Basics Population: about 31 million Area: about 583,000 sq km Currency: Kenyan shilling Capital city: Nairobi History Early Kenyans were wandering around way back in the Stone Age over 4000 years ago. These may have even been the first ever people! Around 500BC to 500AD lots of groups of people moved in from the north and west. This is why Kenya still has a mix people from different tribes today. From the 8th century more people started to arrive in Kenya on boats from Arab countries. Not surprisingly they settled on the coast. The Arabs and local people mixed to form the Swahili tribe. Today the Swahili have very different religion, looks, culture, customs and food to most people in Kenya. In the 15th century the Portuguese came to Kenya and attacked the coastal towns kicking out the remaining Arabs. They ruled until 1720 when the Arabs won the coast back again. Then, in the 19th century, the British people arrived and took over Kenya. Kenyan people were forced off their land and ruled from London. Understandably the Kenyans were not too happy with this and some of them started to fight back. In 1963 the British were forced to leave and Kenya won its independence.