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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. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to
dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which
were marred by violence and fraud, but are viewed as having
generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. 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
anticorruption platform. |
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Location:
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Eastern Africa,
bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
582,650 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more
than twice the size of Nevada |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km,
Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km |
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Coastline:
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536 km |
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Climate:
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varies from
tropical along coast to arid in interior |
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Terrain:
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low plains rise
to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile
plateau in west |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold, limestone,
soda ash, salt, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife,
hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land:
7.03%
permanent crops: 0.91%
other: 92.06% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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670 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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recurring
drought; flooding during rainy seasons |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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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.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
18.6 years
female: 18.7 years (2004 est.)
male: 18.5 years |
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Population growth rate:
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1.14%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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27.82
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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16.31
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.1
migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: according to UNHCR, by the end of 2001 Kenya was
host to 220,000 refugees from neighboring countries,
including: Somalia 145,000 and Sudan 68,000 (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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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 |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 44.94 years
male: 44.79 years
female: 45.1 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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15%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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2.5
million (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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190,000
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Kikuyu
22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,
Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and
Arab) 1% |
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Religions:
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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 |
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Languages:
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English
(official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous
languages |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.1%
male: 90.6%
female: 79.7% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Nairobi |
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Administrative divisions:
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7 provinces and 1
area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern,
Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western |
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Independence:
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12 December 1963
(from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
12 December (1963) |
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Constitution:
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12 December 1963,
amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979,
1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Executive branch:
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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
election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected;
percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30% |
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Legislative branch:
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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)
elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held
by early 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio
2; seats appointed by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1 |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Appeal
(chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Forum for the
Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Kimaniwa
NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru
KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI] -
the governing party |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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human rights
groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National
Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of
political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha
KIBWANA]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or
NCCK [Mutava MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian
churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh
Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY] |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Yusuf Abdulraham NZIBO
consulate(s) general: offices in Los Angeles and New
York are closed; mission to the UN remains open
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Johnnie CARSON
embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiti; P. O.
Box 606 Village Market Nairobi
mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
telephone: [254] (2) 537-800
FAX: [254] (2) 537-810 |
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Economy - overview:
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The regional hub
for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has been hampered
by corruption, notably in the judicial system, and by reliance
upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low. In
1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment
Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms
and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000
compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy
rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP
contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans
in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted
lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute
several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong
rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and
low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth
lagged at 1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor
confidence, meager donor support, and political infighting up
to the elections. In the key 27 December 2002 elections,
Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old reign ended, and a new
opposition government took on the formidable economic problems
facing the nation. In 2003, progress was made in rooting out
corruption, and encouraging donor support, with GDP growth
edging up to 1.7%. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $33.09 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
|
1.7% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $1,000 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
19.1%
industry: 18.3%
services: 62.6% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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50% (2000 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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9.6% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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12.95 million
(2001 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 75%
(2003 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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40% (2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$2.91 billion
expenditures: $2.97 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
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small-scale
consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap,
cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil
refining, cement; tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1.8% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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4.033 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
17.7%
hydro: 71%
other: 11.3% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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3.981 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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57,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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tea, coffee,
corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products,
beef, pork, poultry, eggs |
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Exports:
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$2.514 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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tea,
horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish,
cement |
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Exports - partners:
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Uganda 18.5%, UK
13%, US 8.1%, Netherlands 7.6%, Pakistan 5%, Egypt 4.1% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$3.705 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and
transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles,
iron and steel, resins and plastics |
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Imports - partners:
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UAE 12%, Saudi
Arabia 8.7%, South Africa 8.1%, US 8.1%, UK 7.1%, France 5.8%,
China 5.5%, Japan 5%, India 4.8% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$5.9 billion
(2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$453 million
(1997) |
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Currency:
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Kenyan shilling (KES) |
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Currency code:
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KES |
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Exchange rates:
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Kenyan shillings
per US dollar - 75.94 (2003), 78.75 (2002), 78.56 (2001),
76.18 (2000), 70.33 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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328,100 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1,325,200 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except
for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay;
business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture
terminal (VSAT) system
international: country code - 254; satellite earth
stations - 4 Intelsat |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 24, FM 18,
shortwave 6 (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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8 (2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.ke |
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Internet hosts:
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2,963 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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400,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
63,942 km
paved: 7,737 km
unpaved: 56,205 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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NA
note: part of the Lake Victoria system is within the
boundaries of Kenya |
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Pipelines:
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refined products
752 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Kisumu, Lamu,
Mombasa |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 3
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,049 GRT/7,082 DWT
registered in other countries: 9 (2003 est.)
by type: petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 |
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Airports:
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221 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 15
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 206
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 110
under 914 m: 84 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army, Navy, Air
Force |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 8,313,051 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 5,150,405 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$231 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.8% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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Kenya's
administrative boundary still extends into the Sudan, creating
the "Ilemi triangle"; Kenya has acted as an
important mediator in Sudan's north-south civil war; Kenya and
Uganda are working together to stem cattle rustling and
violence by Lord's Resistance Army along the border |
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Illicit drugs:
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widespread
harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for
South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America;
Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa;
significant potential for money-laundering activity given the
country's status as a regional financial center, massive
corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated
activities |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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