MOMBASA
Mombasa is one of the oldest settlements on the East
African coast. It was an important fortified town with many fine
buildings, thriving on the
Indian Ocean
trades in gold, ivory and slaves. The Portuguese, under the command of
explorer-sailor Vasco da Gama arrived in 1498, among the first Europeans
to reach the coast of East Africa.
The local tribes people were hostile due to their religious barriers,
the Portuguese intent on converting the Muslim lands to Christianity
and wanted to trade in luxuries from the East, creating a need for a
foothold on the East African coast.
By 1504, the Portuguese attacks on ports and shipping were seriously
upsetting trade; this led to the construction in 1593 of Fort
Jesus, which served as the main hub for trading goods, a prison for
slaves and more importantly to guard the harbor entrance.
The town of Mombasa was freed in 1660 but
Fort Jesus was impregnable. In 1696, an Omani ruler
prepared a long siege of Fort Jesus with over 3000 men, lasting thirty
three months before the Arabs finally captured the remaining members of
the garrison.
In 1963,
Kenya
gained its independence from the Britain
and Jomo Kenyatta, head of the political party KANU, was sworn in as
President. Upon his death in 1978 he was succeeded by his vice
president Daniel Arap Moi who ruled as until 2002. The National
Coalition Party was voted in with President Mwai Kibaki at the helm.
Kenya is one of the most visited countries in East Africa, famous for
spectacular wildlife and exotic tropical beaches.
