All About Kenya

Facts in Brief    History    Economy    Government    Land and Climate    People   

The links below will connect you to the local news papers web sites for the East African Region. Please let us know if you find them informative or if you think there are some additional sites to add.

The East African Standard   Delivers the online edition of Kenya's oldest newspaper. Find national news as well as headlines from the provinces.

 The East African Kenya   Weekly newspaper's regional updates cover Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Includes local news, opinions, business updates and a maritime report.

Kenya, pronounced KEHN yuh or pronounced KEEN yuh, is a country on the east coast of Africa. It extends from the Indian Ocean deep into the interior of Africa. The equator runs through the center of Kenya. 

Kenya's coastal area is a hot and humid tropical region. Beautiful sandy beaches, lagoons and swamps, and patches of rain forest line the coast. Inland, a vast plains area stretches over about three-fourths of Kenya. Its extremely dry climate and generally poor soil support only scattered plant life. But a highland in the southwest receives enough rainfall and has enough fertile soil to support extensive farming. Most of Kenya's people live in the highland. 

A spectacular variety of wild animals live in Kenya. This wildlife--which includes elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinoceroses, and zebras--attracts thousands of tourists to Kenya each year. 

Most of Kenya's people live in rural areas and farm the land and raise livestock for a living. But each year, many rural people move to Kenya's cities and towns, which are growing rapidly. Nairobi is Kenya's capital and largest city. Mombasa, which lies on the coast, is its second largest city and chief port. 

Britain ruled Kenya from 1895 until it became an independent nation in 1963. During this period, the British influenced both the economic and cultural life of Kenya. Since independence, the leaders of Kenya have emphasized the African heritage of the nation. 

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Government 

Kenya is a republic. Its Constitution, adopted in 1963, grants the people such rights as freedom of speech and religion. Kenyan citizens 18 years of age or older may vote in elections. 

National government. Kenya is headed by a president who is assisted by about 20 Cabinet ministers. Each Cabinet minister heads an executive department of the government. The country's vice president is a member of the Cabinet. A National Assembly that has 200 voting members makes Kenya's laws. 

Kenya's voters elect the president and 188 members of the National Assembly to five-year terms. The president appoints 12 Assembly members and selects the vice president and the other Cabinet ministers. Cabinet members are normally selected from among the members of the Assembly. Candidates for the presidency must run for a seat in the National Assembly at the same time as they run for the office of president. To become president, one must win both elections. 

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Local government. Kenya is divided into seven provinces and the district of Nairobi for purposes of local government. The provinces are divided into districts and subdistricts. A commissioner, who is responsible to the president, heads each province and district of Kenya. Local chiefs head the subdistricts. They are responsible to the provincial commissioners. A city commission carries out the operations of the government of the Nairobi district. Councils help govern rural counties and cities and towns within Kenya's districts. 

Politics. From 1982 to 1991, only one political party--the Kenya African National Union (KANU)--was allowed to operate in Kenya. Therefore, the candidates who won the party's primary elections were certain to be elected in the general elections. But in late 1991, other political parties were legalized. The largest parties after KANU are the Democratic Party and the two factions of the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD-Asili and FORD-Kenya). 

Courts. The Court of Appeals is Kenya's highest court. It hears appeals from lower courts and cases involving the constitutionality of laws. Kenya's lower courts include resident magistrate courts and district magistrate courts. 

Armed forces of Kenya include an army, an air force, and a small navy and coastal patrol. About 14,000 people serve in the armed forces. All military service is voluntary. 

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People 

Population and ethnic groups. Kenya's population is growing at one of the world's fastest rates--about 3 percent a year. About three-fourths of Kenya's people live in rural areas. About one-fourth live in urban areas. Nairobi, Kenya's largest city, has about 1,162,000 people. 

About 99 per cent of Kenya's population is made up of black Africans. Other population groups, in order of size, are Asian Indians; Europeans, chiefly British; and Arabs. 

