Administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with international boundary
traditionally, Kenya’s economy was based on farming, herding, hunting, and trade. With the establishment of colonial rule, Kenya was brought into the world capitalist economy. Under the British, Kenya developed an economy based on the export of agricultural products. The colonial government promoted the settlement of European farmers in Kenya to offer a greater supply of exports. From World War I (1914-1918) through the mid-1950s, produce grown on settler farms and estates, such as coffee, sisal (a fiber used to make rope), and tea, controlled Kenya’s exports. Meanwhile, African households were promoted to produce commodities for subsistence and for sale in local markets, and to work on European farms producing export crops.
At the time of freedom, Kenya's economy was characterized by a large orthodox area based on subsistence agriculture and the barter of goods, by a heavy dependence on foreign exchange for agricultural exports such as coffee and tea, and by a strong bond with the international economic system. Since 1963 the government has pursued a policy dedicated to a mixed economy of both privately owned and state-run enterprises. Most of Kenya's business is in private hands, but the government also shapes the nation's economic development through various regulatory powers and “parastatals,” or enterprises that it partly or wholly owns.
Kenya is well placed to serve as an engine of growth in East Africa, but its economy has been stagnating because of poor management and uneven commitment to reform. In 1993, the government of Kenya implemented a program of economic liberalization and reform that included the removal of import licensing, price controls, and foreign exchange controls. With the support of the World Bank, IMF, and other donors, the reforms led to a brief turnaround in economic performance following a time of negative growth in the early 1990s. Kenya's real GDP grew 5% in 1995 and 4% in 1996, and inflation remained under control. Growth slowed after 1997, averaging only 1.5% in 1997-2000. In 1997, political violence damaged the tourist industry, and Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program lapsed due to the government's failure to maintain reform or address public area corruption. A new economic team was put in place in 1999 to revitalize the reform effort, strengthen the civil service, and curb corruption. The IMF and World Bank renewed their support to Kenya in mid-2000, but a number of setbacks to the economic reform program in late 2000 have renewed donor and private area concern about the government's commitment to sound governance. Long-term barriers to development include electricity shortages, inefficient government dominance of key sectors, endemic corruption, and high population growth.
Kenya’s educational system, accomplished in the 1980s to replace the system that existed under British rule, consists of eight years of primary school, four years of secondary school, and four years of higher education. Schooling is compulsory for 8 years. Primary education is nominally free in Kenya, but pupils must meet the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, and school-related fees. Examinations taken at the end of the 8th and 12th grades determine whether students will be admitted into high school and university.
The unicameral assembly consists of 210 members elected to a term of up to 5 years from single-member constituencies, plus 12 members nominated by political parties on a proportional representation basis. The president appoints the vice president and cabinet members from among those elected to the assembly. The attorney general and the speaker are exofficio members of the National Assembly.
The judiciary is headed by a High Court, consisting of a chief justice and High Court judges and judges of Kenya's Court of Appeal,all appointed by the president. Local administration is separated among 69 rural districts, each headed by a presidentially appointed commissioner. The districts are joined to form 7 rural provinces. The Nairobi area has special status and is not included in any district or province. The government supervises administration of districts and provinces.
Fossils found in East Africa suggest that protohumans roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Recent finds near Kenya's Lake Turkana suggest that hominids lived in the area 2.6 million years ago.A small but remarkable leftist opposition party, the Kenya People's Union (KPU), was formed in 1966, led by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a former vice president and Luo elder. The KPU was banned and its leader detained after political unrest related to Kenyatta's visit to Nyanza Province. No new opposition parties were formed after 1969, and KANU became the sole political party. At Kenyatta's death in August 1978, Vice President Daniel arap Moi became interim President. On October 14, Moi became President formally after he was elected head of KANU and designated its sole nominee.
