Kenya << KEHN yuh >> is a country that extends from the east coast of Africa on the Indian Ocean into the interior of Africa. The equator runs through the center of Kenya.
Kenya’s coastal area is hot and humid. Beautiful sandy beaches, lagoons, swamps, and patches of rain forest line the coast. Inland, a vast plains area stretches over about three-fourths of Kenya. Its extremely dry climate and generally poor soil support only scattered plant life. But a highland in the southwest receives more rainfall and has fertile soil to allow extensive farming. Most of Kenya’s people live in the highland.
A spectacular variety of wild animals live in Kenya. This wildlife—which includes antelopes, elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions, rhinoceroses, and zebras—attracts thousands of tourists to Kenya each year.
Most of Kenya’s people live in rural areas, farming and raising livestock for a living. But many people, especially young people, move to Kenya’s cities and towns, which are growing rapidly. Nairobi is Kenya’s capital and largest city. Mombasa, on the coast, is the country’s second largest city and chief port.
The United Kingdom ruled Kenya from 1895 until it became an independent nation in 1963. During this period, the British influenced both the economic and cultural life of Kenya. Since independence, Kenyan leaders have emphasized the African heritage of the nation.
Government
Kenya is a republic. In 2010, voters approved a new Constitution to replace the one created when Kenya became independent in 1963. Like the previous Constitution, the new one grants the people such rights as freedom of speech and religion. The new Constitution created a system of checks and balances to keep any single branch of government from becoming too powerful. Kenyan citizens 18 years of age or older may vote in elections.
National government.
A president heads Kenya’s national government. The president is assisted by a deputy president and Cabinet ministers. Each Cabinet minister heads an executive department of the government. Kenya has a bicameral (two-chambered) legislature consisting of a Senate (upper house) and a National Assembly (lower house).
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Kenya’s voters elect the president, deputy president, and most members of the Parliament to five-year terms. Political parties nominate the remaining members of Parliament.
Local government.
Kenya is divided into 47 counties for purposes of local government. Each county is run by a governor, a county assembly, and other local authorities.
Politics.
From 1982 to 1991, only one political party—the Kenya African National Union (KANU)—was allowed in Kenya. In late 1991, other political parties were legalized. KANU joined a group of parties called the Party of National Unity. Kenya’s other parties include the Orange Democratic Movement and the Wiper Democratic Movement.
Courts.
Kenya’s highest court is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has a chief justice, a deputy chief justice, and five other judges. The next two highest courts are the Court of Appeal and the High Court. The High Court hears appeals from lower courts, and the Court of Appeal hears appeals from the High Court. Kenya’s lower courts include resident magistrate courts and district magistrate courts.
Armed forces
of Kenya include an army, an air force, and a small navy. All military service is voluntary.
People
Population and ethnic groups.
Kenya has a rapidly growing population. About 99 percent of the population is indigenous (native) African and consists of about 40 ethnic groups. The largest group, the Kikuyu, make up more than 15 percent of the population. Three other ethnic groups—Kalenjin, Luhya, and Luo—each make up between 10 and 15 percent of the population. Other population groups in Kenya include Arabs, South Asians, and Europeans, chiefly British.
Kenya’s ethnic groups are divided by separate languages, and, in many areas, by differing ways of life. Differences in economic development and social factors have sometimes led to friction between groups. The Kenyan government has struggled to overcome ethnic divisions and provide a sense of national unity.
Languages.
Most of Kenya’s ethnic groups have their own local language or dialect. In addition to their ethnic language, most Kenyans also speak Swahili (which Africans call Kiswahili). Swahili, Kenya’s national language, is widely used for communication between people of different ethnic groups. Many Kenyans also speak English, the other official language of the country.
Way of life.
Most of Kenya’s rural people live on small farm settlements and raise crops and livestock for a living. Most of these rural farm families produce enough food for their own use. Many grow enough that they can offer their extra produce for sale. Many Kenyan farmers hold part-time jobs to add to their income. Some work part time on large farm estates—especially coffee and tea plantations—that are owned by wealthy landowners. 
About 3 percent of Kenya’s people are pastoralists, who raise livestock for a living. These people move between locations in search of grazing land and water for their animals. They rely on their animals for food, and they judge a person’s wealth by the number of animals owned. The best-known Kenyan pastoralists are the Maasai. The Maasai are famous for their traditional dress, including beaded jewelry and vivid red fabrics.
Kenya’s rural people value friendships in their communities. Although they must work hard to make a living, most rural Kenyans find time for regular social visits with their neighbors.
Many rural Kenyans move to cities and towns to find jobs. Most of the country’s urban people work in stores, factories, or business or government offices. Kenyans who move to cities and large towns find they must adjust to the fast pace, regular work schedules, and impersonal relations that are typical of urban areas. But most urban Kenyans keep close ties with their rural relatives.
Kenyans place much value on large families. Many Kenyan families have six or more children, and so the women are kept busy with child care. In addition, almost all women of Kenya’s rural regions take part in the planting and harvesting of crops. Some also work part time on large farm estates. The government recognizes the equality of men and women, and it encourages women to become educated and achieve high-paying jobs. Some women have done so. But most are too busy with child care and farm work to advance to high positions.
Kenya’s Arabs, Europeans, and South Asians live chiefly along the coast and in Nairobi. Most of them own businesses or hold professional jobs.
Housing.
Most rural Kenyans live in small houses with thatched or tin roofs, walls made of mud or cement, and dirt floors. In the cities, such houses are usually found crowded together in slum areas. Kenya’s cities have dwellings that range in style from simple, inexpensive units for working-class people to expensive, large houses and apartment buildings for the wealthy.
Clothing.
Most Kenyans wear clothing like that worn in Europe and the Americas. Rural Kenyans may wear more traditional clothing. They may wrap a brightly colored one-piece cloth, called a kanga, around their bodies for clothing.
Food and drink.
Corn (called maize in Kenya) is a basic food of the people. Kenyans often grind corn into a porridge and mix it with other vegetables to make stew. They add fish or meat to the stew when they can afford to do so. Beer is a popular beverage in Kenya.
Recreation.
Dancing is a favorite form of recreation throughout Kenya. Most of the people enjoy both dancing and watching concerts and dance performances. Motion pictures are also popular in Kenyan cities.
Soccer ranks as Kenya’s most popular sport. Children and adults throughout the country play the game for fun, and soccer matches between organized teams draw large crowds. Track and field is another favorite sport. Kenyan distance runners, especially marathon runners, have won many medals in international competition.
Religion.
About 85 percent of Kenya’s people are Christians. Most of the Christians are Protestants, and the rest are mainly Roman Catholics. About 10 percent of Kenya’s people are Muslims. Most live in Mombasa and the coastal regions. Nairobi also has several mosques and a sizable Muslim population. Many of the traditional African religions are no longer widely practiced. These faiths are based on the belief in one supreme being and many spirits that influence events.
Education.
Elementary education is compulsory in Kenya. The government operates schools in most parts of the country. In addition, community groups have set up schools in many places. These schools are called self-help, or harambee, schools. Harambee is a Swahili word that means pulling together. Government elementary schools are free. Students in high schools and all students in harambee schools must pay tuition. 
Kenyan folk music
Kenya has a number of public and private universities. Major public universities include the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University in Nairobi, and Moi University in Eldoret. Kenya also has many public and private technical schools and training colleges.
The arts.
Kenya has a rich artistic tradition. Carved statues, paintings, and jewelry are among the most popular art objects. Such items can be found for sale in cities and most towns. Kenyans enjoy highly artistic dances that are performed during such ceremonies as birth celebrations, marriages, and funerals. Such traditional dances are also part of national holiday celebrations.
Land and climate
Land regions.
Kenya’s land includes three distinct regions: (1) a tropical coastal area, (2) a dry plains area, and (3) a fertile highland. The coastal area is a narrow strip of land along the Indian Ocean. The region has beautiful beaches, lagoons, mangrove swamps where the roots of mangrove trees hold the soil, coconut palms, and a few small rain forests. The climate of the coastal area is hot and humid the year around. Temperatures average about 80 °F (27 °C). Rainfall totals about 40 inches (100 centimeters) annually. Much of the soil near the coast is suitable for farming, especially in the south. Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest city and its chief port, lies along the coast.
The plains stretch inland from the coastal area and cover about three-fourths of Kenya. The plains form a series of plateaus, rising from near sea level at the coast to about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) inland. Bushes, shrubs, and grasses grow on the plains. The area is the driest part of Kenya. Much of it receives only 10 to 30 inches (25 to 76 centimeters) of rain yearly. A large northern region is desertlike, receiving less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain a year. Average temperatures vary with altitude, ranging from about 80 °F (27 °C) at low levels to about 60 °F (16 °C) at the highest levels. The plains area is the most thinly populated part of Kenya. It has no large towns or cities. Pastoralists roam the region in search of grazing land and water for their livestock. The soil is too dry for extensive farming.
The highland lies in southwestern Kenya. It covers a little less than one-fourth of the country. It is a region of mountains, valleys, and plateaus. Mount Kenya, at its eastern end, is the highest point in the country. It rises 17,058 feet (5,199 meters) above sea level. Only one African mountain—Kilimanjaro in Tanzania—is higher. Forests and grasslands cover much of the highland. The highland has fertile soil and a good climate for agriculture. It is Kenya’s chief farming region. Temperatures average about 67 °F (19 °C), and yearly rainfall ranges from 40 to 50 inches (100 to 130 centimeters). About 75 percent of Kenya’s people live in the highland. Nairobi, Kenya’s largest city, is there.
The Great Rift Valley divides the highland into eastern and western sections. This deep valley, which cuts through much of eastern Africa from north to south, has some of the continent’s most fertile soil.
Rivers and lakes.
The Athi and the Tana are Kenya’s chief rivers. Both flow from the highland to the Indian Ocean. The eastern part of the Athi is called the Galana. Lake Turkana covers 2,473 square miles (6,405 square kilometers) in the far north. Its northern tip extends into Ethiopia. Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, lies at the western end of Kenya. Most of the lake is within Tanzania and Uganda. The lake covers 26,800 square miles (69,500 square kilometers), of which about 1,460 square miles (3,781 square kilometers) fall within Kenya. 
Animal life.
Kenya is world-famous for its wildlife. The country’s plains and—to a lesser extent—its highland are the home of large numbers of fascinating animals. Antelope, buffaloes, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions, rhinoceroses, and zebras roam open spaces. Crocodiles and hippopotamuses are found where water is plentiful. Numerous large birds, such as eagles, ostriches, and storks, and dozens of species of small, brightly colored birds also live in Kenya.
Economy
Kenya has a developing economy. Many of its people live in poverty. Foreign aid and remittances (money sent home) from Kenyans working abroad are helpful sources of national income.
A small amount of Kenya’s land is high-quality farmland, and the population is growing at a rapid rate. Agriculture is an important economic activity. But Kenya has greatly increased its industry and tourist trade to lessen its reliance on agriculture. Service industries, including government, real estate, tourism, and wholesale and retail trade, account for much of the country’s economic production. Kenya’s economy operates as a free enterprise system, but the government places many regulations on businesses.
Agriculture.
Agricultural activity in Kenya is divided about equally between the production of cash crops and subsistence crops. Cash crops are products raised for sale. Subsistence crops are those raised by farmers for their own use.
