Map of Kenya | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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: Eastern Africa bordering the Indian Ocean between Somalia and Tanzania

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N 38 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 582,650 km²
Land: 569,250 km²
Water: 13,400 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Land boundaries
Total: 3,477 km
Border countries: (5) Ethiopia 861 km; , Somalia 682 km; , Sudan 232 km; , Tanzania 769 km; , Uganda 933 km

Coastline: 536 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m 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
Extremes highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources: gold limestone soda ash salt rubies fluorspar garnets wildlife hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 8.08%
Permanent crops: 0.98%
Other: 90.94% (2001)

Irrigated land: 670 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

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


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Population
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.)
Growth rate: 1.14% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: 50% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Kenyan
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%

Languages: English (official) Kiswahili (official) numerous indigenous languages

Religions
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

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 18.6 years
Male: 18.5 years
Female: 18.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.14% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 27.82 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 16.31 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate
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.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 62.62 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 65.55 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 59.6 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 6.7% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 1.2 million (2003 est.)
Deaths: 150,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 85.1%
Male: 90.6%
Female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
Conventional short form: Kenya
Former: 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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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
Election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30%

Legislative branch
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

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court

Political parties and leaders: 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

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C EADB FAO G-15 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU MIGA MINURSO MONUC NAM ONUB OPCW UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMEE UNMIK UNMIL UNOCI UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard NGAITHE
In the us chancery: 2,249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 387-6,101
In the us fax: [1] (202) 462-3,829
In the us consulates general: Los Angeles
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador William M. BELLAMY
From the us embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiti; P. O. Box 606 Village Market Nairobi
From the us mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64,100, APO AE 9,831
From the us telephone: [254] (2) 537-800
From the us fax: [254] (2) 537-810

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top) red and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: 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%.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.5% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1000 (2003 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 19.7%
Industry: 18.6%
Services: 61.8% (2003 est.)

Agriculture products: tea coffee corn wheat sugarcane fruit vegetables; dairy products beef pork poultry eggs

Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic furniture batteries textiles soap cigarettes flour) agricultural products processing; oil refining cement; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2003 est.)

Labor force: 11.45 million (2003 est.)
By occupation: agriculture 75% (2003 est.)