Kenya

§1. Kenya Introduction

Background:
  Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya
  from independence in 1963 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 were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan
  people. 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,
  defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following
  a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform.

§2. Kenya Geography

Location:
  Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania

Geographic coordinates:
  1 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references:
  Africa

Area:
  total: 582,650 km²
  land: 569,250 km²
  water: 13,400 km²

Area - comparative:
  slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Land boundaries:
  total: 3,477 km
  border countries: 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
  highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

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

Land use:
  arable land: 8.01%
  permanent crops: 0.97%
  other: 91.02% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  670 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

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

Environment - 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
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

§3. Kenya People

Population:
  34,707,817
  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 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 42.6% (male 7,454,765/female 7,322,130)
  15-64 years: 55.1% (male 9,631,488/female 9,508,068)
  65 years and over: 2.3% (male 359,354/female 432,012) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 18.2 years
  male: 18.1 years
  female: 18.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.57% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  39.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
  note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 2005 Kenya was host to 233,778
    refugees from neighboring countries, including Somalia 153,627, Sudan
    67,556, Ethiopia 12,595 (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 59.26 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 61.92 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 56.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 48.93 years
  male: 49.78 years
  female: 48.07 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  4.91 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  6.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  1.2 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  150,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: very high
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A,
    and typhoid fever
  vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations
  water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)

Nationality:
  noun: Kenyan(s)
  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%

Religions:
  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

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

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 85.1%
  male: 90.6%
  female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

§4. Kenya Government

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

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, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 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

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); 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); 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 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:
  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

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

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  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]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard NGAITHE
  chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
  FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
  consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador William M. BELLAMY
  embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiri; P. O. Box 606 Village
    Market Nairobi
  mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
  telephone: [254] (20) 537-800
  FAX: [254] (20) 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

§5. Kenya Economy

Economy - overview:
  The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has been
  hampered by corruption 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 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. GDP grew more
  than 5% in 2005.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $39.6 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $16.25 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  5.2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $1,200 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 16.3%
  industry: 18.8%
  services: 65.1% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
  11.85 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 75% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  40% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 2%
  highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  44.5 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  12% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  17.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $3.715 billion
  expenditures: $3.88 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

Public debt:
  67.4% of GDP (2005 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, oil refining; aluminum, steel,
  lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
  4.6% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  4.342 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  4.238 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  200 million kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  52,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Current account balance:
  $-694 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $3.173 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement

Exports - partners:
  Uganda 13.2%, UK 11.3%, US 10.5%, Netherlands 8.1%, Egypt 4.8%, Tanzania
  4.4%, Pakistan 4.3% (2004)

Imports:
  $5.126 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles,
  iron and steel, resins and plastics

Imports - partners:
  UAE 12.5%, Saudi Arabia 9.1%, South Africa 8.7%, US 7.7%, India 7.2%, UK
  6.7%, China 6.4%, Japan 5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $1.67 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $7.349 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $453 million (1997)

Currency (code):
  Kenyan shilling (KES)

Exchange rates:
  Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004), 75.936
  (2003), 78.749 (2002), 78.563 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

§6. Kenya Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  299,300 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  2,546,200 (2004)

Telephone system:
  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

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
  8 (2002)

Internet country code:
  .ke

Internet hosts:
  11,645 (2005)

Internet users:
  1.5 million (2005)

§7. Kenya Transportation

Airports:
  224 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 15
  over 3,047 m: 4
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
  914 to 1,523 m: 5
  under 914 m: 1 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 209
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
  914 to 1,523 m: 114
  under 914 m: 84 (2005)

Pipelines:
  refined products 752 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 2,778 km
  narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 63,942 km
  paved: 7,737 km
  unpaved: 56,205 km (2000)

Waterways:
  part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2003)

Merchant marine:
  total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 6,049 GRT/7,082 DWT
  by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1
  registered in other countries: 6 (The Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint Vincent
    and the Grenadines 3, unknown 1) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Mombasa

§8. Kenya Military

Military branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 7,303,153 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 3,963,532 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $280.5 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  1.6% (2005 est.)

§9. Kenya Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south
  separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to approximately a
  quarter of a million refugees including Ugandans who flee across the border
  periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels;
  the Kenya-Somalia border is open to pastoralists and is susceptible to
  cross-border clan insurgencies; Kenya's administrative limits extend beyond
  the treaty border into the Sudan, creating the Ilemi Triangle

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 153,627 (Somalia) 12,595 (Ethiopia) 67,556
    (Sudan)
  IDPs: 360,000 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2005)

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


<Factbook 2006>
