Kenya

Kenya, officially theRepublic of Kenya(Swahili:Jamhuri ya Kenya), is a country inEast Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024,Kenya is the27th-most-populous countryin the worldand7th most populousin Africa. Kenya's capital and largest city isNairobi, while its oldest and second-largest city, is the major port city ofMombasa, situated onMombasa Islandin theIndian Oceanand the surrounding mainland. Mombasa was the capital of theBritish East Africa Protectorate,which included most of what is now Kenya and southwestern Somalia, from 1889 to 1907. Other important cities includeKisumuandNakuru. Kenya is bordered bySouth Sudanto the northwest,Ethiopiato the north,Somaliato the east,Ugandato the west,Tanzaniato the south, and theIndian Oceanto the southeast.
Kenya'sgeography,climateandpopulationvary widely, ranging from cold snow-capped mountaintops (Batian, Nelion and Point Lenana onMount Kenya) with vast surrounding forests, wildlife and fertile agricultural regions to temperate climates in western and rift valley counties and further on to dry less fertilearidandsemi-aridareas and absolute deserts (Chalbi DesertandNyiri Desert).
Kenya's earliest inhabitants werehunter-gatherers, like the present-dayHadza people.According to archaeological dating of associated artifacts and skeletal material,Cushitic speakersfirst settled in Kenya's lowlands between 3,200 and 1,300 BC, a phase known as the LowlandSavanna Pastoral Neolithic.Nilotic-speakingpastoralists(ancestral to Kenya's Nilotic speakers) began migrating from present-daySouth Sudaninto Kenya around 500 BC.Bantu peoplesettled at the coast and the interior between 250 BC and 500 AD.
European contact began in 1500 AD with thePortuguese Empire, and effective colonisation of Kenya began in the 19th century during theEuropean exploration of Africa. Modern-day Kenya emerged froma protectorateestablished by theBritish Empirein 1895 and the subsequentKenya Colony, which began in 1920. Numerous disputes between the UK and the colony led to theMau Mau revolution, which began in 1952, and the declaration of independence in 1963. After independence, Kenya remained a member of theCommonwealth of Nations. Thecurrent constitutionwas adopted in 2010 and replaced the1963 independence constitution.
Kenya is apresidentialrepresentative democraticrepublic, in which elected officials represent the people and the president is the head of state and government.Kenya is a member of theUnited Nations,the Commonwealth,World Bank,International Monetary Fund,World Trade Organization,COMESA,International Criminal Court, as well as other international organisations. It is also amajor non-NATO allyof theUnited States. With aGNIof 1,840,Kenya is a lower-middle-income economy.Kenya's economyis the second largest in eastern and central Africa, after Ethiopia, with Nairobi serving as a major regional commercial hub.Agriculture is the largest sector; tea and coffee are traditional cash crops, while fresh flowers are a fast-growing export. Theservice industryis also a major economic driver, particularly tourism. Kenya is a member of theEast African Communitytrade bloc,though some international trade organisations categorise it as part of theGreater Horn of Africa.Africa is Kenya's largest export market, followed by the European Union.
The Republic of Kenya is named afterMount Kenya. The earliest recorded version of the modern name was written by German explorerJohann Ludwig Krapfin the 19th century. While travelling with a Kamba caravan led by the long-distance traderChief Kivoi, Krapf spotted the mountain peak and asked what it was called. Kivoi told him "Kĩ-Nyaa" or "Kĩlĩma- Kĩinyaa", probably because the pattern of black rock and white snow on its peaks reminded him of the feathers of the male ostrich.In archaicKikuyu, the word 'nyaga' or more commonly 'manyaganyaga' is used to describe an extremely bright object. The Agikuyu, who inhabit the slopes of Mt. Kenya, call it Kĩrĩma Kĩrĩnyaga (literally 'the mountain with brightness') inKikuyu, while the Embu call it "Kirinyaa". All three names have the same meaning.
Ludwig Krapf recorded the name as bothKeniaandKegnia.Some have said that this was a precise notation of the African pronunciation/ˈkɛnjə/.An 1882 map drawn by Joseph Thompsons, a Scottish geologist and naturalist, indicated Mt. Kenya as Mt. Kenia.The mountain's name was accepted,pars pro toto, as the name of the country. It did not come into widespread official use during the early colonial period, when the country was referred to as theEast African Protectorate. The official name was changed to theColony of Kenyain 1920.
Hominidssuch asHomo habilis(1.8 to 2.5 million years ago) andHomo erectus(1.9 million to 350,000 years ago) are possible direct ancestors of modernHomo sapiens, and lived in Kenya in thePleistoceneepoch.During excavations at Lake Turkana in 1984, palaeoanthropologistRichard Leakey, assisted byKamoya Kimeu, discovered theTurkana Boy, a 1.6-million-year-oldHomo erectusfossil. East Africa, including Kenya, is one of the earliest regions where modern humans (Homo sapiens) are believed to have lived. Evidence was found in 2018, dating to about 320,000 years ago, of the early emergence ofmodern behaviours, including long-distance trade networks (involving goods such as obsidian), the use of pigments, and the possible making of projectile points. The authors of three 2018 studies on the site suggest that complex and modern behaviours had already begun in Africa around the time of the emergence ofHomo sapiens.
The first inhabitants of present-day Kenya werehunter-gatherergroups, akin to the modernKhoisanspeakers.These people were later largely replaced by agropastoralistCushitic(ancestral to Kenya's Cushitic speakers) from theHorn of Africa.During the earlyHolocene, the regional climate shifted from dry to wetter conditions, providing an opportunity for the development of cultural traditions such as agriculture andherding, in a more favourable environment.
Around 500 BC,Nilotic-speakingpastoralists(ancestral to Kenya's Nilotic speakers) started migrating from present-day southern Sudan into Kenya.Nilotic groups in Kenya include theKalenjin,Samburu,Luo,Turkana, andMaasai.
By the first millennium AD,Bantu-speaking farmers had moved into the region, initially along the coast.The Bantus originated in West Africa along theBenue Riverin what is now easternNigeriaand westernCameroon.The Bantu migration brought new developments in agriculture andironworkingto the region.Bantu groups in Kenya include theKikuyu,Luhya,Kamba,Kisii,Meru,Kuria,Aembu,Ambeere,Wadawida-Watuweta, Wapokomo, andMijikenda, among others.
Notable prehistoric sites in the interior of Kenya include the (possibly archaeoastronomical) siteNamoratungaon the west side ofLake Turkanaand the walled settlement ofThimlich OhingainMigori County.
The Kenyan coast had served as host to communities ofironworkersand Bantu subsistence farmers, hunters, and fishers who supported the economy with agriculture, fishing, metal production, and trade with foreign countries. These communities formed the earliest city-states in the region, which were collectively known asAzania.
By the 1st century CE, many of thecity-statessuch asMombasa,Malindi, andZanzibarbegan to establish trading relations withArabs. This led to the increased economic growth of the Swahili states, the introduction ofIslam,Arabicinfluences on the SwahiliBantu language,cultural diffusion, as well as the Swahili city-states becoming members of a larger trade network.Many historians had long believed that the city-states were established by Arab or Persian traders, but archaeological evidence has led scholars to recognise the city-states as an indigenous development which, though subjected to foreign influence due to trade, retained a Bantu cultural core.
