The Kenya flag is the national symbol of the people of Kenya. Officially known as the Republic of Kenya, the country is located in East Africa. The country is known for its cold snow-capped mountaintops, vast forests, wildlife, fertile agricultural regions and temperate weather conditions.
Kenya’s capital and largest city is Nairobi. Its oldest and second-largest city is the major port city of Mombasa, which was the capital of the British East Africa Protectorate during the colonial era. Like many African countries, the people of Kenya endured their share of discrimination and segregation from their colonial masters. As a result, the Mau Mau, also known as the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, was established to rebel against British rule.
Eventually, Kenya gained independence in 1963. However, successive governments have been accused of widespread corruption, causing hardship for the people. The most recent is the anti-tax protest by the youths which began on June 18, 2024. The protests, which reportedly led to dozens of people being killed, forced President William Ruto to withdraw the 2024 finance bill, passed by the parliament.
What is Kenya flag?
The Kenya flag is a tricolour of black, red and green with two white edges imposed with a red, white and black Maasai shield and two crossed spears. This flag was inspired by the Kenya African National Union. It was officially adopted on December 12, 1963, a day after Kenya’s independence.
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Kenya flag history
The first Kenya flag can be traced to 1895 when Great Britain became the administrator of the protectorate of Kenya. The flag adopted was made up of a British blue ensign with a red lion. It remained the same when Kenya became a British Colony in 1920.
Kenya African Union
Following the end of World War II, the Kenya African Union was created. On September 3, 1951, KAU introduced a flag which featured a black and red bicolour with a shield and arrow at its centre. The tricolour flag was designed by Jomo Kenyatta, who would later become Kenya’s first President after the country’s independence.
One year later, the flag was altered into a black, red and the additional green tricolour with a shield crossed with a spear and arrow coupled with the initials “KAU” at its centre. It was later adopted by the Kenya African National Union (KANU), which replaced the KAU, in May 1960. However, the weapons were replaced with a rooster wielding a battle axe.
Kenya Africa Democratic Union (KADU)
In 1960, the Kenya Africa Democratic Union (KADU) was established. A month after its formation, KADU adopted a flag, which featured a tricolour of a similar design to that of KANU but with white instead of red in the middle.
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Post-independence
Following Kenya’s independence, some officials wanted to adopt the KANU flag as the national flag. They were inspired by Tanganyika and Uganda’s choices to use the ruling party’s flag as the national flag. However, Tom Mboya, one of Kenya’s founding fathers, warned against using the KANU flag to avoid politically dividing the country.
As a result, Jomo Kenyatta set up a committee that would create a flag that everyone would agree on. A compromise was achieved by combining the two flags from the rival parties, KANU and KADU, with the inclusion of the white fimbriations which originally represented Kenya’s multiracial society. The flag also included a modified Maasai shield crossed with spears, inspired by the original KAU flag. It has been in use as Kenya’s official national flag till today.
Kenya flag meaning
The Kenya flag is a reflection of the people’s struggle for independence. Hence, the red colour represents the fight for independence; the black represents the people, the green for the landscape and the white, which originally represented the country’s multiracial society, now represents peace and unity. Also, the Maasai shield and spears represent defence.
Coat of Arms
Adopted in 1963, Kenya’s coat of arms features a Maasi shield with the national flag and cockerel holding an axe in the centre. Also, two lions are holding up the shield at either side and are clutching crossed spears.
Beneath the shield is a banner which states, “LET’S PULL TOGETHER” and a silhouette of Mount Kenya.
Kenya flag colours
The Kenya flag colours are black, red, green and white.
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