Flag: Kenya

It represents Kenya, its people, and Kenyan culture at home and abroad.

Adopted when Kenya gained independence on 12 December 1963, the flag features three horizontal bands of black, red, and green separated by thin white stripes. In the centre sits a traditional Maasai warrior's shield in red, white, and black in front of two crossed white spears.

Each element has an official meaning: black stands for the people of Kenya, red for the blood shed during the struggle for independence, green for the country's land and natural wealth, and the white stripes for peace. The shield and crossed spears symbolize the readiness to defend that hard-won independence.

In messages and profiles, Kenyans often pair 🇰🇪 with 254 or +254—Kenya's international phone code, which doubles as shorthand for the country. Internationally, the flag pops up in posts about major marathons, Olympic track events, the Safari Rally, and East African wildlife travel.

Why do I see the letters KE instead of a flag?

Your device is showing the underlying two-letter country code for Kenya.

This flag is built by joining two regional indicator letters, 🇰 and 🇪, matching Kenya's country code KE. As of 2026, Microsoft Windows does not include country flag graphics in its system colour emoji font, so many Windows apps and browsers display KE instead. Most phones, and apps that bring their own emoji artwork, show the full flag.