British East Africa, the former name of a region in eastern Africa composed of three British colonies—Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika. Kenya was the first of the three to come under British rule, during 1886–87. Uganda was made a protectorate of Great Britain in the 1890's, and Tanganyika after three decades of German control was given to the British as a League of Nations mandate in 1922. Tanganyika achieved independence in 1961 and in 1964 joined with Zanzibar to form the nation of Tanzania. Uganda became independent in 1962; Kenya, in 1963.