Kenya Colonial Records

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Kenya

Colonial Records

German Protectorate (1885-1888)

The colonization of Kenya began with Germany instituting a protectorate over the Sultan of Zanzibar's coastal possessions in 1885. When the Imperial British East Africa Company arrived in 1888, war was prevented when Germany ceded its coastal holdings to Britain in 1890.

Record collection	Years covered	Record type	Language	Who is in the records

British Colonization (1888-1963)

Kenya became a free country in 1963. In 1964, Kenya became a republic and was renamed the Republic of Kenya. The official languages are English and Swahili.

To learn about colonial Kenya, you may want to read some of the following books:

• Britain and Kenya, 1870-1930 : the economics of colonialism
• Kenya : from chartered company to crown colony, thirty years of exploration and administration in British East Africa by C.W. Hobley
• The making of mission communities in East Africa : Anglicans and Africans in colonial Kenya, 1875-1935 by Robert W. Strayer
• Origins of European settlement in Kenya by M.P.K. Sorrenson.
• Politics of decolonization : Kenya Europeans and the land issue, 1960-1965 by Gary Wasserman

Record collection	Years covered	Record type	Language	Who is in the records
Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Kenya at Findmypast - index & images ($)	1821-2005	Births and baptisms	English	Children born to those working within the armed forces, merchant navy, and consular forces, as well as, civilian ship passengers.
British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Kenya at Findmypast - index & images ($)	1849-1996	Banns and marriages	English	British armed forces members and civilians who were married abroad and at sea
British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, Kenya at Findmypast - index & images ($)	1849-2005	Deaths and burials	English	Members of the British armed forces who died while serving their country overseas, British civilians who died while traveling or working overseas, and individuals (including seaman) who died at sea.
British Civil Service Evidence Of Age at Findmypast - index ($)	1827-1930	Civil Service applications and paperwork	English	Individuals who worked for, or applied to join, the British Civil Service.
Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda telephone directory	1920-?	Telephone directory	English	Residents of Nairobi, Mombasa, and other towns in Kenya
UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969, Kenya at Ancestry - index ($)	1905-1923	Birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial records	English	Records in this collection come from a variety sources. Events include both British and non-British nationals
Kenya Gazette at Archive.org	20th Century	Colonial Newspapers	English	These newspapers sometimes detail probate and land information of those living in the Kenya Colony.
Kenya Gazette at Google Books	20th Century	Colonial Newspapers	English	These newspapers sometimes detail probate and land information of those living in the Kenya Colony.

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