.

Flag of the Portuguese Empire. (1495). (Guilherme Paula).

Omani domain

Arab rule was firmly established in present-day Kenya at the hands of the Omanis. By 1698, the Omanis captured the main Portuguese fort and as early as 1730 all the Portuguese stationed on the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania were expelled. However, the capital of the Omani territory was established in Zanzibar as early as the 19th century.

Again, the interior of the country was not occupied, but the Omanis settled on the coasts. Trade in the region changed, as slaves were given more importance and a maritime relationship began to be established with the British. Ultimately, the Omanis did not resist the British trading the area in slaves, nor did they resist its subsequent abolition.

By the end of the 19th century, Omani Arab power in the territory began to decline. The Europeans began to study the interior of the territory and to occupy practically all the trade in this area. The German colonial advance would push the British to take a step towards colonization.

Flag used by Omani and Mascat sultanates

Oman historically was divided between the Sultanate of Muscat, located on the coast of the original territory in the Persian Gulf, and the Sultanate of Oman. The flag of the Sultanate of Muscat, which was the one that dominated the naval part, consisted of a red cloth. This faced the Omani flag, which was white with a royal shield in the canton.

After the merger of both sultanates in 1820, the red cloth prevailed as a national symbol.

Flag of the Sultanate of Muscat (1650-1820) and of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (1820-1970). (Himasaram via Wikimedia Commons).

East African Protectorate

The Germans had taken the possessions of the Zanzibar Sultanate. Faced with this threat, the British accelerated and began to extend their dominance on the coast of the Indian Ocean.

Germany finally yielded to the British in exchange for the cession of Tanganyika. However, the fighting continued, but the United Kingdom's naval forces managed to assert themselves solidly and extend their colonies along this coast.

British colonization of East Africa was late but determined. By 1895 the East African Protectorate was officially established, extending into present-day Uganda. Responsible for carrying out this foundation was the British East Africa Company.

The creation of this new colonial entity implied the segregation of whites in the territory and the exploitation of different natural resources. He also imposed the extensive use of fertile lands for agriculture.

British expansion also took place through the development of means of transport such as the Uganda Railway. In addition, as was customary in much of the colonies of this country, the area received migration from India. The conflicts of the struggle for land continued, led by the Maasai, in the southern part.

Use of the Union Jack

British colonial entities established different colonial flags. The East African area, not being properly a colonial territory, did not have one. However, the Union Jack was the flag flown throughout this period of protectorate. The colonial symbols only arrived after the creation of the colony itself in 1920.

Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (By Original flag by Acts of Union 1800SVG recreation by User: Zscout370, from Wikimedia Commons).

Kenyan colony

The fact that the territory was a protectorate assigned diverse powers to the governor, leaving even the British settlers of the place relegated. The objective of these was the creation of a colony for Kenya, which would give them more power to administer the territory. This fact finally materialized in 1920.

Although from that moment the colonists had more importance in the handling of the administrative questions, the Africans did not have any possibility of access to the colonial councils until 1944.

During World War I, Kenya became a strategic point against the German colonies in East Africa. The war generated many expenses for the British, who had to bring soldiers from India.

The ethnic struggles continued with different identities and modes of struggle. The Kikuyu tribe became one of the most outstanding, as they faced the strict regulations imposed for agriculture, such as the prohibition of the cultivation of coffee.

The strategic importance of Kenya would be repeated in World War II, but this time in front of the colonies of fascist Italy in the Horn of Africa. The armed movement marked Kenyan history, as it caused Africans to exacerbate their nationalist identities.

Colonial flag

The British colonial vexillological tradition has marked, throughout its history, a common denominator for its colonial flags. These usually involve the Union Jack in the frame of a dark blue cloth, in addition to a shield or a traditional symbol of its own that differentiates the specific colony. This was also the case in Kenya.

In 1921, a year after the creation of the Kenyan colony, the creation of a colonial flag for this new dependency became official. As usual, he kept the Union Jack in the canton on a dark blue background. The symbol that distinguished Kenya was not a shield, but simply the silhouette of a lion in red. This one had its front legs stretched out to the left.

Traditionally, the lion is one of the symbols of the British monarchy. The flag did not undergo any modification until the independence of the country, in 1963.

British Kenyan flag. (1921-1963). (Pray neu dag).

First independence movements

The Kikuyu were the first ethnic group to establish political movements to confront the colonial regime. What by 1921 was a youth association led by Harry Thuku, became by 1924 the Central Association of Kiyuku.

