Following Kenya’s attainment of independence from Great Britain in December 1963, diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom were established through the opening of the Kenya High Commission in London and the British High Commission in Nairobi. Shortly thereafter, the Republic of Ireland and the Swiss Confederation were accredited to the Kenya High Commission in London. Today, the High Commission, London, is accredited only to UK and Switzerland.

The first two decades after independence witnessed the consolidation of bilateral relations with the United Kingdom, most notably through the strengthening of political and socio-cultural ties. The end of the Cold-War era paved the way for a paradigm shift in Kenya’s Foreign Policy, with greater emphasis being placed on economic, Diaspora and environmental diplomacy.