Kenya's black Africans belong to about 40 different ethnic groups. The largest group, the Kikuyu (or Gikuyu), make up about 20 per cent of Kenya's population. Four other ethnic groups--the Kalenjin, Kamba, Luhya, and Luo--each make up between 10 and 15 per cent of the population. 

Kenya's ethnic groups are divided by separate languages or dialects, and, in many areas, by differing ways of life. Differences in economic and social development have sometimes led to friction between groups. But since independence, the Kenyan government has made progress toward overcoming ethnic divisions and giving the people a sense of national unity. 

Languages. Most of Kenya's ethnic groups have their own local language or dialect. Some Kenyans know only their local language. However, large numbers of the people know Swahili, as well as their local language. Swahili, Kenya's national language, is widely used for communication between people of different ethnic groups. Most educated Kenyans also know English, the official language. 

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Way of life. Most of Kenya's rural people live on small farm settlements, raising crops and livestock for a living. Many of these rural farm families must struggle to produce enough food for their own use. But others grow enough to offer their extra produce for sale. Many Kenyan farmers hold part-time jobs to add to their income. Some of them work as blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, or tailors, or in other trades. Others work part time on large farm estates--especially coffee and tea plantations--that are owned by wealthy landowners. 

About 3 per cent of Kenya's people are nomads who raise livestock for a living. These people move from place to place in search of grazing land and water for their animals. They rely on their animals for food, and they judge a person's wealth by the number of animals owned. The best-known Kenyan nomads are the Masai (or Maasai). These tall, slender people are famous for their skill in the use of weapons and their strongly independent ways. 

Kenya's rural people value friendships in their communities. Although they must work hard to make a living, most rural Kenyans find time for regular social visits with their neighbors. 

Each year, many rural Kenyans move to cities and towns to find jobs. Most of the country's urban people work in stores, factories, or business or government offices. Kenyans who move to cities and large towns find they must adjust to the fast pace, regular work schedules, and impersonal relations that are typical of those urban areas. But most urban Kenyans keep close ties with their rural friends and relatives through regular visits and letters. 

Kenyans place much value on large families. Many Kenyan families have six or more children, and so the women are kept busy with child care. In addition, almost all women of Kenya's farm families take part in the planting and harvesting of crops. Some also work part time on large farm estates. The Kenyan government recognizes the equality of men and women, and it encourages women to become educated and achieve high-paying jobs. Some women have done so. But the vast majority are too busy with child care and farm work to advance to high positions. 

Kenya's Arabs, Europeans, and Indians live chiefly along the coast and in Nairobi. Most of them own businesses or hold high-paying professional jobs. 

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Housing. Most rural Kenyans live in small houses with thatched roofs, walls made of mud or bundles of branches, and dirt floors. A relatively small number of urban people live in similar dwellings. In the cities, however, these kinds of houses are crowded together in slum areas. 

Kenya's cities also have many modern houses made of stone and cement. These dwellings range in style from simple, inexpensive units for working-class people to expensive, large houses and apartment buildings for the wealthy. 

Clothing. Most Kenyan males wear a cotton shirt and shorts or trousers. Some city men wear Western-style business suits. Most females wear cotton dresses, or skirts and blouses. Some rural Kenyans, especially nomads, wrap a one-piece cloth around their bodies for clothing. 

Food and drink. Corn (called maize in Kenya) is the basic food of the people. Kenyans often grind corn into a porridge and mix it with other vegetables to make stew. They add fish or meat to the stew when they can afford to do so. Beer is a popular beverage in Kenya. 

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Recreation. Dancing is a favorite form of recreation throughout Kenya. Most of the people enjoy both dancing and watching dance performances. Motion pictures are also popular in Kenya. City people attend movie theaters, and mobile motion-picture units bring films to rural areas on a regular schedule. 

Soccer ranks as Kenya's most popular sport. Children and adults throughout the country play the game for fun, and soccer matches between organized teams draw large crowds. Track and field is another favorite sport. Kenyan runners have won many medals in international competition. 

