Background: Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when Vice President Daniel Arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982, after which time the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) changed the constitution to make 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. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA, the son of founding president Jomo KENYATTA, and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform.

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 580,367 km²
Land: 569,140 km²
Water: 11,227 km²
Rank: 50
Comparative: five times the size of Ohio; slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Land boundaries
Total: 3,457 km
Border countries: (5) Ethiopia 867 km; , Somalia 684 km; , South Sudan 317 km; , Tanzania 775 km; , Uganda 814 km

Coastline: 536 km

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: 762 m
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources: limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 48.1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 6.1% (2011 est.)
Other: 45.8% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 1030 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasonsvolcanism: limited volcanic activity; the Barrier (1,032 m) last erupted in 1921; South Island is the only other historically active volcano

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; Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical lake and the second largest fresh water lake, is shared among three countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda

Population
Distribution rank: population distribution map: 53,527,936 (July 2020 est.)
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Rank: 27
Growth rate: 2.2% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 35
Below poverty line: 36.1% (2016 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Kenyan(s)
Adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 17.1%, Luhya 14.3%, Kalenjin 13.4%, Luo 10.7%, Kamba 9.8%, Somali 5.8%, Kisii 5.7%, Mijikenda 5.2%, Meru 4.2%, Maasai 2.5%, Turkana 2.1%, non-Kenyan 1%, other 8.2% (2019 est.)

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

Religions: Christian 85.5% (Protestant 33.4%, Catholic 20.6%, Evangelical 20.4%, African Instituted Churches 7%, other Christian 4.1%), Muslim 10.9%, other 1.8%, none 1.6%, don't know/no answer 0.2% (2019 est.)

Demographic profile: Kenya has experienced dramatic population growth since the mid-20th century as a result of its high birth rate and its declining mortality rate. More than 40% of Kenyans are under the age of 15 because of sustained high fertility, early marriage and childbearing, and an unmet need for family planning. Kenya’s persistent rapid population growth strains the labor market, social services, arable land, and natural resources. Although Kenya in 1967 was the first Sub-Saharan country to launch a nationwide family planning program, progress in reducing the birth rate has largely stalled since the late 1990s, when the government decreased its support for family planning to focus on the HIV epidemic. Government commitment and international technical support spurred Kenyan contraceptive use, decreasing the fertility rate (children per woman) from about 8 in the late 1970s to less than 5 children twenty years later, but it has plateaued at just over 3 children today.Kenya is a source of emigrants and a host country for refugees. In the 1960s and 1970s, Kenyans pursued higher education in the UK because of colonial ties, but as British immigration rules tightened, the US, the then Soviet Union, and Canada became attractive study destinations. Kenya’s stagnant economy and political problems during the 1980s and 1990s led to an outpouring of Kenyan students and professionals seeking permanent opportunities in the West and southern Africa. Nevertheless, Kenya’s relative stability since its independence in 1963 has attracted hundreds of thousands of refugees escaping violent conflicts in neighboring countries; Kenya shelters more than 300,000 Somali refugees as of April 2017.

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.71% (male 10,412,321/female 10,310,908)
15-24 years: 20.45% (male 5,486,641/female 5,460,372)
25-54 years: 33.75% (male 9,046,946/female 9,021,207)
55-64 years: 4.01% (male 1,053,202/female 1,093,305)
65 years and over: 3.07% (male 750,988/female 892,046) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 69.8
Youth dependency ratio: 65.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.3
Potential support ratio: 23.5 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 20 years
Male: 19.9 years
Female: 20.1 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 195

Population growth rate: 2.2% (2020 est.)
Rank: 35

Birth rate: 27.2 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 42

Death rate: 5.2 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 194

Net migration rate: -0.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 106

Population distribution
Rank: population distribution map

Urbanization
Urban population: 28% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 4.23% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 4.735 million NAIROBI (capital), 1.296 million Mombassa (2020)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; water shortage and degraded water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; flooding; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.3 years (2014 est.)
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Infant mortality rate
Total: 29.8 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 33 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 26.6 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 56

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69 years
Male: 67.3 years
Female: 70.6 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 173

Total fertility rate: 3.43 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 41

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 60.5% (2017)

Drinking water source
Urban: 11% of population
Rural: 39.6% of population
Total: 32% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.8% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.2 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 1.4 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 21.2% of population
Rural: 58.8% of population
Total: 48.8% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 4.8% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 13
People living with hivaids: 1.5 million (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 6
Deaths: 21,000 (2019 est.)
Deaths rank: 7

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and Rift Valley fever
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 7.1% (2016)
Rank: 161

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.2% (2014)
Rank: 58

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2018)
Rank: 46

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 81.5%
Male: 85%
Female: 78.2% (2018)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2009)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
Conventional short form: Kenya
Local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri ya Kenya
Local short form: Kenya
Former: British East Africa
Etymology: named for Mount Kenya; the meaning of the name is unclear but may derive from the Kikuyu, Embu, and Kamba words kirinyaga, kirenyaa, and kiinyaa - all of which mean Gods resting place

