By Faustine Mugabe
July 1, 1895_research by Rutex Media
On this day in 1895, the East Africa British Protectorate , later known as the Republic of Kenya ,was formally carved out of a much larger administrative territory known as the British Uganda Protectorate. At that time, Uganda’s boundaries extended far beyond their present limits, reaching close to the outskirts of what is now Nairobi.
This territorial restructuring followed the outcomes of the 1884–1885 Berlin Conference in Germany, where European powers partitioned Africa without African representation. Uganda subsequently fell under British influence and was declared a British Protectorate in 1894 through an Order-in-Council issued in London.
Further adjustments continued across the region. In 1890, Britain ceded the Karagwe Kingdom and the territory of Kiziba to German East Africa , lands that later became part of modern-day Tanzania. Historically, Kiziba had long been a tributary state of the Buganda Kingdom but was absorbed into German administration as a result of colonial agreements.
Upon gaining independence from Britain in 1961, Tanganyika,formerly under German rule, became Tanzania after uniting with Zanzibar. These shifts in colonial authority reflect the broader legacy of imposed boundaries that reshaped East Africa’s political and cultural landscape.
The establishment of Kenya as a separate entity on July 1, 1895 remains a pivotal moment in the colonial redrawing of East Africa, influencing the region’s identity, borders, and geopolitics to this day.
Research by Rutex Media
