Key Milestones at a Glance Era Key Developments Dominant Owners 1895–1920 Missionary and settler newspapers established; press serves European community Missionaries, Colonial settlers 1920–1952 African-run newspapers emerge; vernacular press flourishes as nationalist tool African political associations, Asian entrepreneurs 1952–1963 Mau Mau Emergency; near-total suppression of African press Colonial state (control), Asian/European capital 1963–1992 Independence; foreign-owned … Read more

Part 1: The Myth of the “Empty Wilderness” Before the first European explorer set foot in what would become Kenya, before the first game licence was issued or the first national park gazetted, the land was not an empty wilderness waiting to be discovered. It was a lived-in landscape, shaped and sustained by the people … Read more

Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes Key Takeaways at a Glance Era Key Actors Primary Goal for African Education 1844–1895 Missionaries (CMS, Holy Ghost Fathers) Christian conversion through literacy 1895–1911 Imperial British East Africa Company, Early Settlers Practical training for trade and labour 1911–1919 Colonial Government (Education Department) Industrial training; creating a skilled workforce 1919–1925 Government, Missions, … Read more

Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes Key Milestones at a Glance Year Coffee Tea 1893 First coffee planted at Bura, Taita Hills  — 1903 — First tea seedlings introduced in Limuru  1904 Coffee established at Kikuyu near Nairobi  — 1924 — Commercial tea cultivation begins  1932/33 Coffee Board established; first Coffee Act  — 1934/35 First coffee auction … Read more

Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes Key Takeaways Era Land System Who Controlled It? Pre-Colonial Customary / Communal The Clan / Community Colonial (1895–1963) Crown Lands / Native Reserves The British Crown Independence (1963–2002) Freehold / Leasehold Political Elite 2010 Constitution Public / Community / Private NLC & Communities Land is more than soil in Kenya. It … Read more