Background:
Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence
until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi took power in
a constitutional succession.
The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling
Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya.
Moi acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in
late 1991.
President Moi stepped down in December of 2002 following fair
and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic,
united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition, defeated KANU candidate
Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an
anti-corruption platform.
Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between
Somalia and Tanzania
Geographic co-ordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area
Total: 582,650 sq km
Water: 13,400 sq km
Land: 569,250 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries
Total: 3,477 km
Border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769
km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline: 536 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982
Territorial sea: 12 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Continental shelf: 200m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by
Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m
Natural resources
Gold, limestone, soda ash, salt, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower
Land use
Arable land: 7.03%
Permanent crops: 0.91%
Other: 92.06% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land
670 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues
Water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation
of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth
infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching.
Environment - International agreements
Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
The Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production
regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest
peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific
and economic value
Population: 32,021,856
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess
mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant
mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the
distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2004 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 40.6% (male 6,575,409; female 6,430,218)
15-64 years: 56.5% (male 9,126,847; female 8,962,905)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 399,050; female 527,427) (2004 est.)
Median age
Total: 18.6 years
Female: 18.7 years (2004 est.)
Male: 18.5 years
Population growth rate: 1.14% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 27.82 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 16.31 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Note: according to UNHCR, by the end of 2001 Kenya was host to 220,000 refugees
from neighbouring countries, including: Somalia 145,000 and Sudan 68,000 (2004
est.)
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate
Total: 62.62 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 59.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Male: 65.55 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 44.94 years
Male: 44.79 years
Female: 45.1 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
15% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
2.5 million (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
190,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality
Noun: Kenyan(s)
Adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other
African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%
Religions
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other
2%
Note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage
of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely
Languages
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 85.1%
Male: 90.6%
Female: 79.7% (2003 est.)
Country name: Kenya
Conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
Conventional short form: Kenya
Former name: British East Africa
Government type: Republic
Capital: Nairobi
Administrative divisions
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern,
Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution
12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983,
1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001
Legal system
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and
Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party
state repealed in 1991
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President
Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
Head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President
Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; in addition
to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate
must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces
and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be
held NA December 2007); vice president appointed by the president
Legislative branch
Unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called "nominated" members who
are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their
parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members)
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal (Chief Justice - appointed by the president): High Court.