Religion. More than 65 per cent of Kenya's people are Christians. About two-thirds of the Christians are Protestants, and about one-third are Roman Catholics. About 25 per cent of the people practice traditional African religions. These faiths are based on the belief in one supreme being and many spirits that influence events. About 5 per cent of Kenya's people are Muslims. 

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Education. Kenyan children are not required to attend school by law. But large numbers of Kenyan parents value education as a key to a better life for their children. About 80 per cent of the children receive at least an elementary education. 

Since independence, Kenya's government has greatly increased the number of schools in response to demands for educational opportunities by the people. Today, the government operates schools in most parts of the country. In addition, groups of private citizens have set up schools in many places that have no government schools. These schools are called self-help, or harambee, schools. Harambee is a Swahili word that means pulling together. Education is free for students in government elementary schools. The students in high schools and all students in harambee schools must pay tuition. 

  Kenya has three national schools of higher education. They are the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University in Nairobi, and Moi University  in Eldoret. Several private colleges and institutes of higher education also operate in Kenya. 

The arts. Many Kenyans carve statues and make jewelry for their personal use. Kenyans have created highly artistic dances that are performed during such ceremonies as birth celebrations, marriages, and funerals. Such traditional dances are also part of national holiday celebrations, and various ethnic groups compete with one another in traditional dance contests. 

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Land and climate 

Kenya covers 224,081 square miles (580,367 square kilometers). The land includes three distinct regions: (1) a tropical coastal area, (2) a generally dry plains area, and (3) a fertile highland. 

The coastal area is a narrow strip of land along the Indian Ocean. The region has beautiful beaches, lagoons, mangrove swamps, cashew trees, coconut palms, and a few small rain forests. The climate of the coastal area is hot and humid the year around. Temperatures average about 80° F (27° C). Rainfall totals about 40 inches (100 centimeters) annually. Much of the soil near the coast is fertile enough for farming, especially in the south. Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city and its chief port, lies along the coast. 

The plains stretch inland from the coastal area and cover about three-fourths of Kenya. The plains form a series of plateaus, rising from near sea level at the coast to about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) inland. Bushes, shrubs, and grasses grow on the plains. The area is the driest part of Kenya. Much of it receives only 10 to 30 inches (25 to 76 centimeters) of rain yearly. A large northern region is desertlike, receiving less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain a year. Average temperatures vary with altitude, ranging from about 80° F (27° C) at low levels to about 60° F (16° C) at the highest levels. 

The plains area is the most thinly populated part of Kenya. It has no large towns or cities. Groups of nomads roam the region in search of grazing land and water for their livestock. The soil is too dry for extensive farming. 

The highland lies in southwestern Kenya. It covers a little less than one-fourth of the country. It is a region of mountains, valleys, and plateaus. Mount Kenya, at its eastern end, is the highest point in the country. It rises 17,058 feet (5,199 meters) above sea level. Only one African mountain--Kilimanjaro in Tanzania--is higher. 

Forests and grasslands cover much of the highland. The area has by far the largest part of Kenya's fertile soil. The soil and a good climate for agriculture make the highland Kenya's chief farming region. Temperatures average about 67° F (19° C), and yearly rainfall ranges from 40 to 50 inches (100 to 130 centimeters). About 75 per cent of Kenya's people live in the highland. Nairobi, Kenya's largest city, is there. 

The Great Rift Valley divides the highland into eastern and western sections. This deep valley, which cuts through much of eastern Africa from north to south, has some of the continent's most fertile soil. 

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Rivers and lakes. The Athi and the Tana are Kenya's chief rivers. Both flow from the highland to the Indian Ocean. The eastern part of the Athi is called the Galana. Lake Turkana (also called Lake Rudolf) covers 2,473 square miles (6,405 square kilometers) in the far north. Its northern tip extends into Ethiopia. Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, lies at the western end of Kenya. Most of the lake, known as Victoria Nyanza in Kenya, is within Tanzania and Uganda. The lake covers 26,828 square miles (69,484 square kilometers), of which about 1,460 square miles (3,781 square kilometers) fall within Kenya. 

