Kenya

KENYA: New cases of black feve...

KENYA: New cases of black fever in north-east

At least 33 cases of visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease also known as Kala-azar or black fever, have been reported in the past four weeks in...

Ministers stuck in Kibaki’s shadow

The Party of National Unity (PNU) is split down the middle over whether to make President Kibaki party leader or retain him as party chairman.

Wretched leadership, our real problem

The rising cost of living has left many families devastated.

A nation at a crossroads: ‘Our Constitution is our bane’

Former Karachuonyo MP and one time political detainee, Paul Adhu Awiti, says he knew Kenya was headed for trouble when leaders chose to cling to a...

Karua slams the door shut on ECK team

The die is cast, that was Justice Minister Martha Karua’s message to the Electoral Commissioner of Kenya (ECK).

Kibaki: Everyone should pay tax

President Kibaki has backed calls for all Kenyans to pay tax.

National name: Jamhuri ya Kenya

Geography
 
Capital: Nairobi
Major Towns: Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret.
Location (geographical coordinates/latitude and longitude): Nairobi: 1°16'S, 36°48'E
Time Zone: EAT (UTC+3)
Size (Land and Sea): 580,367 km², Water: 2.3%
Borders with Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Indian Ocean
Elevation extremes: Lowest point : Indian Ocean 0 m, highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m 
 
Politics
 
Head of State: President: Mwai Kibaki, Vice-President: Moody Awori
Form of Government: Republic
Independancy (from UK): December 12, 1963 ; Declared: December 12, 1964
Currency: Kenyan Shilling
 
Industry  

Main Industries: Small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism
Natural resources: Limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower
Agriculture: Tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
 
Population and People  

Population: 36,913,721 (2007 est.); 34,707,817 (2005 est.)
Population density per sq mi: 168
Growth rate: 2.8% (2007 est.)
Birth rate: 38.9/1000 population
Total fertility rate: 4.82 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 57.4/1000
Religion: Various Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, Traditional Religions 10%. Others include Hinduism, Jainism & the Bahá'í Faith.
Languages: Swahili, English, Masai, Kikuyu, Somali
Ethnic groups / Tribes: Kikuyu 18%, Luhya 15%, Luo 14%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 7%, Ameru 6%, Somali 3%, other African 13%, non-African (Asian/Desi, Anglo-African/European, and Arab) 1%.
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.1% (male 7,826,804/female 7,720,456); 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 10,219,575/female 10,174,922); 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 446,355/female 525,609) (2007 est.)
Life expectancy: 55.3
Literacy: Total population: 78.1%; male: 86.3%, female: 70% (1995 est.)

  • The country is named after Mount Kenya, a very significant landmark
  • Many anthropologists refer to Kenya as the 'cradle of humanity'
  • At one of the rare dinosaur fossil sites in Africa, two hundred Cretaceous theropod and giant crocodile fossils have been discovered in Kenya, dating from the Mesozoic Era, over 200 million years ago.
  • The skeleton of a Turkana boy belonging to Homo erectus from 1.6 million years ago was found at Lake Turkana in 1984
  • Mount Kenya reaches 5,199 metres (17,057 ft) and is also the site of glaciers
  • The Mau Forest is the largest forest complex in East Africa
  • Three of Africa's highest mountains are located in Kenya or its vicinity: Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon and Kilimanjaro
  • The “Big Five” of animals can be fond in Kenya: lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros and elephant
  • Kenya is regarded by many as the ‘jewel of East Africa'
  • Ngugi wa Thiong'o’s first novel, Weep Not, Child, was the first novel in English to be published by an East African
  • Kenya is known for its dominance in long-distance athletics
  • Cricket is Kenya's second most popular and most successful team sport; Kenya has competed in the Cricket World Cup since 1996
  • Kenya offers some of the most spectacular sceneries and is therefore a popular set for film shooting; recent films shot in Kenya include “The Constant Gardener”, Nowhere in Africa or Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. “Out of Africa” is one of the classical films that were set and shot in Kenya
  • Kenya has some of the most magnificent wildlife parks in the world
  • Coral reefs and white sand beaches
  • Coffee and tea plantations
  • The most spectacular stretch of the Great Rift Valley, the giant scar across the face of Africa, lies in Kenya
  • One-tenth of all land in Kenya is designated as national parks and reserves
  • One-tenth of all land in Kenya is designated as national parks and reserves
  • Kenya has East Africa's first ice-skating facility, The Solar Ice Rink, which opened in December 2005 at the Panari Hotel in Nairobi
  • Mount Kenya, an extinct volcano at 4,986m (16,358ft) above sea level, is the second-highest mountain in Africa
  • Dhows are the traditional sailboats in Kenya
  • The Guru Falls drops over 300m (1,000ft)