Tea is Kenya’s chief cash crop. Kenya is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of tea. Corn is the country’s main subsistence crop. Farmers also grow avocados; bananas; beans; coffee; cotton; mangoes; pineapples; potatoes; sugar cane; tomatoes; wheat; pyrethrum, which is used to make insecticide; and sisal, used to make fiber. Kenya is one of the world’s leading producers of both pyrethrum and sisal. Beef and dairy products are Kenya’s most important livestock products. Other important livestock include camels, goats, poultry, and sheep. 
Most Kenyan farmers own the land they work or rent it from the government. The majority of farms are small. But Kenya has a number of large farm estates where cash crops—especially coffee and tea—are raised. Most Kenyan farmers use traditional tools in their work. Large-scale farms, however, typically use more mechanical equipment.
Manufacturing.
Nairobi and Mombasa are Kenya’s most important industrial centers. Food processing is a major industrial activity in Kenya. Kenya produces a small but diverse amount of manufactured products, including beer and soft drinks, chemicals, cigarettes, clothing, furniture, leather goods, machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, rubber and plastics products, and textiles.
Tourism
is vital to Kenya’s economy. Millions of tourists visit Kenya annually to enjoy its scenic coastal area and to view and photograph its wildlife on safaris. Many tourists come from France, Germany, India, Italy, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Tourism is a leading source of foreign income in Kenya. 
Mining.
Kenya has few valuable minerals. Soda ash, used in glassmaking, is an important mined product. Other mined products include gemstones; gold; gypsum; ilmenite, a source of titanium; and salt.
International trade.
Kenya exports less than it imports. Tea is Kenya’s main export. Other exports include clothing, coffee, cut flowers, petroleum products, and vegetables. Kenya imports food products, industrial machinery, iron and steel, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals (medicinal drugs), plastics, and transportation equipment. Kenya’s chief trading partners include China, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In 1999, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda signed a treaty to revive the East African Community (EAC), which aims to promote economic and political cooperation. This organization had originally been created in 1967 but collapsed in 1977 because of strained relations among the three member nations. The new EAC was formally launched in 2001. In 2007, Burundi and Rwanda joined. South Sudan joined the EAC in 2016.
Transportation and communication.
Railroads and paved roads connect Kenya’s major cities. But most of the country’s roads are unpaved. Few Kenyans own an automobile. Many people travel in buses or in crowded taxis called matatus. International airports operate at Mombasa and Nairobi. Mombasa is the main seaport.
The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, a government-owned network, broadcasts radio and television programs in local languages, Swahili, and English. Several private radio and television stations also broadcast in Kenya. Daily newspapers are published in Swahili and English.
History
Early days.
Scientists have found some of the earliest-known remains of human beings in the Great Rift Valley of eastern Africa, including parts of Kenya. Fossil discoveries by the Leakeys—a family of anthropologists—and others show that human beings may have first lived there about 2 million years ago.
After about 2,000 years ago, various peoples from other parts of Africa began moving into the Kenya area. These groups became the ancestors of today’s Kenyans. They included farmers, herders, and hunters.
Arab and Portuguese control.
Kenya’s location along the Indian Ocean made it a stopping place for many early seafaring peoples, including Greeks, Romans, and Arabs. Arabs began visiting the coast about 2,000 years ago. In the A.D. 700’s, Arabs established coastal settlements. They soon gained control of the coastal area, and they traded extensively with the people of Kenya and other areas on the Indian Ocean.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama of Portugal reached the Kenyan coast after sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. The Portuguese took control of the coastal area from the Arabs by force in the early 1500’s. They profited heavily from trade in Kenya. In the late 1600’s, the Arabs defeated the Portuguese and regained control of the area.
The Arabs and Portuguese seldom traveled inland. As a result, they had little direct influence over the people of the interior of Kenya.
British rule.
In 1887, a private British business association leased a part of the Kenyan coast controlled by the sultan of Zanzibar. The association received a charter from the British government as the Imperial British East Africa Company in 1888. However, the association lacked the money needed to develop the area. In 1895, the British government took over the area. The United Kingdom soon extended its control to all of Kenya. Kenya became known as British East Africa.
In 1901, the United Kingdom completed a railroad between Mombasa and Lake Victoria. The United Kingdom encouraged British citizens and other Europeans to settle in Kenya. Before long, many Europeans had established large farms throughout the fertile highland region. They hired Africans to work for them. Many Kikuyu were displaced from their lands, which became known as the White Highlands. British officials ruled Kenya, and the Africans had no voice in the government.
Opposition to the British.
During the 1940’s, many Kenyan Africans began opposing British rule. The chief opposition came from Kikuyu people of central Kenya, many of whom lived in poverty under the British. In 1944, the Kikuyu and other Kenyans formed a political party called the Kenya African Union (KAU) to organize their opposition. Jomo Kenyatta, a Kikuyu, became the party’s leader in 1947.
In the late 1940’s, a rebel movement developed among Kikuyu members of the KAU. The movement sought greater unity among Kenyans and demanded new British policies designed to improve the lives of the Africans. The rebels called themselves the Land and Freedom Army. Europeans and some Africans called the movement the Mau Mau rebellion. The British government took military action against the movement in 1952 after the rebels began committing terrorist acts. The British jailed thousands of rebels in detention camps, and widespread fighting broke out between the government and the rebels. In 1953, Kenyatta was convicted of leading the Mau Mau uprising, although there was no direct evidence linking him to the movement. He was jailed in a remote part of Kenya. The fighting ended in 1956. It had killed over 13,000 people, mostly African fighters.
Although the Mau Mau uprising was defeated, it forced the United Kingdom into negotiations that led to Kenyan independence. In February 1961, elections were held to choose Africans for a new parliament. Kenyatta’s political party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU), won the elections. But the party refused to take office unless the British released Kenyatta. They did not release him until August 1961. As a result, KANU’s rival party, the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU), formed a government.
Independence.
Kenya gained independence from the United Kingdom on Dec. 12, 1963. Its new Constitution provided for a constitutional monarchy. KANU won elections that were held to choose a government for the new nation. Kenyatta became the country’s prime minister. In 1964, Kenya became a republic, and Kenyatta’s title was changed to president.
Building the new nation.
Following independence, Kenya moved rapidly to replace the British colonial economic and cultural systems and to expand the public school system. It took over many farms and businesses owned by non-Africans, and it sold or rented them to Africans. Non-Africans who became Kenyan citizens were allowed to keep their property. The majority of Africans who benefited were Kikuyu.
At the time of independence, most Kenyans had more loyalty to their ethnic group than to the national government. Also, divisions existed between many ethnic groups, and some groups had been favored by British colonial rulers. Since independence, Kenya’s government has had difficulty promoting national pride and reducing disunity.
Politically, Kenya became a one-party state in 1964, when the KADU members dissolved their party and joined KANU. A new party, the Kenya People’s Union (KPU), was formed in 1966 by a group of former KANU members. But President Kenyatta dissolved it in 1969, after accusing many of its leaders of antigovernment activities. Kenya again became a one-party state. KANU governed without opposition from 1964 until 1991. Political power was concentrated in the hands of the president and his allies in the army and civil service. They formed a political elite consisting mostly of Kikuyus. Many public sector jobs were created for Kenyatta’s political allies. Many of these people became wealthy in trade, transportation, and construction.
Kenyatta died in 1978, and Vice President Daniel T. arap Moi, a member of the Kalenjin ethnic group, succeeded him as president. Although KANU had been Kenya’s only political party since the 1960’s, others were not banned by law. Following an attempted coup by members of the Kenya Air Force in 1982, Kenya’s leaders changed the Constitution to make KANU the only legal party.
Moi introduced the mlolongo (lining up) system of voting in the 1988 election. It required voters to line up behind the candidate they chose instead of using a secret ballot to vote. In 1990, domestic protests and international pressure forced Moi to abandon the lining-up system and to make other changes. In 1991, the Constitution was amended to allow for a multiparty system.
