The list of colonial governors and administrators of Kenya includes various officials who governed during the period of British colonial rule, starting with the East Africa Protectorate and transitioning into the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya. Some notable figures include Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge, who served as a commissioner from 1895 to 1900, and Sir Charles Eliot, in office from 1900 to 1904. The position evolved from commissioner to governor, with figures like Sir Edward Northey and Sir Robert Coryndon taking office in the early 20th century. The role continued to change, with the last colonial governor being Malcolm MacDonald, serving from 1963 until Kenya’s independence in 1964, when he became Governor-General.
Colonial Governors and Administrators of Kenya
- Sir Arthur Henry Hardinge (1895–1900)
- Trevor Ternan (Acting Commissioner, 1900)
- Sir Charles Eliot (1900–1904)
- Frederick John Jackson (Acting Commissioner, 1904; Commissioner, 1905)
- Sir Donald William Stewart (1904–1905)
- Sir James Hayes Sadler (1905–1909)
- Sir Charles Calvert Bowring (Acting Governor, 1909, 1912; 1912–1917)
- Sir Percy Girouard (1909–1912)
- Sir Henry Conway Belfield (1912–1917)
- Sir Edward Northey (1919–1920, 1920–1922)
- Sir Robert Coryndon (1922–1925)
- Edward Brandis Denham (Acting Governor, 1925)
- Edward Grigg (1925–1930)
- Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore (1930–1931, 1940–1944)
- Sir Joseph Byrne (1931–1936)
- Sir Armigel Wade (1936–1937)
- Sir Robert Brooke-Popham (1937–1939)
- Walter Harragin (Acting Governor, 1939–1940)
- Sir Philip Mitchell (1944–1952)
- Henry Steven Potter (Acting Governor, 1952)
- Sir Evelyn Baring (1952–1959)
- Walter Coutts (Acting Governor, 1959)
- Sir Patrick Muir Renison (1959–1962)
- Sir Eric Griffith-Jones (Acting Governor, 1962)
- Malcolm MacDonald (1963–1964, became Governor-General after Kenya’s independence)
This list covers the key colonial administrative figures from the establishment of the East Africa Protectorate to the transition of Kenya to independence
