A Brief History of the African Country of Kenya

A Brief History of the African Country of Kenya Fossils found in East Africa suggest that protohumans roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Recent finds near Kenyas Lake Turkana indicate that hominids lived in  the area  2.6 million years ago. Cushitic-speaking people from northern Africa moved into the area that is now Kenya beginning around 2000 BC. Arab traders began frequenting the Kenya coast around the first century AD. Kenyas proximity to the Arabian Peninsula invited colonization, and Arab and Persian settlements sprouted along the coast by the eighth century. During the first millennium AD, Nilotic and Bantu peoples moved into the region, and the latter now comprises three-quarters of Kenyas population. The Europeans Arrive The Swahili language, a mixture of Bantu and Arabic, developed as a lingua franca for trade between the different peoples. Arab dominance on the coast was eclipsed by the arrival in 1498 of the Portuguese, who gave way in turn to Islamic control under the Imam of Oman in the 1600s. The United Kingdom established its influence in the 19th century. The colonial history of Kenya dates from the Berlin Conference of 1885 when the European powers first partitioned East Africa into spheres of influence. In 1895, the U.K. Government established the East African Protectorate and, soon after, opened the fertile highlands to white settlers. The settlers were allowed a voice in government even before it was officially made a U.K. colony in 1920, but Africans were prohibited from direct political participation until 1944. The Mau Mau  Resist Colonialism From October 1952 to December 1959, Kenya was under a state of emergency arising from the Mau Mau rebellion against British colonial rule. During this period, African participation in the political process increased rapidly. Kenya Achieves Independence The first direct elections for Africans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957. Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963, and the next year joined the Commonwealth. Jomo Kenyatta, a member of the large Kikuyu ethnic group and head of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), became Kenyas first President. The minority party, Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU), representing a coalition of small ethnic groups, dissolved itself voluntarily in 1964 and joined KANU. The Road to Kenyattas One-Party State A small but significant leftist opposition party, the Kenya Peoples Union (KPU), was formed in 1966, led by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a former Vice President, and Luo elder. The KPU was banned shortly after and its leader detained. No new opposition parties were formed after 1969, and KANU became the sole political party. At Kenyattas death in August 1978, Vice President Daniel Arap Moi became President. A New Democracy in Kenya In June 1982, the National Assembly amended the constitution, making Kenya officially a one-party state, and parliamentary elections were held in September 1983. The 1988 elections reinforced the one-party system. However, in December 1991, Parliament repealed the one-party section of the constitution. By early 1992, several new parties had formed, and multiparty elections were held in December 1992. Because of divisions in the opposition, however, Moi was reelected for another 5-year term, and his KANU party retained a majority of the legislature. Parliamentary reforms in November 1997 expanded political rights, and the number of political parties grew rapidly. Again because of a divided opposition, Moi won re-election as President in the December 1997 elections. KANU won 113 out of 222 parliamentary seats, but, because of defections, had to depend on the support of minor parties to forge a working majority.In October 2002, a coalition of opposition parties joined forces with a fact ion which broke away from KANU to form the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). In December 2002, the NARC candidate, Mwai Kibaki, was elected the country’s third President. President Kibaki received 62% of the vote, and NARC also won 59% of the parliamentary seats. Source US Department of State Background Notes.

Anne of Hanover, Princess of Orange

Anne of Hanover, Princess of Orange Known for:  Second to bear the British title Princess Royal Dates:  November 2, 1709 -  January 12, 1759Titles Include:  Princess Royal; Princess of Orange; Princess-Regent of FrieslandAlso known as:  Princess Anne of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick and Là ¼neburg Background, Family: Father: George IIMother: Caroline of AnsbachSiblings: Frederick, Prince of Wales; Princess Amelia Sophia; Princess caroline Elizabeth; William of Cumberland; Mary of Hesse-Cassel; Louise, Queen of Denmark Marriage, Children: husband: William IV of Orange-Nassau (married March 25, 1734)childrenCarolina of Orange-Nassau (married Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilburg, 1760)Princess Anna of Orange-Nassau (died weeks after birth)William V, Prince of Orange (married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, 1767) Princess Royal Anne of Hanover became part of the British royal succession when her grandfather succeeded to the British throne as George I in 1714. When her father succeeded to the throne as George II in 1727, he gave the title Princess Royal to his daughter. Anne was heir apparent to her father from her birth until 1717, when her brother George was born, and then again from his death in 1718 until the birth of her brother William in 1721. The first woman to hold title of Princess Royal was Mary, eldest daughter of Charles I. The eldest daughter of George I, Queen Sophia Dorothea of Prussia, was eligible for the title but was not given it. Queen Sophia was still alive when the title was given to Anne of Hanover. About Anne of Hanover Anne was born in Hanover; her father was at the time electoral prince of Hanover.   He later became George II of Great Britain.   She was brought to England when she was four. She was educated to know English, German and French, to understand history and geography, and in more typical female subjects, such as dance.   Her grandfather supervised her education from 1717, and she added painting, Italian and Latin to her subjects. The composer Handel taught music to Anne. A Protestant successor to the royal family was considered essential, and with her eldest surviving brother being much younger, there was an urgency to find a husband for Anne.   Her cousin Frederick of Prussia (later Frederick the Great) was considered, but her younger sister Amelia married him. In 1734, Princess Anne married the Prince of Orange, William IV, and used the title Princess of Orange instead of Princess Royal.   The marriage won wide political acceptance in both great Britain and the Netherlands.   Anne apparently expected to remain in Britain, but after a month of marriage, William and Anne left for the Netherlands.   She was always treated with some suspicion by the Dutch citizenry. When Anne first became pregnant, she wanted to have the child in London, considering the possible position of the child in the royal succession.   But William and his advisors wanted the child born the Netherlands, and her parents supported his wishes.   The pregnancy turned out to be false.   She had two miscarriages and two stillbirths before she  was pregnant again with her daughter Carolina born in 1743, her brother had finally married and her mother had died, so there was little question but that the child would be born at The Hague. Another daughter, Anna, born in 1746, died a few weeks after birth.   Annes son William was born in 1748. When William died in 1751, Anne became regent for their son, William V, since both children were underage. The power of the ruler had declined under her husband and continued to decline under Annes regency. When a French invasion of Britain was expected, she stood for neutrality of the Dutch, which alienated her British support.   She continued as regent until her death in 1759 of dropsy.  Her mother-in-law became Princess Regent from 1759 until she died in 1765.   Annes daughter Carolina then became regent until 1766 when her brother turned 18. Annes daughter Carolina (1743 - 1787) married Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilberg.   They had fifteen children; eight died in childhood. Anne of Hanovers son William married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia in 1767. They had five children, two of whom died in childhood. Bibliography: Veronica P.M. Baker-Smith  A Life of Anne of Hanover, Princess Royal. 1995. More womens history biographies, by name: More womens history biographies, by name: