Kenya

Internet country code

.ke

Internet hosts

2,120 (2007)

Internet users

2.77 million (2006)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is small and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat

Telephones - main lines in use

293,400 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

6.485 million (2006)

Television broadcast stations

8 (2001)

Agriculture - products

tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs

Budget

revenues: $4.691 billion expenditures: $5.137 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code)

Kenyan shilling (KES)

Current account balance

$-874 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$6.931 billion (2006 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

44.5 (1997)

Economic aid - recipient

$768.3 million (2005)

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. Since then, however, the KIBAKI government has been rocked by high-level graft scandals. The World Bank suspended aid for most of 2006, and the IMF has delayed loans pending further action by the government on corruption. The scandals have not seemed to affect growth, with GDP growing more than 5% in 2006.

Electricity - consumption

4.464 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports

28 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - production

5.502 billion kWh (2005)

Exchange rates

Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 72.101 (2006), 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004), 75.936 (2003), 78.749 (2002)

Exports

$3.438 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement

Exports - partners

Uganda 15.9%, UK 10.3%, US 8.2%, Netherlands 7.9%, Tanzania 7.7%, Pakistan 4.9% (2006)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP (official exchange rate)

$17.49 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$41.48 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 24% industry: 16.7% services: 59.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,200 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6.1% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)

Imports

$6.796 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics

Imports - partners

UAE 11.8%, India 8.8%, China 8.3%, Saudi Arabia 8.3%, US 7%, South Africa 6.4%, UK 5.3%, Japan 4.7% (2006)

Industrial production growth rate

6.3% (2006 est.)

Industries

small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

14.5% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

18.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Labor force

1.963 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 75% industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$11.38 billion (2006)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

55,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Population below poverty line

50% (2000 est.)

Public debt

48.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.416 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$124 million (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$1.169 billion (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

40% (2001 est.)

Area

total: 582,650 sq km land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Climate

varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Coastline

536 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

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

Geographic coordinates

1 00 N, 38 00 E

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

Irrigated land

1,030 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 3,477 km border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Land use

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

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards

recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Capital

name: Nairobi geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Kenya conventional short form: Kenya local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri y Kenya local short form: Kenya former: British East Africa

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RANNEBERGER embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Avenue, 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Rateng Oginga OGEGO chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

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) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second 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 in December 2007); vice president appointed by the president election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30%

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

Government type

republic

Independence

12 December 1963 (from UK)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court

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

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 in December 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

National holiday

Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Political parties and leaders

Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-Kenya [Musikari KOMBO or Soita SHITANDA, disputed]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Simeon NYACHAE]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Nicholas BIWOTT or Uhuru KENYATTA, disputed]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-K [Mwai KIBAKI, unofficially, since the break-up of KIBAKI's original coalition]; Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-Kenya [Raila ODINGA, unofficially]

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 [Ndung'u WAINANA]; 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]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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 (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 7,303,153 females age 18-49: 7,083,726 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 3,963,532 females age 18-49: 3,471,926 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2007)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.8% (2006)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age (est.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year obligation (2007)

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.)

Birth rate

38.94 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate

10.95 deaths/1,000 population (2007 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%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

6.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

150,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1.2 million (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 57.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 60.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 55.31 years male: 55.24 years female: 55.37 years (2007 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.1% male: 90.6% female: 79.7% (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 (2007)

Median age

total: 18.6 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.7 years (2007 est.)

Nationality

noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Population

36,913,721 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 2007 est.)

Population growth rate

2.799% (2007 est.)

Religions

Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.014 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.004 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.849 male(s)/female total population: 1.004 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.82 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Disputes - international

Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 150,459 (Somalia), 76,646 (Sudan), 14,862 (Ethiopia) IDPs: 431,150 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2006)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Kenya is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; children are trafficked within the country for domestic servitude, street vending, agricultural labor, and sexual exploitation; men, women, and girls are trafficked to the Middle East, other African nations, Western Europe, and North America for domestic servitude, enslavement in massage parlors and brothels, and manual labor; Chinese women trafficked for sexual exploitation reportedly transit Nairobi and Bangladeshis may transit Kenya for forced labor in other countries tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Kenya is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List due to a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking

Airports

225 (2007)

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 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 210 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 113 under 914 m: 85 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 3,737 GRT/5,558 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 1 registered in other countries: 5 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2007)

Pipelines

refined products 894 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Mombasa

Railways

total: 2,778 km narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 63,265 km (interurban roads) paved: 8,933 km unpaved: 54,332 km note: there also are 100,000 km of rural roads and 14,500 km of urban roads for a national total of 177,765 km (2004)

Waterways

part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2006)