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Kenya

Jamhuri ya Kenya / Republic of Kenya

2:3~ image by Zoltan Horvath, 21 June 2024

Explanation of the flag
Colour Specifications
- Colour shift on recent flags
Flag construction sheet
Coat of Arms

See also:

Explanation of the flag

The flag of Kenya was adopted on 12 December 1963. It is based on the black over red over green flag of KANU (Kenya African National Union), the party that led the fight for freedom and independence. The colours symbolize black majority, blood and natural wealth. On independence the white fimbriation was added, symbolizing peace. The defence of freedom is symbolized by a traditional Masai shield and two spears.
Željko Heimer, 24 Feb 1996

[smi80] designates this flag to be the state ensign too (i.e. CSW/CS-)
Željko Heimer, 15 Jan 2001

National Flag and Jack

The national flag is a black-red-green tricolor with white fimbriations and overall a Masai shield and two white spears. The shield is red with black flanks and a white disk in the middle and four white charges. The Album 2000 is the first place where I see the construction details for this flag, and it defines the ratio of three stripes as 6+1+6+1+6. I guess that there may have existed also detailed construction sheet of the central emblem too.
Source: Album 2000.
Željko Heimer, 30 Mar 2002

Kenya Flag
Flag Overall Dimensions - 3:2
Three major strips - Black , Red , and Green separated by narrow white strips. A symmetrical shield and spears superimposed centrally.
Black represents the people of Kenya.
Red represents the struggle for freedom.
Green represents Kenya's agriculture and natural resources.
White represents Unity and Peace.
The black, red and white shield symbolizes the defense of freedom.

Kenyan Flag Specifications
All Materials to conform to the appropriate B.S.S (British Standard Specifications).
All dimensions given do not necessarily represent any particular measurements and are merely proportional.
Red to be 'Post Office Red', B.S shade reference 0-006
Green to be B.S shade reference 0-010.
Source: this website.
Dov Gutterman, 27 May 2002

On 27 August 2010 the president of Kenya ratified the new constitution of the Republic of Kenya. The constitution was agreed by a referendum held earlier in August. The new constitution includes a specification sheet of the Kenyan flag, which was adopted at the time of independence. This is the first flag specification sheet which, to the best of my knowledge, has received constitutional status.

I have not yet found a copy of the newly ratified Kenyan Constitution. However, there are some examples of the Draft Constitution which was issued on 06 May 2010. Article 9 and the Second Schedule deal with the national symbols of Kenya. This draft is the one that was ratified as the new Kenyan Constitution.

For a draft of the Constitution see this website.
Jos Poels, 27 August 2010

A Ministerial Regulation dated 1965 restricts the categories of officials who can fly the national flag on their vehicles to the President, the Vice-President, the Chief Justice, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ministers and the Attorney-General. Attorney-General Githu Muigai recently recalled that Governors cannot fly the national flag on their cars. Many governors, after they were sworn in last week, have been flying the national flag on their vehicles. Governors William Kabogo (Kiambo County) and Jackson Mandago (Uasin Gishu) have told they would continue flying the flag. Kabongo said the Transition Authority issued the flags they are flying to them immediately they were sworn in and therefore they were flying them legally.
Ivan Sache, 09 April 2013

In this article suggested that the governors fly their own regional flags rather than the Kenyan national flag.
Andy S, 11 April 2013

The Constitution defines the flag with construction details and colors: https://www.klrc.go.ke/index.php/constitution-of-kenya/164-schedules-schedules/second-schedule-national-symbols/435-a-the-national-flag

Colour Specifications

The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual, London, 2012 [loc12]) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each National Olympic Committee was sent an image of their flag, including the PMS shades, by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) for their approval. Once this was obtained, the LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specifications may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the National Olympic Committee believed their flag to be.

For Kenya : PMS 180 red, 347 green and black. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees anti-clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 10 Oct 2012

Other sources for colors:

The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone colors: PMS 179 (red), PMS 342 (green), and PMS Black.

The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] (Corr. No. 5.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Red: Pantone 180c, CMYK 0-75-85-10
Green: Pantone 356c, CMYK 100-0-90-20

Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [loc12] gives Pantone colors: PMS 180 (red), PMS 347 (green). and PMS Black.

