It was first published on 5 April 1983 and was founded by KANU, at that time the only legal political party in Kenya.
[1] In 1988, Robert Maxwell, who also published The Mirror, bought a 45% stake in the paper, the remaining ownership was still held by KANU.
The paper was subsequently re-branded and it became the first full-colour newspaper in Kenya.
It also launched a Swahili-language sister paper, Kenya Leo.
[1] Kenya Times stopped publication in early June 2010 due to financial problems.