DNAevidence has found that the Swahili people were of mixed African and Asian (particularly Persian) ancestry.TheKilwa Sultanatewas a medievalsultanatecentred atKilwa, in modern-day Tanzania. At its height, its authority stretched over the entire length of theSwahili Coast, including Kenya.Since the 10th century, rulers of Kilwa would go on to build elaborate coral mosques and introduce copper coinage.
Swahili, a Bantu language withArabic,Persian, and other Middle-Eastern and South Asianloanwords, later developed as alingua francafor trade between the different peoples.Since the turn of the 20th century, Swahili has adopted numerous loanwords and calques from English, many of them originating during English colonial rule.
The Swahili built Mombasa into a major port city and established trade links with other nearby city-states, as well as commercial centres in Persia, Arabia, and even India.By the 15th century, Portuguese voyagerDuarte Barbosaclaimed that "Mombasa is a place of great traffic and has a good harbour in which there are always moored small craft of many kinds and also great ships, both of which are bound from Sofala and others which come from Cambay and Melinde and others which sail to the island of Zanzibar."
In the 17th century, the Swahili coast was conquered and came under the direct rule of theOmani Arabs, who expanded theslave tradeto meet the demands of plantations inOmanandZanzibar.Initially, these traders came mainly from Oman, but later many came from Zanzibar (such asTippu Tip).In addition, the Portuguese started buying slaves from the Omani and Zanzibari traders in response to the interruption of the transatlantic slave trade by British abolitionists.
Throughout the centuries, the Kenyan coast has played host to many merchants and explorers. Among the cities that line the Kenyan coast is Malindi. It has remained an important Swahili settlement since the 14th century and once rivalled Mombasa for dominance in the African Great Lakes region. Malindi has traditionally been a friendly port city for foreign powers. In 1414, the Chinese trader and explorerZheng He, representing theMing Dynasty, visited the East African coast on one of his last 'treasure voyages'.Malindi authorities also welcomed the Portuguese explorerVasco da Gamain 1498.
During the 18th and 19th century C.E, theMasai peoplemoved into central and southernRift Valleyplains of Kenya, from a region north of Lake Rudolf (nowLake Turkana). Although there were not many, they managed to conquer a great amount of land, in the plains where people did not put up much resistance.TheNandipeoples managed to oppose the Masai, while the Taveta peoples fled to the forests on the eastern edge ofMount Kilimanjaro, although they later were forced to leave the land due to the threat ofsmallpox. An outbreak of eitherrinderpestorpleuropneumoniagreatly affected the Masai's cattle, while an epidemic of smallpox affected the Masai themselves. After the death of the MasaiMbatian, the chieflaibon(medicine man), the Masai split into warring factions. The Masai caused much strife in the areas they conquered; however, cooperation between such groups as theLuo people,Luhya people, andGusii peopleis evidenced by shared vocabulary for modern implements and similar economic regimes.Although Arab traders remained in the area, trade routes were disrupted by the hostile Masai, though there was trade in ivory between these factions.The first foreigners to successfully get past the Masai wereJohann Ludwig KrapfandJohannes Rebmann, two German missionaries who established a mission inRabai, not too far fromMombasa. The pair were the first Europeans to sightMount Kenya.
The colonial history of Kenya dates from the establishment of aGerman Empireprotectorate over the Sultan ofZanzibar's coastal possessions in 1885, followed by the arrival of theImperial British East Africa Companyin 1888. Imperial rivalry was prevented by theHeligoland–Zanzibar Treaty, Germany handed its East African coastal holdings to Britain in 1890.
The transfer by Germany to Britain was followed by the building of theUganda Railwaypassing through the country.
The building of the railway was resisted by some ethnic groups—notably theNandi, led byOrkoiyotKoitalel Arap Samoeifrom 1890 to 1900—but the British eventually built it. TheNandiwere the first ethnic group to be put in a native reserve to stop them from disrupting the building of the railway.
During the railway construction era, there was a significant influx of Indian workers, who provided the bulk of the skilled labour required for construction.They and most of their descendants later remained in Kenya and formed the core of several distinct Indian communities, such as theIsmaili MuslimandSikhcommunities. While building the railway throughTsavo, a number of the Indian railway workers and local African labourers were attacked by two lions known as theTsavo maneaters.
At the outbreak ofWorld War Iin August 1914, the governors ofBritish East Africa(as the protectorate was generally known) andGerman East Africainitially agreed on a truce in an attempt to keep the young colonies out of direct hostilities. But Lieutenant ColonelPaul von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German military commander, determined to tie down as many British resources as possible. Completely cut off from Germany, Lettow-Vorbeck conductedan effective guerrilla warfare campaign, living off the land, capturing British supplies, and remaining undefeated. He eventually surrendered inNorthern Rhodesia(today Zambia) 14 days after the Armistice was signed in 1918.
To chase von Lettow, the British deployed theBritish Indian Armytroops from India but needed large numbers of porters to overcome the formidable logistics of transporting supplies far into the interior on foot. TheCarrier Corpswas formed and ultimately mobilised over 400,000 Africans, contributing to their long-term politicisation.
In 1920, the East Africa Protectorate was turned into a colony and renamed Kenya after its highest mountain.
During the early part of the 20th century, the interior central highlands were settled by British and other European farmers, who became wealthy farming coffee and tea.One depiction of this period of change from a colonist's perspective is found in the memoirOut of Africaby Danish author Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke, published in 1937. By the 1930s, approximately 30,000 white settlers lived in the area and gained a political voice because of their contribution to the market economy.
The central highlands were already home to over a million members of the Kikuyu people, most of whom had no land claims in European terms and lived as itinerant farmers. To protect their interests, the settlers banned the growing of coffee and introduced a hut tax, and the landless were granted less and less land in exchange for their labour. A massive exodus to the cities ensued as their ability to make a living from the land dwindled.By the 1950s, there were 80,000white settlersliving in Kenya.
ThroughoutWorld War II,Kenya wasan important source of manpower and agriculture for the United Kingdom. Kenya itself was the site offightingbetween Allied forces and Italian troops in 1940–41, when Italian forces invaded.WajirandMalindiwere bombed as well.
From October 1952 to December 1959, Kenya was in a state of emergency arising from theMau Mau rebellionagainst British rule. The Mau Mau, also known as the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, were primarilyKikuyupeople. During the colonial administration's crackdown, over 11,000 freedom fighters had been killed, along with 100 British troops and 2,000 Kenyan loyalist soldiers. War crimes were committed on both sides of the conflict, including the publicisedLari massacreand theHola massacre. The governor requested and obtained British and African troops, including theKing's African Rifles. The British began counter-insurgency operations. In May 1953, General SirGeorge Erskinetook charge as commander-in-chief of the colony's armed forces, with the personal backing ofWinston Churchill.
