Dani at Scripture Union South Rift

Kenya got its name from the highest mountain called „Mount Kenya“ (5199m).

On the 11th of May 1848 the missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf (look also Kenya –Mission-History) discovered a high mountain in the midst of East Africa which was covered with ice and snow but is only 15 km in the south of the equator.

When he was reporting this to the Western world nobody wanted to believe him.

When Krapf was standing at the foot of the mountain, he was asking two Africans for the name of the mountain. One was an Akamba, the other one was a Kikuyu.

The Akamba told him that the mountain is called „kiinyaa“, that means 'mountain of the ostrich' because the top of the mountain with the snow on it looks similar like the coat of an ostrich.

The Kikuyu told him, the mountain is called „kere-nyaga“, that means ´white mountain`.

Therefore the name „Kenya“ emerges from the names „kiinyaa“ and „ kere-nyaga“ later on.