Animal life. Kenya is world-famous for its animal wildlife. The country's plains and--to a lesser extent--its highland are the home of large numbers of fascinating animals. Antelope, buffaloes, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions, rhinoceroses, and zebras roam open spaces. Crocodiles and hippopotamuses are found where water is plentiful. Numerous large birds, such as eagles, ostriches, and storks, and dozens of species of small, brightly colored birds also live in Kenya. 

Through the years, people have killed large numbers of wild animals in Kenya and have endangered some species. Many of the animals were killed legally by people who had hunting licenses. But most were victims of poachers (people who hunt illegally). In the mid-1900's, Kenya's government established a number of national parks and game reserves to protect animals from poachers. In 1977, the government outlawed hunting altogether to protect the animals. Today, thousands of tourists visit the national parks and game reserves each year to see and photograph the wild animals that live there. 

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Economy 

Kenya has a developing economy. Agriculture is the chief economic activity. It accounts for about a third of Kenya's economic production and employs more people than any other activity. Manufacturing is growing in importance in Kenya. Together, manufacturing and the construction industry account for about a fifth of the economic production. Service industries, including finance, government, tourism, and wholesale and retail trade, account for most of the rest. Mining has little importance in Kenya. Kenya's economy operates as a free enterprise system. But the government places many regulations on businesses. 

Agriculture. Agricultural activity in Kenya is divided about equally between the production of cash crops and subsistence crops. Cash crops are products raised for sale. Subsistence crops are those raised by farmers for their own use. 

Coffee and tea are Kenya's chief cash crops and its most important source of income. Other cash crops include cashews; cotton; pineapples; sugar cane; pyrethrum, which is used to make insecticide; and sisal, used to make fiber. Corn is the main subsistence crop. Other subsistence crops include bananas, beans, cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and wheat. All the subsistence crops, as well as beef and milk, are also sold on a limited basis. 

Most Kenyan farmers own the land they work or rent it from the government. The majority of farms are small. But Kenya has a number of large farm estates where cash crops--especially coffee and tea--are raised. The small farms range in size from less than 21/2 acres (1 hectare) to 50 acres (20 hectares). The large estates cover from about 100 acres (40 hectares) to more than 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares). Most Kenyan farmers use traditional tools in their work. However, the use of modern equipment on Kenya's farms has been growing since the 1960's. 

Manufacturing. Kenya's chief manufactured products include cement, chemicals, household utensils, light machinery, motor vehicles, paper and paper products, and textiles. Food processing is a major industrial activity in Kenya. A petroleum refinery at Mombasa refines oil that has been produced in other countries. Nairobi and Mombasa are Kenya's most important industrial centers. 

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Tourism contributes more income to Kenya's economy than any other single economic activity except the production and sale of coffee and tea. More than 500,000 tourists visit Kenya annually to enjoy its scenic coastal area and, especially, to view and photograph its wildlife on safaris. The money that is spent by tourists contributes more than $200 million annually to Kenya's economy. Tourist activities provide employment for about 40,000 Kenyans. 

Mining. Kenya has few valuable minerals. Mining activity centers around the production of soda, fluorite, salt, and gemstones. 

Foreign trade. Coffee, tea, and petroleum products are Kenya's main exports. Other exports include cement, flowers, meat, pineapples, and sisal. Imports include industrial machinery, iron and steel, and petroleum. Kenya's chief trading partners are Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States. 

Transportation and communication. Railroads and paved roads connect Kenya's major cities. But most of the country's roads are unpaved. Less than 1 per cent of all Kenyans own an automobile. Many people travel in buses or in crowded taxis called matatus. International airports operate at Mombasa and Nairobi. Mombasa is the main seaport. 

