Kenya is a very large country located in Eastern Africa, and it has been inhabited by people almost since the dawn of the human race. Archaeologists believe that people have inhabited Kenya since the time of the lower Paleolithic. It dates back thousands of years. The first tribe to really control the majority of the area was the Bantu, which was one of the dominant empires in the region around the start of the AD period. At the time, the area of Kenya was dominated by a handful of tribes. In addition to the Bantu, there were also tribes of Asian descent and tribes from the Sahara who lived in the area during the first millennium AD. This made the area today known as Kenya a state with multiple ethnicities.
Like the rest of Africa, Kenya was colonized by European powers. The countries on the Arabian peninsula also had a fair bit of influence in the region. In Mombasa, European powers started to arrive in force in the 19th century. In 1895, the country formally became a part of the British empire. There were some skirmishes in the area with other European powers, as the European countries fought against each other for control of the colonies and territory in Africa. In 1920 the name of Kenya changed to the Kenya colony.
For several decades, Kenya was controlled by the British. In 1963, Kenya was given its independence. At the end of World War 2 and at the beginning of the Cold War, the USA was in an ideological battle with the USSR, and a part of the identity of the USA was self determination. As a result, the Americans pressured the British to give Kenya its independence, which the British did in 1963.
At the time, the USA was willing to do anything it could to prevent the spread of communism. This meant that the USA was willing to overlook the fact that Kenya was a dictatorship and that the regime would regularly torture a lot of political prisoners.
Once the Cold War was over, the USA was no longer willing to overlook the torture of political opponents. Therefore, the USA began applying pressure to the government of Kenya to let in multiple parties. While Kenya has done so nominally, the country still has a fair bit of turmoil. It is difficult to say if Kenya is a safe place to visit, as the country is still very poor and is plagued by a fair bit of corruption. There is a lot of violence in the country at night. Today, Kenya is known for its dedication to long distance running, but the country still has a long way to go to be considered a power in Africa, let alone the world. The scars of European colonialism in the country still run very deep and are evident to this day.
The country of Kenya is 61 years old, founded in the year 1963.