The capture ofWaruhiu Itote(nom de guerre"General China") on 15 January 1954 and the subsequent interrogation led to a better understanding of the Mau Mau command structure for the British.Operation Anvilopened on 24 April 1954, after weeks of planning by the army with the approval of the War Council. The operation effectively placed Nairobi under military siege. Nairobi's occupants were screened and suspected Mau Mau supporters moved to detention camps. More than 80,000 Kikuyu wereheld in detention campswithout trial, often subject to brutal treatment.The Home Guard formed the core of the government's strategy as it was composed of loyalist Africans, not foreign forces such as theBritish Armyand King's African Rifles.
The capture ofDedan Kimathion 21 October 1956 inNyerisignified the ultimate defeat of the Mau Mau and essentially ended the military offensive.During this period, substantial governmental changes to land tenure occurred. The most important of these was theSwynnerton Plan, which was used to both reward loyalists and punish Mau Mau. This left roughly 1/3rd of Kikuyu bereft of any tenancy land arrangement and thus propertyless at the time of independence.
Before Kenya got its independence,Somali ethnic people in present-day Kenyain the areas ofNorthern Frontier Districtspetitioned Her Majesty's Government not to be included in Kenya. The colonial government decided to hold Kenya's first referendum in 1962 to check the willingness ofSomalis in Kenyato joinSomalia.
The result of the referendum showed that 86% of Somalis in Kenya wanted to joinSomalia, yet the British colonial administration rejected the result and the Somalis remained in Kenya.
The first direct elections for native Kenyans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957.
Despite British hopes of handing power to "moderate" local rivals, it was theKenya African National Union(KANU) ofJomo Kenyattathat formed a government. The Colony of Kenya and the Protectorate of Kenya each came to an end on 12 December 1963, with independence conferred on all of Kenya. The U.K. ceded sovereignty over the Colony of Kenya. The Sultan of Zanzibar agreed that simultaneous with independence for the colony, he would cease to have sovereignty over the Protectorate of Kenya so that all of Kenya would become one sovereign state.In this way, Kenya became an independent country under the Kenya Independence Act 1963 of the United Kingdom. On 12 December 1964, Kenya became a republic under the name "Republic of Kenya".
Concurrently, the Kenyan army fought theShifta Waragainst ethnic Somali rebels inhabiting theNorthern Frontier Districtwho wanted to join their kin in theSomali Republicto the north.A ceasefire was eventually reached with the signing of the Arusha Memorandum in October 1967, but relative insecurity prevailed through 1969.To discourage further invasions, Kenya signed a defence pact withEthiopiain 1969, which is still in effect.
On 12 December 1964, the Republic of Kenya was proclaimed, andJomo Kenyattabecame Kenya's first president.Under Kenyatta, corruption became widespread throughout the government, civil service, and business community. Kenyatta and his family were tied up with this corruption as they enriched themselves through the mass purchase of property after 1963. Their acquisitions in the Central, Rift Valley, and Coast Provinces aroused great anger among landless Kenyans. His family used his presidential position to circumvent legal or administrative obstacles to acquiring property. The Kenyatta family also heavily invested in the coastal hotel business, with Kenyatta personally owning the Leonard Beach Hotel.
Kenyatta's mixed legacy was highlighted at the 10-year anniversary of Kenya's independence. A December 1973 article inThe New York Timespraised Kenyatta's leadership and Kenya for emerging as a model of pragmatism and conservatism. Kenya's GDP had increased at an annual rate of 6.6%, higher than the population growth rate of more than 3%.ButAmnesty Internationalresponded to the article by stating the cost of the stability in terms of human rights abuses. The opposition party started byOginga Odinga—Kenya People's Union(KPU)—was banned in 1969 after theKisumu Massacreand KPU leaders were still in detention without trial in gross violation of theU.N. Declaration of Human Rights.The Kenya Students Union,Jehovah Witnessesand all opposition parties were outlawed.Kenyatta ruled until his death on 22 August 1978.
After Kenyatta died,Daniel arap Moibecame president. He retained the presidency, running unopposed in elections held in 1979, 1983 (snap elections), and 1988, all of which were held under the single-party constitution. The 1983 elections were held a year early, and were a direct result ofa failed military coupon 2 August 1982.
The 1982 coup was masterminded by a low-ranking Air Force serviceman, Senior PrivateHezekiah Ochuka, and was staged mainly by enlisted men of the Air Force. It was quickly suppressed by forces commanded by Chief of General StaffMahamoud Mohamed, a veteran Somali military official.They included the General Service Unit (GSU)—a paramilitary wing of the police—and later the regular police.
On the heels of theGarissa Massacreof 1980, Kenyan troops committed theWagalla massacrein 1984 against thousands of civilians inWajir County. An official probe into the atrocities was later ordered in 2011.
The election held in 1988 saw the advent of themlolongo(queuing) system, where voters were supposed to line up behind their favoured candidates instead of casting a secret ballot.This was seen as the climax of a very undemocratic regime and led to widespread agitation for constitutional reform. Several contentious clauses, including the one that allowed for only one political party, were changed in the following years.
In 1991, Kenya transitioned to a multiparty political system after 26 years of single-party rule. On 28 October 1992, Moi dissolved parliament, five months before the end of his term. As a result, preparations began for all elective seats in parliament as well as the president. The election was scheduled to take place on 7 December 1992, but delays led to its postponement to 29 December. Apart from KANU, the ruling party, other parties represented in the elections includedFORDKenya and FORD Asili. This election was marked by large-scale intimidation of opponents and harassment of election officials. It resulted in an economic crisis propagated by ethnic violence as the president was accused of rigging electoral results to retain power.This election was a turning point for Kenya as it signified the beginning of the end of Moi's leadership and the rule of KANU. Moi retained the presidency andGeorge Saitotibecame vice president. Although it held on to power, KANU won 100 seats and lost 88 seats to the six opposition parties.
The 1992 elections marked the beginning of multiparty politics after more than 25 years of KANU rule.Following skirmishes in the aftermath of the elections, 5,000 people were killed and another 75,000 displaced from their homes.In the next five years, many political alliances were formed in preparation for the next elections. In 1994,Jaramogi Oginga Odingadied and several coalitions joined his FORD Kenya party to form a new party, United National Democratic Alliance. This party was plagued with disagreements. In 1995,Richard Leakeyformed the Safina party, but it was denied registration until November 1997.
In 1996, KANU revised the constitution to allow Moi to remain president for another term. Subsequently, Moi stood for reelection and won a 5th term in 1997.His win was strongly criticised by his major opponents,KibakiandOdinga, as fraudulent.Following this win, Moi was constitutionally barred from another presidential term. Beginning in 1998, he attempted to influence the country's succession politics to haveUhuru Kenyattaelected in the 2002 elections.
Moi's plan to be replaced by Uhuru Kenyatta failed, andMwai Kibaki, running for the opposition coalition "National Rainbow Coalition" (NARC), was elected president. David Anderson (2003) reports the elections were judged free and fair by local and international observers, and seemed to mark a turning point in Kenya's democratic evolution.