The Voice of Kenya, a government-owned network, broadcasts radio and television programs in local languages, Swahili, and English. The country has an average of about 1 radio for every 12 people and 1 television set for every 105 people. Three daily newspapers are published in Kenya--two in English and one in Swahili. 

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History 

Early days. Scientists have found some of the earliest-known remains of human beings in the Great Rift Valley of eastern Africa, including parts of Kenya. Studies conducted by the Leakeys--a family of anthropologists--and others have led scientists to believe that people may have first lived in the area about 2 million years ago. However, little is known about the lives of these people. 

Starting about 3,000 years ago, various peoples from other parts of Africa began moving into the Kenya area. These groups became the ancestors of today's Kenyans. They included farmers, herders, and hunters. 

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Arab and Portuguese control. Kenya's location along the Indian Ocean made it a stopping place for many early seafaring peoples, including Greeks, Romans, and Arabs. Arabs began visiting the coast about 2,000 years ago. In the A.D. 700's, Arabs established coastal settlements. They soon gained control of the coastal area, and they traded extensively with the people of Kenya. 

In 1498, Vasco da Gama of Portugal reached the Kenyan coast after sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. The Portuguese took control of the coastal area from the Arabs in the early 1500's. They profited heavily from trade in Kenya. But the Arabs defeated the Portuguese in the late 1600's and regained control of the area. The Arabs and Portuguese had little influence over the people of the interior of Kenya. 

British rule. In 1887, a private British business association leased a part of the Kenya coast that was controlled by the sultan of Zanzibar. It received a charter from the British government as the Imperial British East Africa Company in 1888. But the association lacked the money needed to develop the area. 

In 1895, the British government took over the area. Britain soon extended its control to all of Kenya. Kenya became known as British East Africa. In 1901, Britain completed a railroad between Mombasa and Lake Victoria. Britain encouraged British citizens and other Europeans to settle in Kenya. Before long, many Europeans had established large farms in the country. They hired Africans to work for them. British officials ruled Kenya, and the Africans had no voice in the government. The British also set up schools that were patterned after those in Britain. 

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Opposition to the British. During the 1940's, many Kenyan Africans began opposing British rule. The chief opposition came from Kikuyu people of central Kenya, many of whom lived in poverty under the British. In 1944, the Kikuyu and other Kenyans formed a political party called the Kenya African Union (KAU) to organize their opposition. Jomo Kenyatta, a Kikuyu, became the party's leader in 1947. 

In the late 1940's, a secret movement developed among Kikuyu members of the KAU. Europeans and some Africans called the movement Mau Mau. The movement sought greater unity among Kenya's Africans, and demanded new British policies designed to improve the lives of the Africans. The British government took military action against the movement in 1952, after members, called nationalists, began committing terrorist acts. The British jailed thousands of the nationalists in detention camps, and widespread fighting broke out between the government and the nationalists. In 1953, Kenyatta was convicted of leading the movement, and was jailed in a remote part of Kenya. The fighting lasted until 1956. According to official figures, about 11,500 nationalists, 95 Europeans, 29 Asians, and about 2,000 Africans who supported the government were killed. 

During the late 1950's, all of Kenya's ethnic groups began demanding African rule. Britain agreed to the demand, and, in February 1961, elections were held to choose Africans for a new parliament. Kenyatta's political party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU), won the elections. But the party refused to take office unless Kenyatta was released by the British. The British did not release him until August 1961. As a result, KANU's rival party, the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU), formed a government. 

Independence. Kenya gained independence from Britain on Dec. 12, 1963. Its new Constitution provided for a constitutional monarchy. The KANU Party won elections that were held to choose a government for the new nation. Kenyatta became the country's prime minister. In 1964, Kenya became a republic, and Kenyatta's title was changed to president. 

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Building the new nation. Following independence, Kenya moved rapidly to replace the British colonial economic and cultural systems. The government took over many farms and businesses owned by non-Africans, and sold or rented them to Africans. Non-Africans who agreed to become Kenyan citizens were allowed to keep their property. The Kenyan government rapidly expanded the public school system. 

