Cricket was introduced to Kenya in the 1880s after it had been brought under British influence. The first significant match occurred in December 1899 when the East African Protectorate took on the Rest of the World in Mombasa. The first Kenyan touring side visited Uganda in 1914 and achieved a five-wicket victory against the hosts.

The East Africa cricket team initially represented Kenya, Tanzania, & Uganda in international cricket. Its first game was against a South African non-European team in 1958 & it also competed in the 1975 ICC Cricket World Cup & the 1979 ICC Trophy – missing out on qualification for the 1979 World Cup as a result of a poor showing in the latter competition.

Kenya joined the ICC in its own right in 1981 as an Associate Member and its progress was impressive from there on. Kenya was given full ODI status by the ICC in 1996. (Kenya played in the Semifinal of the

World Cup was the highest Achievement.