Kenya

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

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

Merchant marine

2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,883 GRT/6,255 DWT, barge carrier 1, oil tanker ship 1

Pipelines

petroleum products 483 km

Ports

coastal - Mombasa, Lamu; inland - Kisumu

Railroads

2,040 km 1.000-meter gauge

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

Affiliation

(territory of the US)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $294 million, 4.9% of GDP (FY88/89 est.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 6,144,891; fit for military service 3,799,202

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

Budget

revenues: $2.4 billion expenditures: $2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $740 million (1990 est.)

Currency

1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents

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

Electricity

capacity: 730,000 kW production: 2.54 billion kWh consumption per capita: 100 kWh (1990)

Exchange rates

Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1 - 68.413 (December 1993), 32.217 (1992), 27.508 (1991), 22.915 (1990), 20.572 (1989)

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)

External debt

$7 billion (1992 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

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

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)

Industrial production

growth rate 5.4% (1989 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP

Industries

small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining, cement, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

55% (1993 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $33.2 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$1,200 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

0.5% (1993 est.)

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.

Unemployment rate

23.8% urban (1993 est.)

Area

total area: 582,650 sq km land area: 569,250 sq km comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Climate

varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Coastline

536 km

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

International disputes

administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with international boundary; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis

Irrigated land

520 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

total 3,446 km, Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Land use

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 7% forest and woodland: 4% other: 85%

Location

Eastern Africa, bordering the northwestern India Ocean between Tanzania and Somalia

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barytes, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife

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

Terrain

low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west

Administrative divisions

8 provinces; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Capital

Nairobi

Constitution

12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, and 1992

Digraph

KE

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

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

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

Independence

12 December 1963 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal, High Court

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

Legislative branch

unicameral

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

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Kenya conventional short form: Kenya former: British East Africa

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Other political or pressure groups

labor unions; Roman Catholic Church

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

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

Birth rate

42.44 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, Asian, European, and Arab 1%, other 15%

Infant mortality rate

74.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

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.)

Languages

English (official), Swahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 53.23 years male: 51.48 years female: 55.03 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 69% male: 80% female: 58%

Nationality

noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

28,240,658 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

3.07% (1994 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 28%, Protestant (including Anglican) 26%, indigenous beliefs 18%, Muslim 6%

Total fertility rate

5.91 children born/woman (1994 est.)