Colony and Protectorate of Kenya | |||||||||
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1920–1963 | |||||||||
Anthem: God Save the King (1920–1952) God Save the Queen (1952–1963) | |||||||||
Status | British colony | ||||||||
Capital | Nairobi | ||||||||
Common languages | English (official) Swahili, Kikuyu, Kamba, Luhya, Luo, Gusii, Meru, Nandi–Markweta also spoken | ||||||||
Government | Colonial administration | ||||||||
Monarch | |||||||||
• 1920–1936 | George V | ||||||||
• 1936 | Edward VIII | ||||||||
• 1936–1952 | George VI | ||||||||
• 1952–1963 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
Commissioner or Governor | |||||||||
• 1920–1922 (first) | Maj-Gen Sir Edward Northey | ||||||||
• 1937–1939 | ACM Sir Robert Brooke-Popham | ||||||||
• 1963 (last) | Malcolm MacDonald | ||||||||
Legislature | Legislative council | ||||||||
History | |||||||||
• Established | 11 June 1920 (Colony) 13 August 1920 (Protectorate)[1] 1920 | ||||||||
• Independent as Kenya | 12 December 1963 | ||||||||
Area | |||||||||
1924[2] | 639,200 km2 (246,800 sq mi) | ||||||||
Population | |||||||||
• 1924[2] | 2,807,000 | ||||||||
• 1955[3] | 6,979,931 | ||||||||
• 1960[3] | 8,105,440 | ||||||||
Currency | East African shilling | ||||||||
ISO 3166 code | KE | ||||||||
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Today part of | Kenya Somalia |
The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was created when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in 1920.