TOTAL AREA: 582,650 sq km (224,690 sq mi); LAND AREA: 569,250 sq km (219,522 sq mi)
COMPARATIVE AREA: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
LAND BOUNDARIES: 3,477 km (2,160 mi) total; Ethiopia 861 km (535 mi), Somalia 682 km (424 mi), Sudan 232 km (144 sq mi), Tanzania 769 km (477 mi), Uganda 933 km (580 mi)
COASTLINE: 536 km (333 mi)
MARITIME CLAIMS:
EXTENDED ECONOMIC ZONE: 200 nm
TERRITORIAL SEA: 12 nm
DISPUTES: international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Sudan; 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
LAND USE: 3% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 4% forest and woodland; 85% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
ENVIRONMENT: unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; glaciers on Mt. Kenya
TEMPERATURE: in degrees Celsius (Fahrenheit)
Mar Jun Sep Dec
Nairobi 19 (66) 16 (61) 17 (62) 28 (82)
Mombasa 29 (83) 25 (77) 25 (77) 28 (82)
PRECIPITATION: in centimeters (inches)
Mar Jun Sep Dec
Nairobi 10 (4.0) 5 (1.8) 3 (1.0) 8 (3.2)
Mombasa 6 (2.3) 10 (3.9) 7 (2.8) 8 (3.0)
NOTE: the Kenyan Highlands is one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa
RELIGION: 38% Protestant, 28% Roman Catholic, 26% indigenous beliefs, 6% Muslim
LANGUAGE: English and Swahili (official); numerous indigenous languages
LITERACY: 47%
LABOR FORCE: 7,400,000; 50% public sector, 20% services, 15% agriculture, 14% industry and commerce; 1,200,000 wage earners (1987 est.); 45% of population of working age (1985)
ORGANIZED LABOR: 390,000 (est.)
.GOVERNMENT OF KENYA
LONG-FORM NAME: Republic of Kenya
TYPE: republic within Commonwealth
CAPITAL: Nairobi
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS: 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North-Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
INDEPENDENCE: 12 December 1963 (from UK; formerly British East Africa)
CONSTITUTION: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979 and 1983
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 in 1982 made Kenya a de jure one-party state
NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
BRANCHES: president and Cabinet responsible to unicameral legislature (National Assembly) of 200 seats, 188 directly elected by constituencies and 12 appointed by the president; high court, with chief justice and at least 11 justices, has unlimited original jurisdiction to hear and determine any civil or criminal proceeding; provision for system of courts of appeal
CHIEFS OF STATE AND HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: President Daniel Teroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); Vice President Dr. Josephat KARANJA (since 24 March 1988)
SUFFRAGE: universal over age 18
ELECTIONS: National Assembly at least every five years; present National Assembly and President elected 21 March 1988 Political party and LEADER: Kenya African National Union (KANU), Kenya's sole legal political party, Daniel T. arap Moi, President
VOTING STRENGTH: KANU holds all seats in the National Assembly
DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION: Ambassador Denis Daudi AFANDE; Chancery at 2249 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 387-6101; there are Kenyan Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York
U.S. FOREIGN SERVICE POST: Ambassador Elinor G. CONSTABLE; Embassy at the corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi (mailing address is P. O. Box 30137, Nairobi or APO New York 09675); telephone a US Consulate in Mombasa
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 OF KENYA
OVERVIEW: A serious underlying economic problem is Kenya's 4.2% annual population growth rate--one of the highest in the world, which if continued would lead to a doubling of population every 17 years. Meantime, GDP growth in the near-term has kept slightly ahead of population--about 5% in 1988 compared with 4.8% in 1987 and 5.6% in 1986. In 1989, GDP growth will be sustained through foreign and domestic borrowing, a prudent monetary policy, and domestic credit and structural reforms inspired by the IMF and World Bank. Undependable weather conditions and a shortage of arable land hamper long-term growth in agriculture, the leading economic sector.
GDP: $8.1 billion, per capita $370; real growth rate 4.8% (1987)
INFLATION RATE (CONSUMER PRICES): 5.2% (1987)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: NA%, but there is a high level of unemployment and underemployment
BUDGET: revenues $2.3 billion; expenditures $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.71 billion (FY87)
EXPORTS: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1987); commodities-- coffee 20%, tea 18%, manufactures 15%, petroleum products 10% (1987); partners-- Western Europe 45%, Africa 22%, Far East 10%, US 4%, Middle East 3% (1987)
IMPORTS: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1987); commodities-- machinery and transportation equipment 36%, raw materials 33%, fuels and lubricants 20%, food and consumer goods 11% (1987); partners-- Western Europe 49%, Far East 20%, Middle East 19%, US 7% (1987)
AGRICULTURE: main cash crops--coffee, tea, sisal, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cotton, livestock; food crops--corn, wheat, sugarcane, rice, cassava; largely self-sufficient in food; an illegal producer of cannabis; some international drug trade trafficking
HIGHWAYS: 64,590 km (40,110 mi) total; 7,000 km paved, 4,150 km gravel, remainder improved earth
INLAND WATERWAYS: part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya; principal inland port is at Kisumu
PIPELINES: refined products, 483 km (299 mi)
PORTS: Mombasa, Lamu
CIVIL AIR: 16 major transport aircraft
AIRPORTS: 247 total, 215 usable; 16 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 46 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
TELECOMMUNICATIONS: in top group of African systems; consists of radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radiocommunication stations; 260,000 telephones; stations--11 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV; satellite stations--1 Atlantic and 1 Indian Ocean
.DEFENSE FORCES OF KENYA
BRANCHES: Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, Air Force; paramilitary General Service Unit
MILITARY MANPOWER: males 15-49, 4,973,312; 3,070,372 fit for military service; no conscription
MILITARY BUDGET: NA
.TRAVEL IN KENYA
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Passport and visa required. Visa valid up to 6 months and up to 12 months in special cases, 1 entry $10, multiple entries $50. Transit visa $6, valid up to 7 days. Obtain visa before arrival. Vaccination certificate not required unless arriving from an area infected with yellow fever.
HEALTH: No special precautions are required in Nairobi. Outside the capital, avoid tap water and unwashed fruits and vegetables. Yellow fever, polio, typhoid, and hepatitis immunizations are recommended for travelers to remote areas. Health requirements change; check latest information.
TOURIST OFFICES: Kenya Tourist Office, Doheny Plaza, 9100 Wilshire Blvd, Ste. 111, Beverly Hills, CA 90121, Tel 213-274- 6634; 424 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017, Tel 212-486-1300.
WEATHER AND CLOTHING: Light and medium weight clothing is worn most of the year. Sweaters and raincoats recommended Nov-May.
TELEPHONE: When direct dialing to Kenya from the U.S., dial 011 (international access code) + 254 [country code] + (city code) + local number.
TIME: 8 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time, and 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. No daylight savings time.
ELECTRIC CURRENT: 240V, 50-CYCLES, AC
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day (Jan 1); Good Friday and Easter Monday (variable); Labor Day (May 1); Madaraka Day (Jun 1); Id al-Fitr (variable); Kenyatta Day (Oct 20); Independence Day (Dec 12); Christmas Day (Dec 25); Boxing Day (Dec 26).
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: Masai Mara game reserve, Amboseli National Park, Tsavo National Park, Aberdare National Park, Lake Nakuru (flamingo sanctuary), Mombasa (beach and ocean sports), Nairobi National Park, National Museum of Kenya.
IMPORTANT!! All requirements/recommendations are subject to change. Be sure to check latest information.