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Nairobi
Geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: the name derives from the Maasai expression meaning 'cool waters' and refers to a cold water stream that flowed through the area in the late 19th century

Administrative divisions: 47 counties; Baringo, Bomet, Bungoma, Busia, Elgeyo/Marakwet, Embu, Garissa, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Kajiado, Kakamega, Kericho, Kiambu, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kisii, Kisumu, Kitui, Kwale, Laikipia, Lamu, Machakos, Makueni, Mandera, Marsabit, Meru, Migori, Mombasa, Murang'a, Nairobi City, Nakuru, Nandi, Narok, Nyamira, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Samburu, Siaya, Taita/Taveta, Tana River, Tharaka-Nithi, Trans Nzoia, Turkana, Uasin Gishu, Vihiga, Wajir, West Pokot

Independence: 12 December 1963 (from the UK)

National holiday: Jamhuri Day (Independence Day), 12 December (1963); note - Madaraka Day, 1 June (1963) marks the day Kenya attained internal self-rule

Constitution
History: previous 1963, 1969; latest drafted 6 May 2010, passed by referendum 4 August 2010, promulgated 27 August 2010
Amendments: proposed by either house of Parliament or by petition of at least one million eligible voters; passage of amendments by Parliament requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of both houses in each of two readings, approval in a referendum by majority of votes cast by at least 20% of eligible voters in at least one half of Kenya’s counties, and approval by the president; passage of amendments introduced by petition requires approval by a majority of county assemblies, approval by majority vote of both houses, and approval by the president

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review in the new Supreme Court established by the new constitution

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kenya
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 4 out of the previous 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Uhuru KENYATTA (since 9 April 2013); Deputy President William RUTO (since 9 April 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Uhuru KENYATTA (since 9 April 2013); Deputy President William RUTO (since 9 April 2013); note - position of the prime minister was abolished after the March 2013 elections 
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the National Assembly 
Electionsappointments: president and deputy president directly elected on the same ballot by qualified majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving an absolute majority popular vote, the presidential candidate must also win at least 25% of the votes cast in at least 24 of the 47 counties to avoid a runoff; election last held on 26 October 2017 (next to be held in 2022)
Election results: Uhuru KENYATTA reelected president; percent of vote - Uhuru KENYATTA (Jubilee Party) 98.3%, Raila ODINGA (ODM) 1%, other 0.7%; note - Kenya held a previous presidential election on 8 August 2017, but Kenyas Supreme Court on 1 September 2017 nullified the results, citing irregularities; the political opposition boycotted the October vote

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of chief and deputy chief justices and 5 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: chief and deputy chief justices nominated by Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and appointed by the president with approval of the National Assembly; other judges nominated by the JSC and appointed by president; chief justice serves a nonrenewable 10-year term or until age 70, whichever comes first; other judges serve until age 70
Subordinate courts: High Court; Court of Appeal; military courts; magistrates courts; religious courts

Political parties and leaders: Alliance Party of Kenya or APK [Kiraitu MURUNGI]Amani National Congress or ANC [Musalia MUDAVADI]Federal Party of Kenya or FPK [Cyrus JIRONGA]Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-K [Moses WETANGULA]Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-P [Henry OBWOCHA]Jubilee Party [Uhuru KENYATTA]Kenya African National Union or KANU [Gideon MOI]National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Charity NGILU]Orange Democratic Movement Party of Kenya or ODM [Raila ODINGA]Wiper Democratic Movement-K or WDM-K (formerly Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-K) [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lazarus Ombai AMAYO (since 17 July 2020)
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 consulate:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kyle MCCARTER (since 12 March 2019)
From the us telephone: [254] (20) 363-6,000
From the us embassy: United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; P.O. Box 606 Village Market, Nairobi 00621
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Nairobi, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-8,900
From the us FAX: [254] (20) 363-6,157

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large Maasai warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center; black symbolizes the majority population, red the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, green stands for natural wealth, and white for peace; the shield and crossed spears symbolize the defense of freedom

National symbols: lion; national colors: black, red, green, white

National anthem
Name: Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu (Oh God of All Creation)
Lyricsmusic: Graham HYSLOP, Thomas KALUME, Peter KIBUKOSYA, Washington OMONDI, and George W. SENOGA-ZAKE/traditional, adapted by Graham HYSLOP, Thomas KALUME, Peter KIBUKOSYA, Washington OMONDI, and George W. SENOGA-ZAKE
Note: adopted 1963; based on a traditional Kenyan folk song

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 38

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 204

Gross national saving:
Rank: 162

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 79.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 14.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 18.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 13.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -25.5% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 34.5% (2017 est.)
Industry: 17.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 47.5% (2017 est.)

