When did Australopithecus first appear in East Africa?

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Illustration showing side-by-side reconstructions of five hominins in the human lineage: Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens, with each figure labeled and depicted in a walking pose to highlight evolutionary changes in posture and body structure. A scale bar at the top right indicates relative height. — human evolution An artist's depiction of five species of the human lineage.

The earliest member of the genus Australopithecus is Au. anamensis, which first appeared in East Africa approximately 4.2 million years ago.12

Fossils of this species were discovered in northern Kenya near Lake Turkana at sites including Kanapoi and Allia Bay. These remains, which date to between 4.2 and 3.9 million years ago, represent the earliest known evidence of the genus in the region. While other hominin species such as Ardipithecus existed earlier in East Africa, Au. anamensis is recognized as the earliest established species within the Australopithecus lineage.123