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Six battalions were formed in 1902 with one or two battalions located in each of Nyasaland, Kenya, Uganda and Somaliland.

The regiment fought against the German Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck and his forces in German East Africa during World War I after which askaris of the former German East Africa became a battalion of the Kings African Rifles. The regiment fought against Italy in Abyssinia and against JapanJapan (, Nippon/Nihon literally "the origin of the sun") is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido , Honsh in Burma during World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough. At one stage the regiment had 44 battalions. Its most infamous member was Idi AminGeneral Idi Amin Dada Oumee ( May 17, 1928? August 16, 2003) was the military dictator of Uganda from January 25, 1971, to April 13, 1979. Idi Amin was born in the Kakwa tribe, near Koboko in the West Nile Arua district. The year is not known, due to a la.

It later saw service in the Malayan EmergencyMalayan emergency was an insurrection and guerilla war of Malay Races Liberation Army in Malaysia in 1948-1960. Malay Races Liberation Army (MRLA in this text) was a creation of Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and, by extension, led and dominated by ethnic where the regiment was involved in heavy fighting, suffering 23 lost. The regiment's last Colonel-in-Chief was HM Queen Elizabeth II.

At independence, 1st Battalion became the Malawi Rifles . The 2nd Battalion disbanded when the Federation of Rhodesia and NyasalandThe Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was a short lived state in southern Africa which existed from 1953 to the end of 1963, composed of the former British colonies of Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and the Nyasaland Protectorate. It was also kn broke up, the 3rd, 5th and 11th battalions became the Kenya Rifles , the 4th became the Uganda Rifles , the 6th and 26th battalions became the Tanganyika Rifles .