Chandarana Records is a record company from Kericho, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

.. The company was known throughout Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 for releasing several thousand 45-rpm singles (on at least 15 different labels) featuring a wide range of Kenyan (Luo, Luhya, Kipsigis, Swahili

Swahili people

The Swahili people are a Bantu ethnic group and culture found in East Africa, mainly in the coastal regions and the islands of Kenya, Tanzania and north Mozambique. According to JoshuaProject, the Swahili number in at around 1,328,000. The name Swahili is derived from the Arabic word Sawahil,...

) and Tanzanian groups.

Founded by A.P. Chandarana, the company, was one of the earliest record companies in Kenya, having been founded in 1958, recorded for many of Kenya's famous singers, including Collela Mazee

Collela Mazee

Collela Mazee was a Kenyan musician, who was a leading member of the Victoria Jazz band alongside Ochieng Nelly. They were among the originators of the benga music, a music genre with origins in Kenya's Luoland....

 and Daniel Owino Misiani

Daniel Owino Misiani

Daniel Owino Misiani was a musician from Kenya. He was known as the "King of History" in Kenya; overseas, he was known as "the grandfather of benga", of which he was a pioneer....

. The company also recorded for a variety of genres, such as Benga

Benga music

Benga is a genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South African kwela, Zairean finger-style guitar and various kinds of Cuban...

, and sold well and were popular in Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroun, and West Africa. The Daily Nation

Daily Nation

The Daily Nation is a Kenyan independent newspaper. It is the most influential newspaper in Kenya with a daily circulation of about 205,000 copies. The total readership is likely to be higher as each copy is read by a large number of people...

 had commented that the company's large success was due to A.P Chandarana's efforts to take Benga music

Benga music

Benga is a genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South African kwela, Zairean finger-style guitar and various kinds of Cuban...

 "beyond Luo Nyanza

Nyanza Province

Nyanza Province of Kenya, is one of Kenya's eight administrative provinces. It is located in the southwest part of Kenya around Lake Victoria. Nyanza includes part of the eastern edge of Lake Victoria and is inhabited predominantly by the Luo. There are also Bantu-speaking tribes such as the...

 to Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

, Central Province

Central Province

Central Province may refer to:*Central Province *Central Province *Central Province *Central Province, Sri Lanka*Central Province, Zambia*Centre Province, Cameroon...

 and Ukambani."

The company recently stopped selling copies of the original recordings from their shop in Kericho

Kericho

Kericho is a Kenyan County located to the South West of the country and lies within the highlands west of The Great Rift Valley. The capital of the district is Kericho town. The district home to the best of Kenyan Tea which is world famous for its brightness, attractive color, brisk flavor and...

.