In 2005, Kenyans rejected a plan to replace the 1963 independence constitution with a new one.As a result, the elections of 2007 took place following the procedure set by the old constitution. Kibaki was reelected in highly contested elections marred bypolitical and ethnic violence. The main opposition leader, Raila Odinga, claimed the election was rigged and that he was the rightfully elected president. In the ensuing violence, 1,500 people were killed and another 600,000 internally displaced, making it the worst post-election violence in Kenya. To stop the death and displacement of people, Kibaki and Odinga agreed to work together, with the latter taking the position of a prime minister.This made Odingathe second prime minister of Kenya.
In July 2010, Kenya partnered with other East African countries to form the new East African Common Market within theEast African Community.In 2011,Kenya began sending troopsto Somalia to fight the terror groupAl-Shabaab.In mid-2011, two consecutive missed rainy seasons precipitated the worstdrought in East Africain 60 years. The northwesternTurkana regionwas especially affected,with local schools shut down as a result.The crisis was reportedly over by early 2012 because of coordinated relief efforts. Aid agencies subsequently shifted their emphasis to recovery initiatives, including digging irrigation canals and distributing plant seeds.
In August 2010, Kenyans held areferendumand passeda new constitution, which limited presidential powers and devolved the central government.Following the passage of the new constitution, Kenya became apresidentialrepresentative democraticrepublic, whereby thePresident of Kenyais bothhead of stateandhead of government, and of amulti-party system. The new constitution also states thatexecutive powersare exercised by the executive branch of government, headed by the president, who chairs a cabinet composed of people chosen from outside parliament.Legislative poweris vested exclusively inParliament. Thejudiciaryis independent of the executive and the legislature.
After Kibaki's tenure ended in 2013, Kenya held itsfirst general electionsafter the 2010 constitution had been passed. Uhuru Kenyatta won in a disputed election result, leading to a petition by the opposition leader, Raila Odinga. The supreme court upheld the election results and Kenyatta began his term withWilliam Rutoas deputy president. Despite this ruling, the Supreme Court and thehead of the Supreme Courtwere seen as powerful institutions that could check the powers of the president.
In 2017, Kenyatta won a second term in office in anotherdisputed election. Odinga again petitioned the results in the Supreme Court, accusing theIndependent Electoral and Boundaries Commissionof mismanagement of the elections and Kenyatta and his party of rigging. The Supreme Court overturned the election results in what became a landmark ruling in Africa and one of the very few in the world in which the results of a presidential elections were annulled.This ruling solidified the position of the Supreme Court as an independent body.Consequently, Kenya had a second round of elections for the presidential position, in which Kenyatta emerged the winner after Odinga refused to participate, citing irregularities.
In March 2018, a historichandshakebetween Kenyatta and his longtime opponent Odinga signalled a period of reconciliation followed by economic growth and increased stability.Between 2019 and 2021, Kenyatta and Odinga combined efforts to promote major changes to the Kenyan constitution, labelled the "Building Bridges Initiative" (BBI), saying that their efforts were to improve inclusion and overcome the country's winner-take-all election system that often resulted in post-election violence.The BBI proposal called for broad expansion of the legislative and executive branches, including the creation of aprime ministerwith two deputies and an official leader of the opposition, reverting to selecting cabinet ministers from among the elected Members of Parliament, establishment of up to 70 newconstituencies, and addition of up to 300 unelected members of Parliament (under an "affirmative action" plan).
Critics saw this as an unnecessary attempt to reward political dynasties and blunt the efforts of Deputy PresidentWillian Ruto(Odinga's rival for the next presidency) and bloat the government at an exceptional cost to the debt-laded country.Ultimately, in May 2021, the Kenyan High Court ruled that the BBI constitutional reform effort was unconstitutional, because it was not truly apopular initiative, but rather an effort of the government.The court sharply criticized Kenyatta for the attempt, laying out grounds for his being sued, personally, or evenimpeached(though the Parliament, which had passed the BBI, was unlikely to do that). The ruling was seen as a major defeat for both Kenyatta (soon to leave office), and Odinga (expected to seek the presidency), but a boon to Odinga's future presidential-election rival, Ruto.On 20 August 2021, Kenya's Court of Appeal again upheld the High Court Judgment of May 2021, which was appealed by the BBI Secretariat.
In August 2022, Deputy PresidentWilliam Rutonarrowly won thepresidential election.He took  50.5% of the vote. His main rival, Raila Odinga, got 48.8% of the vote.On 13 September 2022,  William Ruto was  sworn in as Kenya's fifth president.In 2024, Ruto and theKenya Kwanzacoalition facedpopular protestsover theKenyan Finance Bill 2024.
At 580,367 km(224,081 sq mi),Kenya is the world's 47th-largest country (afterMadagascar). It lies between latitudes5°Nand5°S, and longitudes34°and42°E. From the coast on the Indian Ocean, the low plains rise to central highlands which are bisected by theGreat Rift Valley, and fertile plateaus lie on either side, aroundLake Victoriaand to the east.
The Kenyan Highlands are one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa.The highlands are the site of the highest point in Kenya and the second highest peak on the continent:Mount Kenya, which reaches a height of 5,199 m (17,057 ft) and is the site of glaciers.Mount Kilimanjaro(5,895 m or 19,341 ft) can be seen from Kenya to the south of the Tanzanian border.
Kenya's climate varies from tropical along the coast to temperate inland toaridin the north and northeast parts of the country. The area receives a great deal of sunshine every month. It is usually cool at night and early in the morning inland at higher elevations.
The "long rains" season occurs from March/April to May/June. The "short rains" season occurs from October to November/December. The rainfall is sometimes heavy and often falls in the afternoons and evenings. Climate change is altering the natural pattern of the rainfall period, causing an extension of the short rains, which has begat floods,and reducing the drought cycle from every ten years to annual events, producing strong droughts such as the2008–09 Kenya Drought.
The temperature remains high throughout these months of tropical rain. The hottest period is February and March, leading into the season of the long rains, and the coldest is in July, until mid-August.
Kenya has considerable land area devoted towildlifehabitats, including theMasai Mara, whereblue wildebeestand otherbovidsparticipate in a large-scaleannual migration. More than one million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras participate in the migration across theMara River.
The"Big Five"game animals of Africa, that is thelion,leopard,buffalo,rhinoceros, andelephant, can be found in Kenya and in the Masai Mara in particular. A significant population of other wild animals, reptiles, and birds can be found in thenational parksand game reserves in the country. The annual animal migration occurs between June and September, with millions of animals taking part, attracting valuable foreign tourism. Two million wildebeest migrate a distance of 2,900 kilometres (1,802 mi) from theSerengetiin neighbouring Tanzania to the Masai Marain Kenya, in a constant clockwise fashion, searching for food and water supplies. This Serengeti Migration of the wildebeest is listed among theSeven Natural Wonders of Africa.
Kenya had a 2019Forest Landscape Integrity Indexmean score of 4.2/10, ranking it 133rd globally out of 172 countries.
