Beekeeping, also known as apiculture, is the art of keeping honey bees in order to obtain honey and other bee products such as beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, pollen and bee brood. Bee brood consists of bee embryo or egg, larva and the pupa stage. 
Beekeeping is done for socio-cultural and economic gains by humans. It is one of the oldest forms of food production.

The history of beekeeping and domestication of honey bees can be traced back to ancient Egypt around 5,000 years ago. 

Some of the earliest evidence of beekeeping is from Egyptian rock paintings and manuscripts. Simple hives made from straw and unbaked clay were used, and honey stored in jars, some of which were found in the tombs of pharaohs.

Beekeeping later spread to the rest of the continent through migration and other interactions. Historically, beekeeping was a male dominated activity.  

In Kenya, the communities that practised beekeeping inhabited forested regions or the savannah woodlands. The practice of beekeeping using traditional beehives continues even at the present time.