In 1498 a Portuguese explorer called Vasco De Gama landed on the shores of Mombasa. The purpose of his exploration was to spread the Christian faith and to further expand Portugal’s trading area. His arrival to Mombasa was met which much hostility among the local people. However, he made a very important ally, the King of Malindi. 

The Portuguese knew that Mombasa was essential in order to successfully trade their goods; hence in 1592 they used their power to make the King of Malindi the Sultan of Mombasa. In doing so the locals consequently had no choice but to obey the orders of the Sultan, which in turn came from the Portuguese Government.  

Mombasa became Portugal’s main trading centre along the East Coast of Africa. This led to the construction of a monumental fort that still stands today known as Fort Jesus. The Fort served as the main hub for trading goods, a prison for slaves, and most importantly protecting the Portuguese from conflicts with locals and threatening foreign battalions.  

Slavery was the major activity that took place at that time, where local slaves were exchanged for goods from visiting ships that often came from European countries. The trading of spices, cotton and coffee, which were cultivated and grown in the rich fertile soils of the town’s farms, is one if the reasons Mombasa was a popular destination for seafarers at the time. Captured slaves were forced to work on these farms in extremely harsh and inhumane conditions.  

Remnants of slave trade can still be seen today around the town. Fort Jesus still contains cells where the slaves were held, and various artifacts from that era in the museum at the Fort. In addition to the evidence in the Fort, there also is a town bell located in Nyali just as you exit the Nyali Bridge. The bell was rung to inform the locals to hide from the slave capturers who were fast approaching. 

Portugal’s reign over Mombasa lasted for approximately 200 years, after which they were overthrown by the Omani Arabs, who themselves would be forced to give up Mombasa to its final captors: the British. The British ruled Kenya from 1888-1963 when Kenya finally gained its hard-fought independence on the 12^th December 1963.  

      "Mzee" Jomo Kenyatta

The first president of Kenya was Jomo Kenyatta, who was an instrumental figure in the fight to gain independence from the British. His appointment as president led to the creation of a political party known as KANU (Kenya Africa National Union). President Kenyatta died in the August of 1978, and was succeeded by his vice president Daniel Arap Moi who ruled as president until 2002. President Moi stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai Kibaki, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition, defeated KANU candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. 

Although Kenya experienced a few political jitters after its independence, it has finally settled down on the road to a stable and promising future for the people of Kenya. The local people are extremely helpful and courteous and gladly welcome foreigners who come to visit their country. Kenya is by far the most visited destination along Eastern Africa, and is renown all over the world for the quality of its wildlife and beaches.