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

Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism, information technology

Industrial production growth rate: 3.6% (2017 est.)
Rank: 82

Labor force: 19.6 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 26
By occupation agriculture: 61.1%
By occupation industry: 6.7%
By occupation services: 32.2% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 215

Population below poverty line: 36.1% (2016 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.8%
Highest 10: 37.8% (2005)

Budget
Revenues: 13.95 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 19.24 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -6.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 190

Taxes and other revenues: 17.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 168

Public debt:
Rank: 84

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 182

Current account balance:
Rank: 204

Exports:
Rank: 99
Partners: Uganda 10.8%, Pakistan 10.6%, US 8.1%, Netherlands 7.3%, UK 6.4%, Tanzania 4.8%, UAE 4.4% (2017)
Commodities: tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement, apparel

Imports:
Rank: 87
Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, oil, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Partners: China 22.5%, India 9.9%, UAE 8.7%, Saudi Arabia 5.1%, Japan 4.5% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 83

Debt external:
Rank: 85

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 8 million (2019)
Access electrification total population: 85% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 99% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 79% (2019)
Production: 9.634 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 105
Consumption: 7.863 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 104
Exports: 39.1 million kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 89
Imports: 184 million kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 95
Installed generating capacity: 2.401 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 109
Generation sources fossil fuels: 33% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 182
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 118
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 34% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 62
Generation sources other renewable sources: 33% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 13

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 154
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 145
Crude oil imports: 12,550 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 71
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 150

Refined petroleum
Products production: 13,960 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 96
Products consumption: 109,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 76
Products exports: 173 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 118
Products imports: 90,620 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 57

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 150
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 161
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 128
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 142
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 151

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 17.98 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 88

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 68,072 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 151
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 54,336,841
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 103.77 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 29

Broadcast media: about a half-dozen large-scale privately owned media companies with TV and radio stations, as well as a state-owned TV broadcaster, provide service nationwide; satellite and cable TV subscription services available; state-owned radio broadcaster operates 2 national radio channels and provides regional and local radio services in multiple languages; many private radio stations broadcast on a national level along with over 100 private and non-profit regional stations broadcasting in local languages; TV transmissions of all major international broadcasters available, mostly via paid subscriptions; direct radio frequency modulation transmissions available for several foreign government-owned broadcasters (2019)

Internet
Country code: .ke
Users total: 9,129,243
Users percent of population: 17.83% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 57

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 371,498
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1
Note: less than 1 (2018 est.)
Rank: 92

Military expenditures:
Rank: 93

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 18-26 years of age for male and female voluntary service (under 18 with parental consent), with a 9-year obligation (7 years for Kenyan Navy) and subsequent 3-year reenlistments; applicants must be Kenyan citizens and provide a national identity card (obtained at age 18) and a school-leaving certificate, and undergo a series of mental and physical examinations; women serve under the same terms and conditions as men; mandatory retirement at age 55 but personnel leaving before this age remain in a reserve status until they reach age 55 unless they were removed for disciplinary reasons; there is no active military reserve, although the Ministry of Defence has stated its desire to create one as recently as 2017 (2019)

Terrorist groups: al-Shabaab; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force (2019)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 25 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 188
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 5,935,831 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 294.97 million
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 5Y (2016)

Airports: 197 (2013)
Rank: 28
With paved runways total: 16 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 181 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 107 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 60 (2013)

Pipelines: 4 km oil, 1,432 km refined products (2018)

Railways
Total: 3,819 km (2018)
Standard gauge: 485 km
Note: 1.000-m gauge (2018)
Narrow gauge: 3,334 km
Rank: 52

Roadways
Total: 177,800 km (2018)
Paved: 14,420 km
Note: (8,500 km highways 1872 urban roads and 4,048 rural roads) (2017)
Unpaved: 147,032 km (2017)
Rank: 31

Waterways
Note: none specifically; the only significant inland waterway is the part of Lake Victoria within the boundaries of Kenya; Kisumu is the main port and has ferry connections to Uganda and Tanzania (2011)

Merchant marine
Total: 24
By type: oil tanker 2, other 22 (2019)
Rank: 140

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Kisumu, Mombasa
LNG terminal: Mombasa

Disputes international: Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; as of March 2019, Kenya provides shelter to nearly 475,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the 'Ilemi Triangle,' which Kenya has administered since colonial times; in 2018, Kenya signed an MoU with Uganda and South Sudan to help demarcate their borders

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 266,544 (Somalia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 123,339 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 44,836 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 28,836 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 16,010 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers), 10,007 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2020)
IDPs: 162,000 (election-related violence, intercommunal violence, resource conflicts, al-Shabaab attacks in 2017 and 2018) (2019)
Stateless persons: 18,500 (2019); note - the stateless population consists of Nubians, Kenyan Somalis, and coastal Arabs; the Nubians are descendants of Sudanese soldiers recruited by the British to fight for them in East Africa more than a century ago; Nubians did not receive Kenyan citizenship when the country became independent in 1963; only recently have Nubians become a formally recognized tribe and had less trouble obtaining national IDs; Galjeel and other Somalis who have lived in Kenya for decades are included with more recent Somali refugees and denied ID cards

Illicit drugs: 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