Background: Revered president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence until his death in 1978 when current 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.

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 536 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

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

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

Land use: arable land: 3%; permanent crops: 1%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 4%; other 85%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Geography
Note: Kenyan Highlands one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa

Population: 25,241,978 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)

Nationality: noun--Kenyan(s; adjective--Kenyan

Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 21%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, Asian, European, and Arab 1%

Languages: English and Swahili (official; numerous indigenous languages

Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim 6%

Birth rate: 45 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 8 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1991)

Environment
Current issues: unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; glaciers on Mt. Kenya

Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 64 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1991)

Literacy: 69% (male 80%, female 58%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kenya

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; formerly British East Africa)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Constitution: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, and 1988

Legal system: based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment in 1982 made Kenya a de jure one-party state

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Daniel Teroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978; Vice President George SAITOTI (since 10 May 1989)

Legislative branch: Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, High Court

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Denis Daudi AFANDE; Chancery at 2,249 R Street NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 387-6,101; there are Kenyan Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York; US--Ambassador Smith HEMPSTONE, Jr.; Embassy at the corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi (mailing address is P. O. Box 30,137, Nairobi or APO New York 9,675; telephone [254] (2) 334,141; there is a US Consulate in Mombasa

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 Kenya KenyaKenya

Economy overview: A serious underlying economic problem is Kenya's 3.6% annual population growth rate--one of the highest in the world. In the meantime, GDP growth in the near term has kept slightly ahead of population--annually averaging 4.9% in the 1986-90 period. Undependable weather conditions and a shortage of arable land: hamper long-term growth in agriculture, the leading economic sector.

Agriculture products: most important sector, accounting for 29% of GDP, about 80% of the work force, and over 50% of exports; cash crops--coffee, tea, sisal, pineapple; food products--corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products; food output not keeping pace with population growth

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

Industrial production growth rate: 5.4% (1989 est.), accounts for 17% of GDP

Labor force: 9.2 million (includes unemployed; the total employed is 1.37 million (14.8% of the labor force; services 54.8%, industry 26.2%, agriculture 19.0% (1989)

Unemployment rate: NA%, but there is a high level of unemployment and underemployment

Budget: revenues $2.0 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY89)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
Commodities: tea 25%, coffee 21%, petroleum products 7% (1989)
Partners: EC 44%, Africa 25%, Asia 5%, US 5%, Middle East 4% (1988)

Imports: $2.4 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment 29%, petroleum and petroleum products 15%, iron and steel 7%, raw materials, food and consumer goods (1989 est.)
Partners: EC 45%, Asia 11%, Middle East 12%, US 5% (1988)

Debt external: $5.8 billion (December 1990 est.)

Exchange rates: Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1--24.427 (January 1991), 22.915 (1990), 20.572 (1989), 17.747 (1988), 16.454 (1987), 16.226 (1986), 16.432 (1985)

Electricity
Capacity: 730,000 kW capacity; 2,700 million kWh produced, 110 kWh per capita (1990)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $100 million, 1.0% of GDP (1989 est.)

Airports: 249 total, 213 usable; 22 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 47 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Pipelines: refined products, 483 km

Waterways: part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya; principal inland port is at Kisumu

Disputes international: administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with international boundary; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis used mostly for domestic consumption; widespread cultivation of cannabis and qat on small plots; transit country for heroin and methaqualone en route from Southwest Asia to West Africa, Western Europe, and the US