Contents |
Background
As of 2010, Kenya is divided into 47 semi-autonomous counties that are headed by governors. These 47 counties form the first-order divisions of Kenya. They replace a previous system that divided the country into eight provinces with 46 districts plus Nairobi. The old districts became counties and Nairobi became a county as well. The new county system was implemented as of elections in 2013.
The smallest administrative units in Kenya are called locations. Locations often coincide with electoral wards. Locations are usually named after their central villages or towns. Many larger towns consist of several locations. Each location has a chief, appointed by the state.
Parent Category
The parent categories are Regions / Africa / Kenya.
Mapping
The mapping of Kenyan place name categories is as follows:
Places
Counties
The standard acceptable format for county name categories shall be:
- [[Category:<County>, <Kenya>]]
- Kenya has 47 counties (previously called districts).
Here are a few examples:
- For Nyeri County - [[Category: Nyeri County, Kenya]]
- For Samburu County - [[Category: Samburu County, Kenya]]
- For Nakuru County - [[Category: Nakuru County, Kenya]]
Locations
The standard acceptable format for place name categories shall be:
- [[Category:<proper name>, <county>]]
- proper name being the current official name of the place to be listed;
- the county name in which the place is situated
Here are a few examples:
- For the town of Thika - [[Category: Thika, Kiambu County]]
- For the town of Naivasha - [[Category: Naivasha, Nakuru County]]
- For the town of Lodwar - [[Category: Lodwar, Turkana County]]
- For the town of Kitale - [[Category: Kitale, Trans-Nzoia County]]
- For the town of Malindi - [[Category: Malindi, Kilifi County]]
Cities
There are only five incorporated cities including the capital and largest city, Nairobi. These are categorized as city categories and nested under their county category:
- For the City of Nairobi - [[Category: Nairobi City, Kenya]]
- For the City of Mombasa - [[Category: Mombasa City, Kenya]]
- For the City of Kisumu - [[Category: Kisumu City, Kenya]]
- For the City of Nakuru - [[Category: Nakuru City, Kenya]]
- For the City of Eldoret - [[Category: Eldoret City, Kenya]]
Historical Places
The history of Kenya is as old as humankind. Throughout the centuries, the Kenyan coast played host to many merchants and explorers. The coastal cities of Malindi and Mombasa were vital trading ports in Arab trade routes. The Portuguese arrived as early as 1498.
The colonial history of Kenya dates from the establishment of a German Empire protectorate over the Sultan of Zanzibar's coastal possessions in 1885, followed by the arrival of the Imperial British East Africa Company in 1888. Germany handed its East African coastal holdings to Britain in 1890.
From 1895 to 1920, Kenya was known as East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa), occupying roughly the same area as present-day Kenya.
From 1920 to 1963 Kenya was known as the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa. It was part of the British Empire in Africa. Technically, the Colony of Kenya referred to the interior lands, while a 16 km (10 mi) coastal strip, nominally on lease from the Sultan of Zanzibar, was the Protectorate of Kenya, but the two were controlled as a single administrative unit. The Colony and the Protectorate each came to an end on 12 December 1963. The United Kingdom ceded sovereignty over the Colony of Kenya and, under an agreement dated 8 October 1963, the Sultan agreed that simultaneous with independence for Kenya, the Sultan would cease to have sovereignty over the Protectorate of Kenya.
None of the above appear as location suggestions on the drop down location menus (via FamilySearch).
From 1963 to 2010 Kenya had eight provinces: Central Province, Coast Province, Eastern Province, Nairobi Province, North Eastern Province, Nyanza Province, Rift Valley Province and Western Province.
Although Wikitree profiles must always reflect the correct language in the birth/marriage/death location, the present-day category is used regardless of historical time period.
For example, someone born in the town of Thika in 1975 might show "Thika, Kiambu, Central Province, Kenya" in their birth location field, however, the category to be used would remain [[Category: Thika, Kiambu County]]. Thika was in the Kiambu district from 1964 to 2010 which is now called Kiambu County.
| Time period | Place name | Birth/Death field example | Location menu suggestion | Category |
| Pre-1895 | Thika | Thika, Kenya | None | [[Category: Thika, Kiambu County]] |
| 1895 to 1920 | Thika | Thika, East Africa Protectorate | None | [[Category: Thika, Kiambu County]] |
| 1920 to 1963 | Thika | Thika, Colony and Protectorate of Kenya | None | [[Category: Thika, Kiambu County]] |
| 1964 to 2009 | Thika, Kiambu District | Thika, Kiambu, Central Province, Kenya | Thika, Central, Kenya | [[Category: Thika, Kiambu County]] |
| 2010 to today | Thika, Kiambu County | Thika, Kiambu County, Kenya | Thika, Kiambu, Kenya | [[Category: Thika, Kiambu County]] |
Sources
- Wikipedia, Counties of Kenya - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_Kenya
- Wikipedia, Kenya - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya
- Wikipedia, History of Kenya - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kenya
