Flag of Kenya
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| Use | National flag, civil and state ensign |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | December 12, 1963 |
| Design | A horizontal tricolour of black, white-edged red, and green with two crossed white spears behind a red, white, and black Maasai shield. |
The flag of Kenya (Swahili: Bendera ya Kenya) was officially adopted on December 12, 1963.
Contents
Symbolism
The Kenyan flag is based on that of Kenya African National Union and was adopted in December 12, 1963 as the country's flag. The color black represents the people of the Republic of Kenya, red for the blood shed during the fight for independence, and green for the country's landscape and natural wealth. The white fimbriation was added later to symbolize peace and honesty. The black, red, and white traditional Maasai shield and two spears symbolize the defense of all the things mentioned above.
Design
The colours of the flag have been specified by the Kenya National Archives.
| Black | Red | Green |
|---|---|---|
| British Standard Colours | Post office red 0-006 | 0-010 |
Variants
Current flags
The Executive
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Presidential Standard of Jomo Kenyatta.
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Presidential Standard of Daniel Arap Moi.
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Presidential Standard of Mwai Kibaki.
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Presidential Standard of Uhuru Kenyatta, Incumbent President of Kenya.
The Defence Forces
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Kenyan Air Force Flag.svg
County flags
History
The Kenyan flag is based on the black over red over green flag of Kenya African National Union (KANU), the political party that led the fight for freedom and independence of Kenya. Upon independence, the white fimbriation, symbolizing peace and unity, and the shield were added. The meaning of the colours of the flag of Kenya match closely to those of the Pan-African flag adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League in 1920.[1]
Similar national flags
- The Flag of South Sudan bears similarities with that of Kenya. The horizontal black, white, red, and green bands of the flag share the same design as the Kenyan flag, and the Pan-African symbolism thereof.
- The Flag of Malawi has a lot of Pan-African symbolism that can also be seen in the Kenyan flag, as does the Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
See also
References
- Source: Kenyan Flag at Get Kenya Online. Accessed 6 August 2006.
- Source: Flag Specifications at Kenya National Archives. Accessed 16 Feb 2006.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Kenya. |
