This article contains a list of chairmen, administrators, commissioners and governors of British Kenya Colony.
The office of Governor of Kenya was replaced by the office of Governor-General in 1963 and then later replaced by a President of Kenya, upon Kenya becoming a Republic in 1964. For continuation after independence, see: List of heads of state of Kenya.
Chairmen/Administrators of the Imperial British East Africa Company
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center;"
! No.
! Name<br><small>(Birth–Death)</small>
! Took office
! Left office
! Notes
|- align=center
| colspan="7" | Chairmen
|- align=center
|-
| 1
| <small>Sir</small> William Mackinnon<br /><small>(1823–1893)</small>
| 3 Sep 1888
| 1889
|
|-
|- align=center
| colspan="7" | Administrators
|- align=center
|-
| 1
| George Mackenzie<br /><small>(1844–1910)</small>
| 3 Sep 1889
| May 1890
|
|-
| 2
| Francis de Winton<br /><small>(1835–1901)</small>
| May 1890
| Feb 1891
|
- Proclamation forbidding dealings in land between Europeans and natives
- Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty
|-
| -
| George Mackenzie<br /><small>(1844–1910)</small>
| Feb 1891
| Jun 1891
|
- Acting Administrator
|-
| 3
| Ernest Berkeley<br /><small>(1857–1932)</small>
| Jun 1891
| Sep 1891
|
|-
| 4
| Lloyd Mathews<br /><small>(1850–1901)</small>
| Sep 1891
| Feb 1892
|
|-
| 5
| <small>Sir</small> Gerald Portal<br /><small>(1858–1894)</small>
| Feb 1892
| May 1893
|
- Administration of Buganda transferred to the British Foreign Office
|-
| 6
|John Pigott
| 1893
| Jul 1895
|
- Indian Land Acquisition Act, 1894
|}
Commissioners and Governors of the East Africa Protectorate/Kenya
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center;"
! No.
! Name<br><small>(Birth–Death)</small>
! Took office
! Left office
! Notes
|-
|- align=center
| colspan="7" | Commissioners and Governors of the East Africa Protectorate
|- align=center
| 7
| <small>Sir</small> Arthur Henry Hardinge<br /><small>(1859–1933)</small>
| 1 Jul 1895
| 7 Oct 1900
|
- British Foreign Office assumes control of Imperial British East Africa Company territory
- Construction begins of Uganda Railway
- Founding of Nairobi, Port Florence
|-
| 8
| Trevor Ternan
| 7 Oct 1900
| 30 Dec 1900
|
- Acting Commissioner
|-
| 9
| <small>Sir</small> Charles Eliot<br /><small>(1861–1931)</small>
| 30 Dec 1900
| 20 May 1904
|
- Uganda transfers its Eastern Province to the East Africa Protectorate
- Founding of Kericho, Nakuru and Nyeri
- The African Standard established
- Native Civil hospital founded
|-
| 10
| Frederick John Jackson<br><small>(1860–1929)</small>
| 20 May 1904
| 1 Aug 1904
|
- Acting Commissioner
|-
| 11
| <small>Sir</small> Donald William Stewart<br /><small>(1860–1905)</small>
| 1 Aug 1904
| 1 Oct 1905
|
- First Maasai Treaty
- Administration transferred from Foreign Office to Colonial Office
|-
| 10
| Frederick John Jackson<br><small>(1860–1929)</small>
| 1 Oct 1905
| 12 Dec 1905
|
- Commissioner
|-
| 12
| <small>Sir</small> James Hayes Sadler<br /><small>(1827–1910)</small>
| 12 Dec 1905
| 12 Apr 1909
|
- Government House built
- Office of Commissioner replaced with office of Governor
- Establishment of Legislative Council of Kenya
- Legislative Council publishes Report of the Land Commission
- Colonial office accepts principle that White Highlands be reserved for European settlement
- Capital moved from Mombasa to Nairobi
|-
| 13
| <small>Sir </small> Charles Calvert Bowring<br /><small>(1872–1945)</small>
| 12 Apr 1909
| 16 Sep 1909
|
|-
| 14
| <small>Sir</small> Percy Girouard<br /><small>(1867–1932)</small>
| 16 Sep 1909
| 17 Jul 1912
|
- Second Maasai Treaty
|-
| 13
| <small>Sir </small> Charles Calvert Bowring<br /><small>(1872–1945)</small>
| 17 Jul 1912
| 3 Oct 1912
|
- Acting Governor
|-
| 15
| <small>Sir</small> Henry Conway Belfield<br /><small>(1855–1923)</small>
| 3 Oct 1912
| 14 Apr 1917
|
- Founding of Eldoret
- Crown Lands Ordinance passed
- East African Campaign begins as part of First World War
|-
| 13
|<small>Sir </small> Charles Calvert Bowring<br /><small>(1872–1945)</small>
| 14 Apr 1917
| 1 Feb 1919
|
- Acting Governor
|-
| 16
| <small>Sir</small> Edward Northey<br /><small>(1868–1953)</small>
| 1 Feb 1919
| 11 Jun 1920
|
- Franchise extended to European women
- First general election held
|-
|- align=center
| colspan="7" | Governors of The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya
|- align=center
|-
| 16
| <small>Sir</small> Edward Northey<br /><small>(1868–1953)</small>
| 11 Jun 1920
| 28 Aug 1922
|
- East Africa Protectorate renamed The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya.