At the time of independence, most Kenyans had more loyalty to their ethnic group than to the national government. Also, divisions existed between many ethnic groups. Since independence, Kenya's government has made some progress in promoting national pride among the people and reducing disunity. 

Politically, Kenya became a one-party state in 1964, when the KADU members dissolved their party and joined KANU. A new party, the Kenya People's Union (KPU), was formed in 1966. But President Kenyatta dissolved it in 1969, after accusing many of its leaders of antigovernment activities. Kenya again became a one-party state. However, many rivalries developed among the members of the KANU Party. They centered around the question of who would succeed Kenyatta. 

A border dispute led to fighting between Kenya and neighboring Somalia shortly after independence. The fighting ended in 1967. Also in 1967, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda formed the East African Community. This organization was created to promote trade among the three nations. It provided for the common administration of such facilities as airports and railways. However, strained relations among the member nations led to the end of the organization's operations in 1977. 

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Kenya today. Although Kenya has made much economic progress since independence, it still faces major problems. Only about a fifth of its land is suitable for farming, and its population is growing at a rapid rate. The need to find ways to feed the growing population is perhaps the country's chief challenge. 

Since independence, Kenya has greatly increased its industry and tourist trade to lessen its heavy economic reliance on agriculture. Some of the capital for new industries has been provided by foreign investors. Some Kenyans object to foreign investments because they believe the investments give outsiders too much influence in their country. They also object to the emphasis on tourism, because tourism makes Kenya rely on spending by outsiders. Some Kenyans compare the new economic trends to the colonialism of earlier days. But others support the trends as ways of improving Kenya's economy and ending the reliance on agriculture. 

President Kenyatta died in August 1978. Vice President Daniel T. arap Moi succeeded Kenyatta as president. Although KANU had become Kenya's only political party in the 1960's, other parties were not banned by law. But in 1982, Kenya's leaders changed the Constitution to make KANU the only legal party. In 1990, demonstrations and riots broke out in Nairobi and other cities in support of a return to the multiparty system. In 1991, the Constitution was amended to allow for a multiparty system. Multiparty elections for the president and National Assembly were held in late 1992. Moi won the presidential election and KANU won the majority of seats in the Assembly. Moi was reelected president in 1997. 

Contributor: Stephen K. Commins, Ph.D., Director of Policy and Planning, World Vision International.

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FACTS IN BRIEF

Capital: Nairobi. 
Languages: Official--English; National--Swahili.
Official Name: Jamhuri ya Kenya (Republic of Kenya).
Area: 224,081 sq. mi. (580,367 sq. km). 
Greatest distances--north-south, 640 mi. (1,030 km); east-west, 560 mi. (901 km). 
Coastline--284 mi. (457 km). 
Elevation: Highest--Mount Kenya, 17,058 ft. (5,199 m) above sea level. Lowest--sea level along the coast.
Population: Estimated 1996 population--28,794,000; density, 128 persons per sq. mi. (50 per sq. km); distribution, 72 percent rural, 28 percent urban. 1989 census--21,400,000. Estimated 2001 population--33,842,000.
Chief Products: Agriculture--bananas, beef, cassava, coffee, corn, pineapples, pyrethrum, sisal, sugar cane, tea, wheat. Manufacturing--cement, chemicals, light machinery, textiles, processed foods, petroleum products.
Money: Basic unit--Kenya shilling. 

IMPORTANT DATES IN KENYA
c. 1000 B.C...... Various African people began settling in Kenya.
A.D. 700's....... Arabs gained control of Kenya's coastal area.
c. 1500-1700..... The Portuguese ruled the coastal area.
1895............. Kenya became a colony of Britain.
1940's........... Kenyans began a movement against British rule.
1963............. Kenya gained independence from Britain.
1978............. President Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first leader, died. Vice President Daniel T. arap Moi succeeded him as president.
1982............. KANU officially became Kenya's only legal political party.
1991............. Kenya's Constitution was amended to allow for a multiparty system.