Situated on the equator on Africa's east coast, Kenya has been described as "the cradle of humanity". In the Great Rift Valley paleontologists have discovered some of the earliest evidence of man's ancestors. Kenya is a developing East African country known for its wildlife and national parks. The capital city is Nairobi. The second largest city is Mombasa, located on the southeast coast.
In the present day, Kenya's ethnic diversity has produced a vibrant culture but is also a source of conflict.
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.
Despite President Kibaki's pledge to tackle corruption, some donors estimated that up to $1bn had been lost to graft between 2002 and 2005. Other pressing challenges include high unemployment, crime and poverty; most Kenyans live below the poverty level of $1 a day. Droughts frequently put millions of people at risk.
Political veteran Mwai Kibaki entered into a power-sharing deal with rival Raila Odinga after they both claimed to have won the December 2007 presidential election. Shortly after the election Mr. Kibaki was sworn in for a second term in office, prompting a wave of unrest across the country. Months of negotiations resulted in a coalition cabinet, which was sworn into office in April 2008. Opposition leader Raila Odinga was sworn in as prime minister in April 2008, fulfilling a key step in a power-sharing deal aimed at ending a violent political crisis.
The violence, which appeared to be ethnically and politically based, was concentrated in Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western provinces, as well as Nairobi and parts of Coast province. At least 1,000 people have died as a result of the post-electoral civil unrest and more than 300,000 have been internally displaced. Additionally, disruptions in public transportation services have occurred as a result of political violence, strikes, or work stoppages. There continues to be the potential for spontaneous violence due to simmering political grievances caused by the disputed election.
Border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Population: 34,707,817 - 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.)
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%
DONATE TO: Prophetess Beatrice Agessa , Nairobi, Kenya. Phone: 254-721-302788
