[9] Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda combined to form the East Africa cricket team, which became an associate member of the ICC in 1966.

The 1975 Cricket World Cup took place in England, and East Africa was one of two non-test teams invited to the tournament, the other being Sri Lanka.

[11] After warm-up matches against Somerset, Wales, Glamorgan and various club sides, they played in the same first round group as England, India and New Zealand, losing to all three.

[18] Long considered the strongest part of the East Africa team,[11] Kenya broke away in 1981 and joined the ICC in their own right as an associate member,[19] shortly after a tour of Zimbabwe in 1980/81.

[24] The 1994 ICC Trophy was hosted in Nairobi and Kenya finished as runners-up to the UAE, thus qualifying for the 1996 World Cup.

In what at the time was described as the most startling upsets in the history of the World Cup, Kenya bowled out the West Indies for just 93 and won by 73 runs.

[29] The Kenya national team arrived in India for its maiden World Cup, having players like Steve Tikolo, Maurice Odumbe and Thomas Odoyo.

Following their World Cup performance, Kenya were given full ODI status by the ICC, and hosted a quadrangular tournament against Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka in September/October 1996.

[31] They played in the quarter finals of South Africa's Standard Bank Cup in March 1997, losing to Natal by 104 runs at Kingsmead.

[41] In the 1999 World Cup itself, they were placed in the same first round group as England, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

[42] Following the World Cup, they played a quadrangular tournament at home against India, South Africa and Zimbabwe, again losing all their games.

[57] This was followed by a place in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, though Kenya lost to the West Indies and South Africa, failing to progress beyond the first round.

[61] The tournament started with a defeat to South Africa,[62] but Kenya bounced back with a four wicket win over Canada in Cape Town.

[71] Kenya's World Cup success was rewarded with a spot in a quadrangular tournament at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, but they lost all three of their games.

Maurice Odumbe was banned for match-fixing in August 2004,[75] and a series of strikes by players[76] led to a weakened Kenyan side being eliminated from the inaugural ICC Intercontinental Cup at the semi-final stage by Scotland.

They won all three of those games,[78] and drew against Bermuda in the semi-final of the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup[79] but lost to Ireland in the final, despite scoring 404/4 in their first innings.

[88] They then hosted Division One of the World Cricket League at three grounds in Nairobi, playing against Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland.

In August 2008, after a break of nine months without a One Day or Twenty20 International, Kenya toured Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands for various series.

[98] In 2011, Kenya was whitewashed by the Netherlands national cricket team in a short 2 match ODI series played in Sportspark Westvielt, Voorburg.

[102] Within months, the East African tournaments were regarded in high esteem and the intensity was up to the brink, as an ESPNcricinfo interview with Cricket Kenya CEO Tom Sears revealed.

Sears said that they were pleased with the group of seven players who committed to Cricket Kenya, while equally disappointed with those who refused contracts.

[107] Cricket Kenya offered contracts to more deserving young, talented players, such as opening batsman Runish Gudhka from Nairobi, the Australian-born all-rounder Duncan Allan, wicketkeeper Irfan Karim, and impressive fast bowlers such as Emmanuel Ringera, Ibrahim Akello, and Dominic Wesonga, who had performed exceedingly well in the regional NPCA and East African leagues.

While Obanda, Shem and James Ngoche, Odhiambo, and Otieno were made renewed offers, while Ouma, Luseno, and Nelson had a three-month agreement till March 2012 subject to performance.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect was that they refused to represent their teams in the East African Competitions last weekend pulling out at the very last minute.

Again sadly it calls into question the professionalism of these players, how committed they are to putting in the effort, their application in fulfilling their potential and the advice they have been getting from their advisors.

[8] The Kenyan cricket team reached the final stage of the Africa Qualifier for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup but narrowly missed out on qualification.

From October 19th to 24th, 2024, Cricket Kenya proudly hosted the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier B in Nairobi.

The tournament featured five African teams—Mozambique, Rwanda, Gambia, Zimbabwe, and Seychelles—who joined Kenya in this crucial pathway event.

This qualifier served as a stepping stone for teams vying for a spot in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to take place in India and Sri Lanka.

[116] Kenya showcased a strong performance throughout the Sub-Regional Qualifier B, securing victories that allowed them to advance alongside Zimbabwe to the next stage.