Kenya is apresidentialrepresentative democraticrepublic with amulti-party system. The president is both thehead of stateandhead of government.Executive poweris exercised by the government.Legislative poweris vested in both the government and theNational Assemblyand theSenate. TheJudiciaryis independent of the executive and the legislature. There has been growing concern, especially during former president Daniel arap Moi's tenure, that the executive was increasingly meddling with the affairs of the judiciary.
Kenya has high levels of corruption according toTransparency International'sCorruption Perceptions Index(CPI), a metric which attempts to gauge the prevalence ofpublic-sectorcorruption in various countries. In 2019, the nation placed 137th out of 180 countries in the index, with a score of 28 out of 100.But there are several rather significant developments with regard to curbing corruption from the Kenyan government, for instance the establishment of a new and independentEthics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Following general elections held in 1997, the Constitution of Kenya Review Act, designed to pave the way for more comprehensive amendments to the Kenyan constitution, was passed by the national parliament.
In December 2002, Kenya held democratic and open elections, which were judged free and fair by most international observers.The 2002 elections marked an important turning point in Kenya's democratic evolution in that power was transferred peacefully from theKenya African National Union(KANU), which had ruled the country since independence, to theNational Rainbow Coalition(NARC), a coalition of political parties.
Under the presidency ofMwai Kibaki, the new ruling coalition promised to focus its efforts on generating economic growth, combating corruption, improving education, and rewriting its constitution. A few of these promises have been met. There is free primary education.In 2007, the government issued a statement declaring that from 2008, secondary education would be heavily subsidised, with the government footing all tuition fees.
Under the new constitution and with President Kibaki prohibited by term limits from running for a third term, Deputy Prime MinisterUhuru Kenyattaran for office. He won with 50.51% of the vote in March 2013.
In December 2014, President Kenyatta signed a Security Laws Amendment Bill, which supporters of the law suggested was necessary to guard against armed groups. Opposition politicians, human rights groups, and nine Western countries criticised the security bill, arguing that it infringed on democratic freedoms. The governments of theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom,Germany, andFrancealso collectively issued a press statement cautioning about the law's potential impact. Through the Jubilee Coalition, the Bill was later passed on 19 December in the National Assembly under acrimonious circumstances.
Kenya has close ties with its fellowSwahili-speaking neighbours in theAfrican Great Lakesregion. Relations with Uganda and Tanzania are generally strong, as the three nations work toward economic and social integration through common membership in theEast African Community.
Relations with Somalia have historically been tense, although there has been some military co-ordination against Islamist insurgents. Kenya has good relations with the United Kingdom.Kenya is one of the mostpro-Americannations in Africa, and the wider world.
WithInternational Criminal Courttrial dates scheduled in 2013 for both President Kenyatta and Deputy PresidentWilliam Rutorelated to the 2007 election aftermath, US presidentBarack Obama, who is half-Kenyan, chose not to visit the country during hismid-2013 African trip.Later in the summer, Kenyatta visited China at the invitation of PresidentXi Jinpingafter a stop in Russia and not having visited the United States as president.In July 2015, Obama visited Kenya, the first American president to visit the country while in office.
TheBritish Army Training Unit Kenya(BATUK) is used for the training ofBritishinfantry battalions in the arid and rugged terrain of theGreat Rift Valley.
The Kenya Defence Forces are thearmed forcesof Kenya. TheKenya Army,Kenya Navy, andKenya Air Forcecompose the National Defence Forces. The current Kenya Defence Forces were established, and its composition laid out, in Article 241 of the 2010Constitution of Kenya; the KDF is governed by the Kenya Defence Forces Act of 2012.ThePresident of Kenyais thecommander-in-chiefof all the armed forces.
The armed forces are regularly deployed in peacekeeping missions around the world. Further, in the aftermath of the national elections of December 2007 and the violence that subsequently engulfed the country, a commission of inquiry, theWaki Commission, commended its readiness and adjudged it to "have performed its duty well."Nevertheless, there have been serious allegations of human rights violations, most recently while conducting counter-insurgency operations in theMt Elgonareaand also in the district ofManderacentral.
Kenya's armed forces, like many government institutions in the country, have been tainted bycorruptionallegations. Because the operations of the armed forces have been traditionally cloaked by the ubiquitous blanket of "state security", the corruption has been hidden from public view, and thus less subject to public scrutiny and notoriety. This has changed recently. In what are by Kenyan standards unprecedented revelations, in 2010, credible claims of corruption were made with regard to recruitmentand procurement of armoured personnel carriers.Further, the wisdom and prudence of certain decisions of procurement have been publicly questioned.
Kenya is divided into47 semi-autonomous countiesthat are headed by governors. These 47 counties form the first-order divisions of Kenya.
The smallest administrative units in Kenya are calledlocations. Locations often coincide with electoral wards. Locations are usually named after their central villages/towns. Many larger towns consist of several locations. Each location has a chief, appointed by the state.
Constituencies are an electoral subdivision, with each county comprising a whole number of constituencies. An interim boundaries commission was formed in 2010 to review the constituencies and in its report, it recommended the creation of an additional 80 constituencies. Previous to the 2013 elections, there were 210constituencies in Kenya.
Homosexual actsare illegal in Kenya and typically punishable by up to 14 years in prison.According to a 2020 survey by thePew Research Center, 83% of Kenyans believe that homosexuality should not be accepted by society.While addressing a joint press conference together with PresidentBarack Obamain 2015, President Kenyatta declined to assure Kenya's commitment to gay rights, saying that "the issue of gay rights is really a non-issue... But there are some things that we must admit we don't share. Our culture, our societies don't accept."
In November 2008,WikiLeaksbrought wide international attention toThe Cry of Bloodreport, which documents the extrajudicial killing of gangsters by the Kenyan police. In the report, theKenya National Commission on Human Rights(KNCHR) reported these in their key finding "e)", stating that theforced disappearancesandextrajudicial killingsappeared to be official policy sanctioned by the political leadership and the police.
Kenya'smacroeconomicoutlook has steadily posted robust growth over the past few decades mostly fromroad,rail,airandwater transportinfrastructure projects as well as massive investments inInformation and Communication Technology. The Kenyan economy is the largest in East Africa. After independence, Kenya promoted rapid economic growth through public investment, encouraged smallholder agricultural production and provided incentives for private industrial investment. Kenya is East Africa's regional transportation and financial hub. Kenya's financial sector is vibrant, well developed and diversified boasting the highest financial inclusion in the region and globally.
Foreign investments in Kenya remain relatively weak considering the size of its economy and its level of development. As of 2022, Kenya's total FDI stock stood at US$10.4 billion, accounting for a mere 9.5% of the country's GDP.
Kenya has aHuman Development Index(HDI) of 0.555 (medium), ranked 145 out of 186 in the world. As of 2005, 17.7% of Kenyans lived on less than $1.25 a day.Based on the most recent data from 2014, 37.5% of the population is affected bymultidimensional povertyand an additional 35.8% vulnerable to it.In 2017, Kenya ranked 92nd in the World Bankease of doing businessrising from 113rd in 2016 (of 190 countries).The important agricultural sector is one of the least developed and largely inefficient, employing 75% of the workforce compared to less than 3% in thefood securedeveloped countries.  Kenya is usually classified as afrontier marketor occasionally anemerging market, but it is not one of theleast developed countries.
