| East African Mounted Rifles | |
|---|---|
 Members of the unit, 1915 | |
| Active | 1914–1917 |
| Country | Colony of Kenya |
| Allegiance | British Empire |
| Type | Mounted infantry |
| Size | c. 400 men |
| Engagements | |
The East African Mounted Rifles was a regiment of mounted infantry raised in the British Colony of Kenya for service in the East African Campaign of the First World War. Formed at the start of the war from volunteers, it was entirely white and drawn primarily from Boer settlers and members of the Legion of Frontiersmen. With horses in short supply, some men were mounted on polo ponies or mules.
The East African Mounted Rifles, around 400 strong, deployed to support the recapture of Kisii, Kenya, in September 1914. They also served in an attack on Longido in German Tanganyika in November. Further action on the frontier followed until April 1915, when the unit was posted on guard duty on the Uganda Railway. The East African Mounted Rifles was a good source of leaders for other units, such as the King's African Rifles. Detachments of men for this purpose and the return of volunteers to their farms depleted the force. It served on a small scale in actions in 1915 and 1916 but mustered just four men by the end of 1916. It was still extant, with three men, in May 1917, but is afterwards described as having "faded away". Veterans' reunions were held post-war, and the East African Reconnaissance Squadron in the Second World War is regarded as a successor unit.