Kenya




                                 Geography


Location:
     Eastern Africa, bordering the northwestern India Ocean between
     Tanzania and Somalia
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     582,650 sq km
land area:
     569,250 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:
     total 3,446 km, Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,
     Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline:
     536 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with
     international boundary; possible claim by Somalia based on unification
     of ethnic Somalis
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%
Irrigated land:
     520 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
     water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water
     quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers;
     deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching




natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
     party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
     Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
     Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
     Climate Change
Note:
     the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural
     production regions in Africa; glaciers on Mt. Kenya; unique
     physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and
     economic value


                                  People


Population:
     28,240,658 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.07% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     42.44 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     11.74 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     74.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     53.23 years
male:
     51.48 years
female:
     55.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     5.91 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Kenyan(s)
adjective:
     Kenyan
Ethnic divisions:
     Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,
     Meru 6%, Asian, European, and Arab 1%, other 15%
Religions:
     Roman Catholic 28%, Protestant (including Anglican) 26%, indigenous
     beliefs 18%, Muslim 6%
Languages:
     English (official), Swahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     69%
male:
     80%




female:
     58%
Labor force:
     9.2 million (includes unemployed); the total employed is 1,370,000
     (14.8% of the labor force)
by occupation:
     agriculture 75-80% (1993 est.), non-agriculture 20-25% (1993 est.)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Kenya
conventional short form:
former:
     British East Africa
Digraph:
     KE
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     Nairobi
Administrative divisions:
     8 provinces; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, 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, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, and 1992
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 of 1982 making Kenya a de jure
     one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
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); election last held on 29
     December 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - President Daniel T.
     arap MOI was reelected with 37% of the vote; Kenneth Matiba
     (FORD-ASILI) 26%; Mwai Kibaki (SP) 19%, Oginga Odinga (FORD-Kenya) 17%
cabinet:
     Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
National Assembly (Bunge):
     elections last held on 29 December 1992; results - (188 total) KANU
     100, FORD-Kenya 31, FORD-Asili 31, DP 23, smaller parties 3; president
     nominates 12 additional members




note:
     first multiparty election since repeal of one-party state law in 1991
Judicial branch:
     Court of Appeal, High Court
Political parties and leaders:
     ruling party is Kenya African National Union (KANU), Daniel T. arap
     MOI, president; opposition parties include Forum for the Restoration
     of Democracy (FORD-Kenya), Michael WAMALWA; Forum for the Restoration
     of Democracy (FORD-Asili), Kenneth MATIBA; Democratic Party of Kenya
     (DP), Mwai KIBAKI; Kenya National Congress (KNC), Titus MBATHI; Kenya
     Social Congress (KSC), George ANYONA; Kenya National Democratic
     Alliance (KENYA), Mukara NG'ANG'A; Party for Independent Candidates of
     Kenya (PKK), Otieno OTOERA
Other political or pressure groups:
     labor unions; Roman Catholic Church
Member of:
     ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
     ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
     IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
     UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     (vacant)
chancery:
     2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 387-6101
consulate(s) general:
     Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Aurelia BRAZEAL
embassy:
     corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi
mailing address:
     P. O. Box 30137, Unit 64100, Nairobi or APO AE 09831
telephone:
     [254] (2) 334141
FAX:
     [254] (2) 340838
Flag:
     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


                                  Economy




Overview:
     Kenya's 3.1% annual population growth rate - one of the highest in the
     world - has led to a decline in per capita output in each of the last
     three years, 1991-93. Undependable weather conditions and a shortage
     of arable land hamper long-term growth in agriculture, the leading
     economic sector. In industry and services, Nairobi's reluctance to
     embrace IMF-supported reforms has held back investment. Ethnic clashes
     and continued suspension of quick disbursing aid by the international
     donors kept growth at only 0.5% in 1993.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $33.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     0.5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $1,200 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     55% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     23.8% urban (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $2.4 billion
expenditures:
     $2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $740 million (1990
     est.)
Exports:
     $1 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     tea 25%, coffee 18%, petroleum products 11% (1990)
partners:
     EC 47%, Africa 23%, Asia 11%, US 4%, Middle East 3% (1991)
Imports:
     $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     machinery and transportation equipment 29%, petroleum and petroleum
     products 15%, iron and steel 7%, raw materials, food and consumer
     goods (1989)
partners:
     EC 46%, Asia 23%, Middle East 20%, US 5% (1991)
External debt:
     $7 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 5.4% (1989 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     730,000 kW
production:
     2.54 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     100 kWh (1990)
Industries:
     small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles,
     soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining,
     cement, tourism




Agriculture:
     most important sector, accounting for 25% of GDP and 65% of exports;
     cash crops - coffee, tea, sisal, pineapple; food products - corn,
     wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, beef, pork,
     poultry, eggs; food output not keeping pace with population growth,
     and crop production has been extended into marginal land
Illicit drugs:
     widespread wild, small-plot cultivation of marijuana and gat; most
     locally consumed; transit country for Southwest Asian heroin moving to
     West Africa and onward to Europe and North America; Indian
     methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $839 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.49
     billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $74 million; Communist
     countries (1970-89), $83 million
Currency:
     1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
     Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1 - 68.413 (December 1993), 32.217
     (1992), 27.508 (1991), 22.915 (1990), 20.572 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     1 July - 30 June


                              Communications


Railroads:
     2,040 km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
     64,590 km
paved:
     7,000 km
unpaved:
     gravel 4,150 km; improved earth 53,440 km
Inland waterways:
     part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya
Pipelines:
     petroleum products 483 km
Ports:
     coastal - Mombasa, Lamu; inland - Kisumu
Merchant marine:
     2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,883 GRT/6,255 DWT, barge
     carrier 1, oil tanker ship 1
Airports:
total:
     248
usable:
     213
with permanent-surface runways:
     28
with runways over 3,659 m:
     2




with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     44
Telecommunications:
     in top group of African systems; consists primarily of radio relay
     links; over 260,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 16 AM; 4 FM, 6
     TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian
     Ocean INTELSAT


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 6,144,891; fit for military service 3,799,202
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $294 million, 4.9% of GDP (FY88/89 est.)