The economy has seen much expansion, seen by strong performance in tourism, higher education andtelecommunicationsand decent post-drought results in agriculture, especially the vital tea sector.Kenya's economy grew by more than 7% in 2007, and its foreign debt was greatly reduced.This changed immediately after the disputed presidential election of December 2007, following the chaos which engulfed the country.
Telecommunications and financial activity over the last decade now comprise 62% of GDP. 22% of GDP still comes from the unreliable agricultural sector which employs 75% of the labour force (a characteristic of under-developed economies that have not attainedfood security). A small portion of the population relies on food aid.Industry and manufacturing is the smallest sector, accounting for 16% of GDP.  The services, industry and manufacturing sectors only employ 25% of the labour force but contribute 75% of GDP.Kenya also exports textiles worth over $400 million underAGOA.
Privatisation of state corporations like the defunct Kenya Post and Telecommunications Company, which resulted in East Africa's most profitable company—Safaricom, has led to their revival because of massive private investment.
As of May 2011, economic prospects are positive with 4–5% GDP growth expected, largely because of expansions intourism,telecommunications, transport, construction, and a recovery inagriculture. TheWorld Bankestimated growth of 4.3% in 2012.
In March 1996 the presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda re-established theEast African Community(EAC). The EAC's objectives include harmonising tariffs and customs regimes, free movement of people and improving regional infrastructures. In March 2004, the three East African countries signed aCustoms Union Agreement.
Kenya has a more developed financial services sector than its neighbours. TheNairobi Securities Exchange(NSE) is ranked 4th in Africa in terms of market capitalisation. The Kenyan banking system is supervised by theCentral Bank of Kenya(CBK). As of late July 2004, the system consisted of 43 commercial banks (down from 48 in 2001) and severalnon-bank financial institutionsincluding mortgage companies, four savings and loan associations and several core foreign-exchange bureaus.
The inaugural Kenya Innovation Week (KIW) was started in 2021, from December 6th to 10th, 2021, at the Kenya School of Government in Lower Kabete, Nairobi.
Tourism in Kenyais the third-largest source of foreign exchange revenue following diaspora remittances and agriculture.The Kenya Tourism Board is responsible for maintaining information pertaining to tourism in Kenya.The main tourist attractions are photo safaris through the60 national parksand game reserves. Other attractions include thewildebeestmigration at theMasaai Mara, which is considered to be the 7th wonder of the world; historical mosques, and colonial-era forts atMombasa,Malindi, andLamu; renowned scenery such as the white-cappedMount Kenyaand theGreat Rift Valley; tea plantations atKericho; coffee plantations atThika; a splendid view ofMount Kilimanjaroacross the border into Tanzania;  and the beaches along theSwahili Coast, in theIndian Ocean. Tourists, the largest number being fromGermanyand theUnited Kingdom, are attracted mainly to the coastal beaches and thegame reserves, notably, the expansiveEastandTsavo West National Park, 20,808 square kilometres (8,034 sq mi) to the southeast.
Agriculture is the second largest contributor to Kenya's gross domestic product (GDP) after the service sector. In 2005, agriculture, includingforestryand fishing, accounted for 24% of GDP, as well as for 18% of wage employment and 50% of revenue from exports. The principalcash cropsare tea, horticultural produce, and coffee. Horticultural produce and tea are the main growth sectors and the two most valuable of all of Kenya's exports. The production of major food staples such ascornis subject to sharp weather-related fluctuations. Production downturns periodically necessitate food aid—for example in 2004, due to one of Kenya's intermittentdroughts.
A consortium led by theInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics(ICRISAT) has had some success in helping farmers grow newpigeon peavarieties instead of maize, in particularly dry areas. Pigeon peas are very drought-resistant, so can be grown in areas with less than 650 millimetres (26 in) annual rainfall. Successive projects encouraged the commercialisation of legumes by stimulating the growth of local seed production and agro-dealer networks for distribution and marketing. This work, which included linking producers to wholesalers, helped to increase local producer prices by 20–25% in Nairobi and Mombasa. The commercialisation of the pigeon pea is now enabling some farmers to buy assets ranging from mobile phones to productive land and livestock, and is opening pathways for them to move out of poverty.
Tea, coffee, sisal, pyrethrum, corn, and wheat are grown in the fertile highlands, one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa.Livestock predominates in the semi-arid savanna to the north and east.Coconuts,pineapples,cashew nuts, cotton,sugarcane,sisal, and corn are grown in the lower-lying areas. Kenya has not attained the level of investment and efficiency in agriculture that can guarantee food security, and coupled with resulting poverty (53% of the population lives below the poverty line), a significant portion of the population regularly starves and is heavily dependent on food aid.Poor roads, an inadequate railway network, under-used water transport, and expensive air transport have isolated mostlyaridandsemi-aridareas, and farmers in other regions often leave food to rot in the fields because they cannot access markets. This was last seen in August and September 2011, prompting theKenyans for Kenyainitiative by theRed Cross.
Kenya'sirrigationsector is categorised into three organizational types:smallholderschemes, centrally-managed public schemes, and private/commercial irrigation schemes.
The smallholder schemes are owned, developed, and managed by individuals or groups of farmers operating as water users or self-help groups. Irrigation is carried out on individual or on group farms averaging 0.1–0.4 ha. There are about 3,000 smallholder irrigation schemes covering a total area of 47,000 ha.
The country has seven large, centrally managed irrigation schemes, namely Mwea,Bura,Hola,Perkera, West Kano, Bunyala, andAhero, covering a total area of 18,200 ha and averaging 2,600 ha per scheme. These schemes are managed by the National Irrigation Board and account for 18% of irrigated land area in Kenya.
Large-scale private commercial farms cover 45,000 hectares, accounting for 40% of irrigated land. They utilise high technology and produce high-value crops for the export market, especially flowers and vegetables.
Kenya is the world's 3rd largest exporter ofcut flowers.Roughly half of Kenya's 127 flower farms are concentrated aroundLake Naivasha, 90 kilometres northwest of Nairobi.To speed their export, Nairobi airport has a terminal dedicated to the transport of flowers and vegetables.
Although Kenya is a low middle-income country, manufacturing accounts for 14% of the GDP, with industrial activity concentrated around the three largest urban centres ofNairobi,Mombasa, andKisumu, and is dominated by food-processing industries such as grain milling, beer production, sugarcane crushing, and the fabrication of consumer goods, e.g., vehicles from kits.
Kenya also has a cement production industry.Kenya has anoil refinerythat processes imported crude petroleum into petroleum products, mainly for the domestic market. In addition, a substantial and expandinginformal sectorcommonly referred to asjua kaliengages in small-scale manufacturing of household goods, auto parts, and farm implements.
