A horizontal tricolour of black, white-edged red, and green with two crossed white spears behind a red, white, and black Maasai shield
Kenyan flag at Lodwar AirportKenyan flags at the Kenyatta Mausoleum
The flag of Kenya (Swahili: Bendera ya Kenya) is a tricolour of black, red, and green with two white edges imposed with a red, white and black Maasaishield and two crossed spears. The flag is based on that of Kenya African National Union and was officially adopted on 12 December 1963 after Kenya's independence.[1]
Grammar
The Kenyan flag is red over black over the green flag of Kenya African National Union (KANU), the political party that led the fight for the independence of Kenya. Upon independence, the white fimbriation, symbolised peace and unity, and the shield were added. The meaning of the colours of the flag of Kenya matches closely to those of the Pan-African flag adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League in 1920.[2]
The 2010 revised edition of the Constitution of Kenya includes specifications of the Kenyan flag, located in the Second Schedule, Article 9, paragraph 6.2.[3]
Symbolism
The Kenyan flag includes symbols of unity, peace, and defence of the country. The color black represents the people of the Republic of Kenya, red for the bloodshed during the fight for independence, and green for the country's landscape and natural wealth. The white fimbriation was added later to symbolise peace, honesty, purity, and innocence. The black, red, and white traditional Africanshield and two spears symbolise the defence of all the things mentioned above. Many of both colours and symbolic values are shared with the flag of South Sudan.
Design
The colours of the flag are specified in the Constitution in terms of British Standard 2660.[4]
Black
Red
Green
Consitutional specification: British Standard Colours BS 2660
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