Northern Frontier District

The Northern Frontier Province or Northern Province,^[1] or initially referred to as 'Northern Frontier District' (NFD) was one of the provinces of British Kenya. Originally, the Northern Frontier covered the northern region of East Africa Protectorate later succeeded by British Kenya, it later included half of the Jubaland Province that remained as part of Kenya when the other half was ceded to the Italian Empire.^[2]

By the late 1920s, the Northern Frontier Province covered nearly half of the colony's territory. The population of the region was estimated to be 65,136 in 1931.^[3] It was one of the most underdeveloped region of the colony and was not favoured by settlers due to its arid and semi-arid climate.^[4] In 1963, the Northern Province was abolished and it's territories spread across three newly created regions of Kenya: Eastern Region, divided into Marsabit and Isiolo districts; Rift Valley covered Turkana District; North Eastern Region contained the Wajir, Mandera and Garissa districts.^[5]

During negotiations for Kenya's independence, Britain granted administration of the whole of the Northern Province to Kenyan nationalists despite an informal plebiscite showing the overwhelming desire of part of the region's population to join the newly formed Somali Republic.^[4] The North Eastern Region of the Northern Frontier District is, and has historically been, mostly inhabited by Somalis.^[6][7]

In present-day usage, the NFD refers to the six counties of Kenya that were established out of the six districts created by the colonial government prior to independence.