Kenya's inclusion among the beneficiaries of the US Government's African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has given a boost to manufacturing in recent years. Since AGOA took effect in 2000, Kenya's clothing sales to the United States increased from US$44 million to US$270 million (2006).Other initiatives to strengthen manufacturing have been the new government's favourable tax measures, including the removal of duty on capital equipment and other raw materials.
In 2023, Kenya is in the process of constructing five industrial parks that will operate tax-free, with an anticipated completion date set for 2030. Additionally, there are intentions to develop an additional 20 industrial parks in the future.
Two trans-African automobile routes pass through Kenya: theCairo-Cape Town Highwayand theLagos-Mombasa Highway, so the country has an extensive road network of paved and unpaved roads. Kenya's railway system links the nation's ports and major cities, connecting it with neighbouring Uganda. There are 15 airports which have paved runways.
The largest share of Kenya's electricity supply comes from geothermal energy,followed by hydroelectric stations at dams along the upperTana River, as well as the Turkwel Gorge Dam in the west. A petroleum-fired plant on the coast,geothermal facilitiesatOlkaria(near Nairobi), and electricity imported fromUgandamake up the rest of the supply. A2,000 MW powerline from Ethiopiais nearing completion.
Kenya's installed capacity increased from 1,142megawattsbetween 2001 and 2003 to 2,341 in 2016.The state-ownedKenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), established in 1997 under the name of Kenya Power Company, handles the generation of electricity, while Kenya Power handles the electricity transmission and distribution system in the country. Shortfalls of electricity occur periodically, when drought reduces water flow. To become energy sufficient, Kenya has installedwind powerandsolar power(over 300 MW each), and aims to build a nuclear power plant by 2027.
Kenya has proven deposits of oil inTurkana.Tullow Oilestimates the country's oil reserves to be around one billion barrels.Exploration is still continuing to determine whether there are more reserves. Kenya currently imports all crude petroleum requirements. It has no strategic reserves and relies solely on oil marketers' 21-day oil reserves required under industry regulations. Petroleum accounts for 20% to 25% of the national import bill.
Published comments on Kenya'sCapital FMwebsite by Liu Guangyuan,China's ambassador to Kenya, at the time of President Kenyatta's 2013 trip to Beijing, said, "Chinese investment in Kenya ... reached $474 million, representing Kenya's largest source of foreign direct investment, and ... bilateral trade ... reached $2.84 billion" in 2012. Kenyatta was "[a]ccompanied by 60 Kenyan business people [and hoped to] ... gain support from China for a planned $2.5 billion railway from the southern Kenyan port of Mombasa to neighbouring Uganda, as well as a nearly $1.8 billion dam", according to a statement from the president's office, also at the time of the trip.
Base Titanium, a subsidiary of Base resources of Australia, shipped its first major consignment of minerals to China. About 25,000 tonnes ofilmenitewas flagged off the Kenyan coastal town of Kilifi. The first shipment was expected to earn Kenya about KSh.15–20 billion/= in earnings.In 2014, the Chinese contracted railway project from Nairobi to Mombasa was suspended due to a dispute over compensation for land acquisition.
In 2007, the Kenyan government unveiledVision 2030, an economic development programme it hopes will put the country in the same league as theAsian Economic Tigersby 2030. In 2013, it launched a National Climate Change Action Plan, having acknowledged that omitting climate as a key development issue in Vision 2030 was an oversight failure. The 200-page Action Plan, developed with support from theClimate & Development Knowledge Network, sets out the Government of Kenya's vision for a 'low-carbon climate resilient development pathway'. At the launch in March 2013, the Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, National Development, and Vision 2030 emphasized that climate would be a central issue in the renewed Medium-Term Plan that would be launched in the coming months. This would create a direct and robust delivery framework for the Action Plan and ensure climate change is treated as an economy-wide issue.Furthermore, Kenya submitted an updated, more ambitious NDC on 24 December 2020, with a commitment to abate greenhouse gases by 32 percent by 2030 relative to the business-as-usual scenario and in line with its sustainable development agenda and national circumstances.
Kenya has proven oil deposits inTurkana County. President Mwai Kibaki announced on 26 March 2012 thatTullow Oil, an Anglo-Irish oil exploration firm, had struck oil, but its commercial viability and subsequent production would take about three years to confirm.
Early in 2006, Chinese presidentHu Jintaosigned an oil exploration contract with Kenya, part of a series of deals designed to keep Africa's natural resources flowing to China's rapidly expanding economy.
The deal allowed for China's state-controlled offshore oil and gas company,CNOOC, to prospect for oil in Kenya, which is just beginning to drill its first exploratory wells on the borders of Sudan and the disputed area ofNorth Eastern Province, on the border withSomaliaand in coastal waters. There are formal estimates of the possible reserves of oil discovered.
In 2017, Kenya banned single-use plastic bags. According to the national environmental authority, 80% of the public has adhered to this ban. Subsequently, in 2020, the prohibition of single-use plastics was extended to protected areas, including parks and forests.
A law passed in July 2023 mandates companies to actively reduce the pollution and environmental impact caused by the products they introduce into the Kenyan market, either individually or through collective schemes. Unlike previous practices, businesses are now obligated to participate in waste collection and recycling initiatives, such the Petco initiative established by the government in 2018.
Kenya has a labour force of around 24 million and a total labour force participation rate of 74%, the unemployment rate in 2022 was estimated at 5.6%
According to the World Bank's 2019 Human Capital Index (HCI), which measured human capital of the next generation, Kenya ranked first in sub-Saharan Africa with an HCI score of 0.52. The index combined several key indicators, which are school enrolment, child survival, quality of learning, healthy growth and adult survival into a single index ranging between 0–1.
More than 20 institutions offer business loans on a large scale, specific agriculture loans, education loans, and loans for other purposes. Additionally, there are:
Out of approximately 40 million Kenyans, about 14 million are unable to receive financial service through formal loan application services, and an additional 12 million have no access to financial service institutions at all. Further, one million Kenyans are reliant on informal groups for receiving financial aid.
To mitigate this problem, the mobile banking serviceM-Pesawas launched in 2007 byVodafoneandSafaricom, in collaboration from the Financial Deepening Challenge Fund competition established by the UK government's Department for International Development. M-Pesa allows users to deposit, withdraw, transfer money, pay for goods and services (Lipa na M-Pesa), access credit and savings, all with a mobile device,has provided access to digital transactions to millions of Kenyans in poverty situation.
The census carried out by theKenya National Bureau of Statisticsin 2019 reported Kenya's population as 47,564,296.The country has a young population, with 73% of residents under 30 because of rapidpopulation growth,from 2.9 million to 40 million inhabitants over the last century.
Nairobi is home toKibera, one of the world's largest slums. The shantytown is believed to house between 170,000and one million people.The UNHCR base inDadaabin the north houses around 500,000.