Moi was reelected for another 5-year term. Opposition parties won about 45% of the parliamentary seats, but Moi's KANU Party retained a majority of the legislature. Parliamentary reforms in November 1997 expanded political rights in Kenya, and the number of political parties grew rapidly. Moi won re-election as President in the December 1997 elections, and his KANU Party narrowly retained its parliamentary majority, with 109 out of 122 seats.In December 2002, the people of Kenya elected Mwai Kibaki as the nation’s third president. President Kibaki received 62 % of the vote, and his 15-party group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), also won 59 % of the parliamentary seats.
Kenya, republic in Africa, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, bounded on the north by Sudan and Ethiopia, on the east by Somalia and the Indian Ocean, on the south by Tanzania, and on the west by Lake Victoria and Uganda. Kenya has an area of 582,646 sq km (224,961 sq mi). The capital city is Nairobi.
Official Name - Republic of Kenya
Capital - Nairobi 1,678,000 (1993)
Population - 29,137,000 (1996)
Life Expectancy - 57 years for men 56.8 years for women
Area - 582,646 sq km (224,961 sq mi)
Largest Cities - Mombasa 600,000 Kisumu 201,100 (1993)
Languages - Swahili
Religions - Protestantism; Roman Catholicism; Islam
Currency - Kenya shilling
Government - Parliamentary democracy
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Kenya’s official languages are English and Swahili; both are widely used for communication between members of different ethnic groups. Nearly all of the African ethnic groups in Kenya also have their own languages, making for considerable linguistic variety within the nation. Many Kenyans thus speak three languages: the language of their particular ethnic group, Swahili, and English.About 70 % of Kenya’s population is Christian, with Protestants outnumbering Roman Catholics.Muslims make up about 6 % of the population. The remainder of Kenya’s people are mainly followers of orthodox African religions. There are also a small number of Hindus and Sikhs.
Most Kenyans place great importance on the family and the orthodox values and responsibilities associated with it. Kenyan families tend to be large, and households often include many members of the extended family. Polygyny (the practice of having multiple wives) exists to some extent among all social classes and ethnic groups. Many of Kenya’s rural inhabitants live on small farms; some live in houses made of mud and wooden poles with thatched roofs, while others live in houses of brick or stone with metal roofs. A small number are nomadic farm animal herders, notably some of the Masai people in the south and the Turkana in the north. City dwellers who are wealthy or middle class typically live in modern houses and apartment buildings; many other city dwellers live in shanty towns or other inexpensive quarters.
International organization Member
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
Kenya’s population at the time of the 1989 census was 21,443,636. In 2001 the population was around at 30,765,916. Population density is 53 persons per sq km. Nearly all of Kenya’s people are black Africans; Arabs, Asians, and Europeans together constituted less than 1 % of the population at the 1989 census. The rate of population increase in Kenya between 1980 and 1990 was 3.4 %, one of the highest in the world; by 2001 the rate of increase had declined to 1.3 %. In 2001 Kenya’s birth rate was around at 29 per 1,000 and its death rate at 14 per 1,000. The average life expectancy at birth in Kenya is 47 years. The high birthrate and low life expectancy have combined to give Kenya a young population: 50 % of the people are younger than age 15.
Kenya has a very various population that includes most major language groups of Africa. orthodox pastoralists, rural farmers, Muslims, and urban residents of Nairobi and other cities contribute to the cosmopolitan culture. The standard of living in major cities, once comparatively high compared to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, has been declining in recent years. Most city workers retain links with their rural, extended families and leave the city timeically to help work on the family farm. About 75% of the work force is engaged in agriculture, mainly as subsistence farmers. The national motto of Kenya is harambee, meaning "pull together." In that spirit, volunteers in hundreds of communities build schools, clinics, and other facilities each year and collect funds to send students abroad. The five state universities enroll about 38,000 students, representing some 25% of the Kenyan students who qualify for admission. There are 4 private universities.
Democratic Party of Kenya or DP [Mwai KIBAKI]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Asili or FORD-A [Martin SHIKUKU, secretary general]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-K [Michael Kijana WAMALWA]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI] - the governing party; National Development Party or NDP [Raila ODINGA, president]; SAFINA [Farah MAALIM, chairman]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Dr. Apollo NJONJO, secretary general and Justus NYANG'AYA, chairman]
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western.