It was not until the course of World War II that the Kiyuyu began a larger-scale political movement. One of his first objectives was the restitution of the lands by the settlers. In 1944 Thuku founded the Kenya African Studies Union (KASU), which two years later became the Kenya African Union (KAU).

This movement gradually gained representation in British colonial institutions. By 1952, Africans were already represented in the Legislative Council, but with a much lower proportion than they corresponded to.

Despite internal struggles, the colonial constitution of 1958 increased African representation, albeit insufficiently. A conference that took place in London in 1960 changed the political reality.

The KAU became the Kenya African National Union (KANU) political party. This movement suffered a split that formed the Kenya Democratic African Union (KADU).

Kenya African Union flag

The political movement of the African Union of Kenya also endowed itself with its symbols. Before becoming a political party, in 1951 the African Union of Kenya created its flag. This was designed by activist Jomo Kenyatta. Initially, the insignia was black and red with the traditional shield in the center and an arrow.

Later, the flag was modified to have three horizontal stripes of equal size. The colors, from top to bottom, were black, red and green. The shield was also kept in the central part, but now with a crossed sword and an arrow, in addition to the initials KAU. Although this flag could have been presented as a simple tricolor, it mostly included the traditional Maasai shield in the central part.

The flag was maintained after the independence of the country, although with modifications. The three colors are part of the Pan-African colors, so the movement remained in line with the others that existed on the continent.

Flag of the African Union of Kenya and the African National Union of Kenya. (Midnightblueowl via Wikimedia Commons).

Kenyan independence

By 1961, multi-party elections left KANU with 19 seats and KADU with 11, while 20 were held by European, Asian and Arab minorities.

The following year KANU and KADU formed a coalition government that included their two leaders. A new colonial constitution established a bicameral parliamentary system, as well as the creation of regional assemblies for each of the seven regions.

Self-government increased and elections were held for new parliamentary instances. On December 12, 1963, the independence of Kenya was officially declared.

The United Kingdom ceded its colonial powers, as well as those of the protectorate that was administered by the Sultanate of Zanzibar. A year later, Kenya declared itself a republic and Jomo Kenyatta was its first president.

Current Kenyan Flag

Kenyan flag. (User: Pumbaa80).

The Kenyan flag came into force on the day of independence. Despite the KANU's initial claim to convert the party's flag into the national one, it received modifications. The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Thomas Joseph Mboya was one of those who promoted the change.

This resulted in the addition of two small white stripes that represented peace. Additionally, the shield was lengthened and its design was modified to match the one traditionally used by the Maasai people. Two spears replaced the arrow and spear on the original shield.

Meaning of the flag

The meanings of the elements of the Kenyan flag are varied, but there are multiple coincidences. The black color is the one that represents the Kenyan people in general and the indigenous population in specific. It is usually related to the skin color of most of its inhabitants.

For its part, the color red represents blood. In principle, it is usually associated with spilled blood to achieve the independence of the country. However, it is also common to incorporate the appreciation that it represents the blood of all humanity. In addition, it is the symbol of the fight for freedom.

Green is related to the country's landscape and its natural wealth, in addition to the fertile lands. Additionally, the color white was added to represent peace, unity, and honesty.

Finally, the traditional Maasai shield has meanings that relate to the defense of the country, as well as the traditional way of life of Kenya. The spears refer to the organization of the national structure, but together with the shield they represent the ability of Kenya to maintain the integrity of its territory and defend freedom.

References

Answers Africa. (sf). Kenya Flag: Its Meaning, Colors, Designer and Symbolism of Its Elements. Answers Africa. Recovered from answersafrica.com.
Brennan, J. (2008). Lowering the sultan's flag: sovereignty and decolonization in coastal Kenya. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 50 (4), 831-861. Recovered from cambridge.org.
Jedwab, R., Kerby, E., and Moradi, A. (2017). History, path dependence and development: Evidence from colonial railways, settlers and cities in Kenya. The Economic Journal, 127 (603), 1467-1494. Recovered from academic.oup.com.
Kenya High Commission United Kingdom. (sf). Flag & Anthem. Kenya High Commission United Kingdom. Recovered from kenyahighcom.org.uk.
Ross, W. (1927). Kenya from within: a short Political History. George Allen and Unwin Limited: London, UK. Recovered from dspace.gipe.ac.in.
Smith, W. (2018). Flag of Kenya. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Recovered from britannica.com.
Wangondu, L. (July 13, 2014). The Kenyan Flag - Its History and Meaning. Journey Kenya. Recovered from journeykenya.com.

FLAG OF KENYA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025