Pre-1906: no serious need for regulation of Immigration- only administrative procedures by the British Administrators. But completion of KUR led to influx of foreigners esp. from Indian sub-continent leading to the first legislation- Immigration Restriction Ordinance in 1906. This was meant to control and regulate the influx of foreigners into the colony. It was followed by other Ordinances in 1940, 1944, 1948, and 1956

It is the August 1948 one that formed the basis of later day Immigration laws due to its broad based nature
1948 ordinance was revised in 1962 and again in 1964 when it was renamed Kenya Immigration Act

The Act was revised again in 1967 and became the Kenya Immigration Act of 1967, Cap 172 Laws of Kenya which came into force on December 1967.
In order to implement Chapter Three of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 , the Act was repealed in 2011 and renamed the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011. Thus repealing the Alien Restriction Act Cap 173 and the Kenya Citizenship Act Cap 170

The history of the Department has been marked with several oscillations between the Ministries of Home Affairs and Office of the President.
Prior to 1950, Immigration was a section within the Police Department before it was administratively delineated
In 2003, a Ministry of Immigration & Registration of Persons under OP was curved out but shortly after, moved to Office of the VP.
Currently it is the Directorate of Immigration Services under the State Department of Interior and Citizen Services, Ministry of I&CNG