- 10 mile coastal strip under the domain of the Sultan of Zanzibar becomes a Protectorate.
- Founding of Reform Party
|-
| 17
| <small>Sir</small> Robert Coryndon<br /><small>(1870–1925)</small>
| 31 Aug 1922
| 10 Feb 1925
|
- Devonshire White Paper
- Franchise extended to Indians and Arabs.
|-
| 18
| Edward Brandis Denham<br /><small>(1876–1938)</small>
| 10 Feb 1925
| 3 Oct 1925
|
- Acting Governor
- Jubaland ceded to Italian Somaliland
|-
| 19
| Edward Grigg<br /><small>(1879–1955)</small>
| 3 Oct 1925
| 27 Sep 1930
|
- Native Lands Trust Ordinance
- Rudolf Province ceded from Uganda
- Coryndon Museum opened
- Health care established for all races (by Joan Grigg)
|-
| 20
| <small>Sir</small> Henry Monck-Mason Moore<br /><small>(1887–1964)</small>
| 27 Sep 1930
| 13 Feb 1931
|
- Governor
|-
| 21
| <small>Sir</small> Joseph Byrne<br /><small>(1874–1942)</small>
| 13 Feb 1931
| 22 Dec 1936
|
|-
| 22
| <small>Sir</small> Armigel Wade<br /><small>(1880–1966)</small>
| 22 Dec 1936
| 6 Apr 1937
|
- Governor
|-
| 23
| <small>Sir</small> Robert Brooke-Popham<br /><small>(1878–1953)</small>
| 6 Apr 1937
| 9 Jan 1940
|
|-
| 24
| Walter Harragin<br /><small>(1890–1966)</small>
| 30 Sep 1939
| 9 Jan 1940
|
- Acting Governor
|-
| 20
|<small>Sir</small> Henry Monck-Mason Moore<br /><small>(1887–1964)</small>
| 9 Jan 1940
| 25 Oct 1944
|
- Founding of Kenya African Union
|-
| 25
| <small>Sir</small> Philip Mitchell<br /><small>(1890–1964)</small>
| 11 Dec 1944
| 21 Jun 1952
|
- East African High Commission established
- Nairobi National Park established
|-
| 26
| Henry Steven Potter<br /><small>(1904–1976)</small>
| 21 Jun 1952
| 29 Sept 1952
|
- Acting Governor
|-
| 27
| <small>Sir</small> Evelyn Baring<br /><small>(1903–1973)</small>
| 30 Sept 1952
| 4 Oct 1959
|
- Mau Mau Uprising begins
- The Lyttleton Constitution
- Franchise extended to Africans
- Nairobi Embakasi Airport opened
|-
| 28
| Walter Coutts<br /><small>(1912–1988)</small>
| 4 Oct 1959
| 23 Oct 1959
|
- Acting Governor
|-
| 29
| <small>Sir</small> Patrick Muir Renison<br /><small>(1911–1965)</small>
| 23 Oct 1959
| 17 Nov 1962
|
- Mau Mau Uprising ends
- Founding of Kenya African National Union and Kenya African Democratic Union
|-
| 30
| <small>Sir </small>Eric Griffith-Jones<br /><small>(1913–1979)</small>
| 17 Nov 1962
| 4 Jan 1963
|
- Acting Governor
|-
| 31
| Malcolm MacDonald<br /><small>(1901–1981)</small>
| 4 Jan 1963
| 12 Dec 1964
|
- Kenya becomes an independent Dominion within the Commonwealth.
- MacDonald becomes Governor-General of Kenya (only holder of the post) on 12 December 1963 and replaced exactly a year later.
- Jomo Kenyatta elected first Prime Minister of Kenya.
- Sultan of Zanzibar cedes 10 miles coastal strip to Kenya.
- State of Emergency in North Eastern Province
- Constitution of Kenya (Amendment Bill) passed
- Kenya becomes a republic, with Jomo Kenyatta becoming the first President of Kenya. Kenya remains part of the Commonwealth.
|-
|}
See also
- Kenya
- List of heads of state of Kenya
- Prime Minister of Kenya
- Deputy President of Kenya
- Lists of office-holders