# List of colonial governors and administrators of Kenya

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

| # | Name (birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| Chairmen |||||
| 1 | Sir William Mackinnon (1823–1893) | 3 Sep 1888 | 1889 | |
| Administrators |||||
| 1 | George Mackenzie (1844–1910) | 3 Sep 1889 | May 1890 | |
| 2 | Francis de Winton (1835–1901) | May 1890 | Feb 1891 | Proclamation forbidding dealings in land between Europeans and natives Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty |
| - | George Mackenzie (1844–1910) | Feb 1891 | Jun 1891 | Acting Administrator |
| 3 | Ernest Berkeley (1857–1932) | Jun 1891 | Sep 1891 | |
| 4 | Lloyd Mathews (1850–1901) | Sep 1891 | Feb 1892 | |
| 5 | Sir Gerald Portal (1858–1894) | 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

| # | Name (birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| Commissioners and Governors of the East Africa Protectorate |||||
| 7 | Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge (1859–1933) | 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 | Sir Charles Eliot (1861–1931) | 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 (1860–1929) | 20 May 1904 | 1 Aug 1904 | Acting Commissioner |
| 11 | Sir Donald William Stewart (1860–1905) | 1 Aug 1904 | 1 Oct 1905 | First Maasai Treaty Administration transferred from Foreign Office to Colonial Office |
| 10 | Frederick John Jackson (1860–1929) | 1 Oct 1905 | 12 Dec 1905 | Commissioner |
| 12 | Sir James Hayes Sadler (1827–1910) | 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 | Sir Charles Calvert Bowring (1872–1945) | 12 Apr 1909 | 16 Sep 1909 | |
| 14 | Sir Percy Girouard (1867–1932) | 16 Sep 1909 | 17 Jul 1912 | Second Maasai Treaty |
| 13 | Sir Charles Calvert Bowring (1872–1945) | 17 Jul 1912 | 3 Oct 1912 | Acting Governor |
| 15 | Sir Henry Conway Belfield (1855–1923) | 3 Oct 1912 | 14 Apr 1917 | Founding of Eldoret Crown Lands Ordinance passed East African Campaign begins as part of First World War |
| 13 | Sir Charles Calvert Bowring (1872–1945) | 14 Apr 1917 | 1 Feb 1919 | Acting Governor |
| 16 | Sir Edward Northey (1811–1979) | 1 Feb 1919 | 11 Jun 1920 | Franchise extended to European women First general election held |
| Governors of The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya |||||
| 16 | Sir Edward Northey (1868–1953) | 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 | Sir Robert Coryndon (1870–1925) | 31 Aug 1922 | 10 Feb 1925 | Devonshire White Paper Franchise extended to Indians and Arabs. |
| 18 | Edward Brandis Denham (1876–1938) | 10 Feb 1925 | 3 Oct 1925 | Acting Governor Jubaland ceded to Italian Somaliland |
| 19 | Edward Grigg (1879–1955) | 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 | Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore (1887–1964) | 27 Sep 1930 | 13 Feb 1931 | Governor |
| 21 | Sir Joseph Byrne (1874–1942) | 13 Feb 1931 | 22 Dec 1936 | |
| 22 | Sir Armigel Wade (1880–1966) | 22 Dec 1936 | 6 Apr 1937 | Governor |
| 23 | Sir Robert Brooke-Popham (1878–1953) | 6 Apr 1937 | 9 Jan 1940 | |
| 24 | Walter Harragin (1890–1966) | 30 Sep 1939 | 9 Jan 1940 | Acting Governor |
| 20 | Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore (1887–1964) | 9 Jan 1940 | 25 Oct 1944 | Founding of Kenya African Union |
| 25 | Sir Philip Mitchell (1890–1964) | 11 Dec 1944 | 21 Jun 1952 | East African High Commission established Nairobi National Park established |
| 26 | Henry Steven Potter (1904–1976) | 21 Jun 1952 | 29 Sept 1952 | Acting Governor |
| 27 | Sir Evelyn Baring (1903–1973) | 30 Sept 1952 | 4 Oct 1959 | Mau Mau Uprising begins The Lyttleton Constitution Franchise extended to Africans Nairobi Embakasi Airport opened |
| 28 | Walter Coutts (1912–1988) | 4 Oct 1959 | 23 Oct 1959 | Acting Governor |
| 29 | Sir Patrick Muir Renison (1911–1965) | 23 Oct 1959 | 17 Nov 1962 | Mau Mau Uprising ends Founding of Kenya African National Union and Kenya African Democratic Union |
| 30 | Sir Eric Griffith-Jones (1913–1979) | 17 Nov 1962 | 4 Jan 1963 | Acting Governor |
| 31 | Malcolm MacDonald (1901–1981) | 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. |