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List of colonial governors and administrators of Kenya facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Governors of Kenyan Counties.

This article contains a list of chairmen, administrators, commissioners and governors of British Kenya Colony.

The office of Governor of Kenya was replaced by the office of Governor-General in 1963 and then later replaced by a President of Kenya, upon Kenya becoming a Republic in 1964. For continuation after independence, see: List of heads of state of Kenya.

Chairmen/Administrators of the Imperial British East Africa Company

# Name
(birth–death)		 Took office Left office Notes
Chairmen
1 Sir William Mackinnon
(1823–1893)		 3 Sep 1888 1889
Administrators
1 George Mackenzie
(1844–1910)		 3 Sep 1889 May 1890
2 Francis de Winton
(1835–1901)		 May 1890 Feb 1891
  • Proclamation forbidding dealings in land between Europeans and natives
  • Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty
- George Mackenzie
(1844–1910)		 Feb 1891 Jun 1891
  • Acting Administrator
3 Ernest Berkeley
(1857–1932)		 Jun 1891 Sep 1891
4 Lloyd Mathews
(1850–1901)		 Sep 1891 Feb 1892
5 Sir Gerald Portal
(1858–1894)		 Feb 1892 May 1893
6 John Pigott 1893 Jul 1895
  • Indian Land Acquisition Act, 1894

Commissioners and Governors of the East Africa Protectorate/Kenya

# Name
(birth–death)		 Took office Left office Notes
Commissioners and Governors of the East Africa Protectorate
7 Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge
(1859–1933)		 1 Jul 1895 7 Oct 1900
  • British Foreign Office assumes control of Imperial British East Africa Company territory
  • Construction begins of Uganda Railway
  • Founding of Nairobi, Port Florence
8 Trevor Ternan 7 Oct 1900 30 Dec 1900
  • Acting Commissioner
9 Sir Charles Eliot
(1861–1931)		 30 Dec 1900 20 May 1904
  • Uganda transfers its Eastern Province to the East Africa Protectorate
  • Founding of Kericho, Nakuru and Nyeri
  • The African Standard established
  • Native Civil hospital founded
10 Frederick John Jackson
(1860–1929)		 20 May 1904 1 Aug 1904
  • Acting Commissioner
11 Sir Donald William Stewart
(1860–1905)		 1 Aug 1904 1 Oct 1905
10 Frederick John Jackson
(1860–1929)		 1 Oct 1905 12 Dec 1905
  • Commissioner
12 Sir James Hayes Sadler
(1827–1910)		 12 Dec 1905 12 Apr 1909
  • Government House built
  • Office of Commissioner replaced with office of Governor
  • Establishment of Legislative Council of Kenya
  • Legislative Council publishes Report of the Land Commission
  • Colonial office accepts principle that White Highlands be reserved for European settlement
  • Capital moved from Mombasa to Nairobi
13 Sir Charles Calvert Bowring
(1872–1945)		 12 Apr 1909 16 Sep 1909
14 Sir Percy Girouard
(1867–1932)		 16 Sep 1909 17 Jul 1912
  • Second Maasai Treaty
13 Sir Charles Calvert Bowring
(1872–1945)		 17 Jul 1912 3 Oct 1912
  • Acting Governor
15 Sir Henry Conway Belfield
(1855–1923)		 3 Oct 1912 14 Apr 1917
13 Sir Charles Calvert Bowring
(1872–1945)		 14 Apr 1917 1 Feb 1919
  • Acting Governor
16 Sir Edward Northey
(1811–1879)		 1 Feb 1919 11 Jun 1920
  • Franchise extended to European women
  • First general election held
Governors of The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya
16 Sir Edward Northey
(1868–1953)		 11 Jun 1920 28 Aug 1922
  • East Africa Protectorate renamed The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya.
  • 10 mile coastal strip under the domain of the Sultan of Zanzibar becomes a Protectorate.
  • Founding of Reform Party
17 Sir Robert Coryndon
(1870–1925)		 31 Aug 1922 10 Feb 1925
  • Devonshire White Paper
  • Franchise extended to Indians and Arabs.
18 Edward Brandis Denham
(1876–1938)		 10 Feb 1925 3 Oct 1925
  • Acting Governor
  • Jubaland ceded to Italian Somaliland
19 Edward Grigg
(1879–1955)		 3 Oct 1925 27 Sep 1930
  • Native Lands Trust Ordinance
  • Rudolf Province ceded from Uganda
  • Coryndon Museum opened
  • Health care established for all races (by Joan Grigg)
20 Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore
(1887–1964)		 27 Sep 1930 13 Feb 1931
  • Governor
21 Sir Joseph Byrne
(1874–1942)		 13 Feb 1931 22 Dec 1936
22 Sir Armigel Wade
(1880–1966)		 22 Dec 1936 6 Apr 1937
  • Governor
23 Sir Robert Brooke-Popham
(1878–1953)		 6 Apr 1937 9 Jan 1940
24 Walter Harragin
(1890–1966)		 30 Sep 1939 9 Jan 1940
  • Acting Governor
20 Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore
(1887–1964)		 9 Jan 1940 25 Oct 1944
  • Founding of Kenya African Union
25 Sir Philip Mitchell
(1890–1964)		 11 Dec 1944 21 Jun 1952
26 Henry Steven Potter
(1904–1976)		 21 Jun 1952 29 Sept 1952
  • Acting Governor
27 Sir Evelyn Baring
(1903–1973)		 30 Sept 1952 4 Oct 1959
28 Walter Coutts
(1912–1988)		 4 Oct 1959 23 Oct 1959
  • Acting Governor
29 Sir Patrick Muir Renison
(1911–1965)		 23 Oct 1959 17 Nov 1962
  • Mau Mau Uprising ends
  • Founding of Kenya African National Union and Kenya African Democratic Union
30 Sir Eric Griffith-Jones
(1913–1979)		 17 Nov 1962 4 Jan 1963
  • Acting Governor
31 Malcolm MacDonald
(1901–1981)		 4 Jan 1963 12 Dec 1964
  • Kenya becomes an independent Dominion within the Commonwealth.
  • MacDonald becomes Governor-General of Kenya (only holder of the post) on 12 December 1963 and replaced exactly a year later.
  • Jomo Kenyatta elected first Prime Minister of Kenya.
  • Sultan of Zanzibar cedes 10 miles coastal strip to Kenya.
  • State of Emergency in North Eastern Province
  • Constitution of Kenya (Amendment Bill) passed
  • Kenya becomes a republic, with Jomo Kenyatta becoming the first President of Kenya. Kenya remains part of the Commonwealth.

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