The first multiparty elections for the president and National Assembly were held in 1992. Moi won the presidential election, and KANU won the majority of seats in the Assembly. In the following years, protesters held many demonstrations calling for constitutional reforms to reduce the power of the presidency. But the government harassed activists supporting democratic reforms, and opposition parties remained weak and poorly organized. In 1997, Moi was reelected to another term.
Kenya’s Constitution required Moi to step down as president at the end of his term in 2002. Elections were held in December of that year. In the presidential election, Mwai Kibaki—a Kikuyu and leader of the National Rainbow Coalition (NRC)—defeated the KANU candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta, a son of Jomo Kenyatta. Kibaki promised to end government corruption and ethnic favoritism and to improve the economy and living standards in Kenya. The NRC also won a majority in the National Assembly.
In 2003, the NRC enacted the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act and the Public Officer Ethics Act, both aimed at fighting corruption in government. Other reforms and laws helped increase international investment and foreign aid to Kenya. However, ethnic-based economic favoritism continued. The government often awarded land, contracts, and gifts to its ethnic allies. Economic inequality, government corruption, and political repression hampered Kenya’s drive to become stable and prosperous. By 2005, public dissatisfaction with Kibaki was growing.
Recent developments.
On Dec. 27, 2007, Kenya held elections. Kibaki ran for president as leader of the Party of National Unity. He was opposed by Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement. On December 30, Kibaki was announced as the winner of the election and quickly sworn in. However, his party suffered National Assembly losses in several regions of Kenya. Odinga accused Kibaki of election fraud and demanded a recount.
Riots broke out across the country. The riots soon escalated into fighting between ethnic groups, causing the deaths of about 1,500 people and displacing hundreds of thousands of others.
In January 2008, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan began talks between Odinga and Kibaki. In February, Odinga and Kibaki signed a power-sharing agreement under which Kibaki would remain president. The agreement created the position of prime minister. In April, Odinga was sworn in as prime minister with the power to coordinate the functions of the government. The power-sharing agreement ended the violence and protests, but political infighting continued.
In 2010, voters approved a new Constitution in a national referendum (direct vote). Under the new Constitution, the position of prime minister was abolished when new elections were held in March 2013. In that election, voters elected Uhuru Kenyatta to the presidency. He took office in April. He appeared to win reelection in August 2017. In September, however, Kenya’s Supreme Court declared the results of that election invalid because of what it said were voting irregularities. The court ordered a new vote to be held within 60 days. In October, the incumbent Kenyatta won the election rerun. His political opposition, led by Odinga, boycotted the vote, and threats of violence caused a low voter turnout.
In September 2013, terrorists attacked a shopping mall in Nairobi, killing at least 67 people and injuring many others. An Islamist extremist group called al-Shabab claimed it carried out the attack as a reaction to Kenyan military operations in Somalia. In April 2015, al-Shabab militants attacked a university in northeastern Kenya, killing 148 people. In both attacks, the extremists targeted Christians and let Muslims go free. Following the 2015 attack, the Kenyan military began launching air strikes against suspected al-Shabab bases in Somalia. Fighting between Kenyan forces and al-Shabab continued into 2024.
Kenya experienced several humanitarian crises in 2020, as natural disasters ravaged the country. Heavy rains in the spring resulted in severe flooding and mudslides, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes for temporary camps. In addition, hundreds of billions of locusts swarmed East Africa, including Kenya. The locusts destroyed crops upon which subsistence farmers depend for food, as well as pastureland upon which nomadic herders depend to feed their livestock. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, millions of people in Kenya faced malnutrition or starvation. By late 2020, the Kenyan government had cleared most of the country of locusts. Government officials were better prepared as a second wave of swarms began in late 2020 and continued into early 2021.
In 2022, William Ruto defeated opposition leader Raila Odinga in a presidential election. Odinga refused to accept the results, but Kenya’s Supreme Court confirmed that Ruto had won.