The Album des Pavillons 2023 specifies the colors of the flags in three color systems.
Blue: Pantone 284c, CMYK 59-23-0-0, RGB 108-171-231
Blue: Pantone 285c, CMYK 83-49-0-0, RGB 0-119-212
Red: Pantone 180c, CMYK 18-89-85-7, RGB 192-54-44
Yellow: Pantone Yellow c, CMYK 0-0-100-0, RGB 255-255-0
Green: Pantone 356c, CMYK 89-29-100-18, RGB 0-114-41

Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone system: PMS Black, PMS 180C (red), PMS 342C, and PMS White.

Wikipedia refers to legislation (constitution) and gives color values as follows:
Black: Hex: #000000, RGB 0-0-0, CMYK 0-0-0-100, British Standard 0-E-53 (Black)
Red: Hex: #922529, RGB 146-37-41, CMYK 0-75-72-43, British Standard 2660-0006 (Post-Office Red)
Green: Hex: #008C51, RGB 0-140-81, CMYK 100-0-42-45, British Standard 2660-0010 (Paris/Vir. Green)
White: Hex: #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, British Standard 0-E-55 (White)

It’s quite interesting that the Afrikaans Wikipedia page gives the same British Standard values, but indicates a bit different values in other color systems:
Black: British Standard -, Hex: #000000, RGB 0-0-0, Pantone Black C
Red: British Standard Poskantoorrooi 0-006, Hex: #99292D, RGB 153-41-45, Pantone 484 C
Green: British Standard Paris/Viridian Green 0-10, Hex: #31905F, RGB 49-144-95, Pantone 7730 C

Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Black: Hex. #000000, RGB 0-0-0, CMYK 0-0-0-100, Pantone Black, RAL 9005
White: Hex. # FFF FFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Pantone N/A, RAL N/A
Red: Hex. # BB0000, RGB 187-0-0, CMYK 1-87-77-13, Pantone 180, RAL 3020
Green: Hex. # 006600, RGB 0-102-0, CMYK 92-0-97-0, Pantone 347, RAL 6035

Colour shift on recent flags

image by Zoltan Horvath, 21 June 2024

Based on photos of the flag recently in use (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4), the red color of the shield is brighter than was previously used on flags. And red red and even the green stripes of national flag are brighter than the original flag specification defines. I tried to find any legal document of a change, but I haven’t found it.

But based on the pictures below, some changes have clearly taken place in recent years, because the flags in the pictures are clearly lighter in color since beginning of 2018:

https://www.nairobileo.co.ke (May 15, 2024)
https://www.the-star.co.ke (May 3, 2024)
https://www.ke.emb-japan.go.jp (23th October 2023)
https://www.france24.com (June 23, 2023)
https://nation.africa/kenya (October 19, 2022)
https://www.independent.co.ug (September 28, 2022)

During governance of the previous president, the flag has already used with lighter shades:
https://africa.businessinsider.com (June 24, 2021)
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke (Jan 01, 2018)

But the darker shade of red used in the previous year:
https://www.primenewsghana.com/general-news/meet-the-re-elected-president-of-kenya-uhuru-muigai-kenyatta.html (August 11, 2017)

Zoltan Horvath, 21 June 2024

Flag construction sheet

image by Željko Heimer, 30 Mar 2002

Click here for the flag construction sheet. It is based on the link provided by Dov Gutterman.
Željko Heimer, 28 May 2002

Kenyan coat of arms

image by Željko Heimer, 30 Mar 2002

The coat of arms greatly based on the black-white one provided in Corel Clipart collection:
Željko Heimer, 30 Mar 2002

The arms were granted on October 15, 1963.
The shape of the shield and spears are those used by the Masai tribe. Harambee is the motto of the chief political party KANU (Kenya African National Union) and means "all pull together". It was used by the first President Jomo Kenyatta to try to turn 50-60 disparate tribes into one nation at independence. The chicken is the symbol of the KANU. The shield colors represent the struggle for independence - green is the earth, red is the blood of the Mau Mau warriors for independence and black the rich soils. The lions are obviously a key animal in Kenya's wildlife parks.
Info from Ralf Hartemink's website. See also: this website.
Jarig Bakker, 25 Feb 1999