Kenya has a diverse population that includes many of Africa's major ethnoracial and linguistic groups. Although there is no official list of Kenyan ethnic groups, the number of ethnic categories and sub-categories recorded in the country's census has changed significantly over time, expanding from 42 in 1969 to more than 120 in 2019.Most residents areBantus(60%) orNilotes(30%).Cushiticgroups also form a small ethnic minority, as do Arabs, Indians, and Europeans.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), in 2019, the largest native ethnic groups were theKikuyu(8,148,668),Luhya(6,823,842),Kalenjin(6,358,113),Luo(5,066,966),Kamba(4,663,910),Somali(2,780,502),Kisii(2,703,235),Mijikenda(2,488,691),Meru(1,975,869),Maasai(1,189,522), andTurkana(1,016,174). TheNorth Eastern Provinceof Kenya, formerly known as NFD, is predominantly inhabited by the indigenous ethnicSomalis. Foreign-rooted populations includeArabs,Asians, andEuropeans.
Kenya's ethnic groups typically speak their mother tongues within their own communities. The twoofficial languages, English andSwahili, are used in varying degrees of fluency for communication with other populations. English is widely spoken in commerce, schooling, and government.Peri-urbanand rural dwellers are less multilingual, with many in rural areas speaking only their native languages.
British Englishis primarily used in Kenya. Additionally, a distinct local dialect,Kenyan English, is used by some communities and individuals in the country, and contains features unique to it that were derived from localBantu languagessuch as Kiswahili andKikuyu.It has been developing since colonisation and also contains certain elements ofAmerican English.Shengis a Kiswahili-basedcantspoken in some urban areas. Primarily a mixture of Swahili and English, it is an example of linguisticcode-switching.
69 languages are spoken in Kenya. Most belong to two broad language families:Niger-Congo(Bantu branch) andNilo-Saharan(Nilotic branch), spoken by the country's Bantu and Nilotic populations respectively. The Cushitic and Arab ethnic minorities speak languages belonging to the separateAfroasiaticfamily, with the Indian and European residents speaking languages from theIndo-Europeanfamily.
Most Kenyans areChristian(85.5%), with 33.4%Protestant, 20.6%Roman Catholicand 20.4%Evangelical.Roman Catholicismis the largest single Christian denomination in Kenya with about 10 million members.ThePresbyterian Church of East Africahas 3 million followers in Kenya and surrounding countries.There are smaller conservativeReformedchurches, theAfrica Evangelical Presbyterian Church,theIndependent Presbyterian Church in Kenya, and theReformed Church of East Africa.Orthodox Christianityhas 621,200 adherents.Kenya has by far the highest number ofQuakersof any country in the world, with around 146,300.The onlyJewish synagoguein the country is in Nairobi.
Islam is thesecond largest religion, comprising 11% of the population.60% of Kenyan Muslims live in theCoastal Region, comprising 50% of the total population there, while the upper part of Kenya'sEastern Regionis home to 10% of the country's Muslims, where they are the majority religious group.Indigenous beliefsare practised by 0.7% of the population, although many self-identifying Christians and Muslimsmaintain some traditional beliefs and customs. Nonreligious Kenyans are 1.6% of the population.
Some Hindus also live in Kenya. The numbers are estimated to be around 60,287, or 0.13% of the population.
Health care is one of the low-priority sectors in Kenya and was allocated 4.8% of the national budget in 2019/2020 or just 4.59% ofGDPcompared to high-priority sectors such as education which was allocated more than 25%. This is below the 4.98% average inSub-Saharan Africaand 9.83% spent globally.
According to the National and County Health Budget Analysis FY 2020/21, the breakdown of county health expenditure was 58% on Policy Planning and Administrative Support Services, 28% on Curative and Rehabilitative Health Services, 8% on Preventive and Promotive Health Services and 7% on Other Programmes.
Health care is largely funded by private individuals and their families or employers through direct payments tohealth care providers, to theNational Health Insurance Fundor to medical insurance companies. Additional funding comes from local, international and some governmentsocial safety netschemes. Public hospitals arefee-for-serviceestablishments that generate large amounts of county and national government revenues making them highly political and corrupt enterprises.
Private health facilities are diverse, highly dynamic, and difficult to classify, unlike public health facilities, which are easily grouped in classes that consist of community-based (level I) services, run bycommunity health workers; dispensaries (level II facilities) run bynurses; health centres (level III facilities), run byclinical officers; sub-county hospitals (level IV facilities), which may be run by aclinical officeror amedical officer; county hospitals (level V facilities), which may be run by amedical officeror amedical practitioner; and national referral hospitals (level VI facilities), which are run by fully qualifiedmedical practitioners.
Nursesare by far the largest group offront-linehealth care providers in all sectors, followed by clinical officers, medical officers, and medical practitioners. These are absorbed and deployed into government service in accordance with the Scheme of Service for Nursing Personnel (2014), the Revised Scheme of Service for Clinical Personnel (2020) and the Revised Scheme of Service for Medical Officers and Dental Officers (2016).
Traditional healers(herbalists,witch doctors, andfaith healers) are readily available, trusted, and widely consulted as practitioners of first or last choice by both rural and urban dwellers.
Despite major achievements in the health sector, Kenya still faces many challenges. The estimatedlife expectancydropped in 2009 to approximately 55 years — five years below the 1990 level.Theinfant mortalityrate was high at approximately 44 deaths per 1,000 children in 2012.The WHO estimated in 2011 that only 42% of births were attended by a skilled health professional.
Diseases of povertydirectly correlate with a country'seconomic performanceandwealth distribution: In 2015/16, 35.6% of Kenyans lived below the poverty line.Preventable diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malnutrition are the biggest burden, major child-killers, and responsible for much morbidity; weak policies, corruption, inadequate health workers, weak management, and poor leadership in the public health sector are largely to blame. According to 2009 estimates,HIV/AIDS prevalenceis about 6.3% of the adult population.However, the 2011 UNAIDS Report suggests that the HIV epidemic may be improving in Kenya, as HIV prevalence is declining among young people (ages 15–24) and pregnant women.Kenya had an estimated 15 million cases ofmalariain 2006.Tuberculosisis a major public health problem. The per capita incidence of TB in Kenya more than quadrupled between 1990 and 2015.
The 2024 Global Hunger Index gave Kenya a 25.0 score, indicating that the severity of hunger is "serious".
Thetotal fertility ratein Kenya was estimated to be 4.49 children per woman in 2012.According to a 2008–09 survey by the Kenyan government, the total fertility rate was 4.6% and the contraception usage rate among married women was 46%.Maternal mortalityis high, partly because offemale genital mutilation,with about 27% of women having undergone it.This practice is however on the decline as the country becomes more modernised, and in 2011 it was banned in Kenya.Women were economically empowered before colonialisation.
By colonial land alienation, women lost access and control of land.They became more economically dependent on men.A colonial order of gender emerged where males dominated females.Median age at first marriage increases with increasing education.Rape, defilement, and battering are not always seen as serious crimes.Reports of sexual assault are not always taken seriously.
Article 260 of theKenyan Constitutionof 2010 defines youth as those between the ages of 18 and 34.According to the 2019 Population and Census results, 75 percent of the 47.6 million population is under the age of 35, making Kenya a country of theyouth.Youth unemployment and underemployment in Kenya has become a problem.According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), approximately 1.7 million people lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which eliminated some informal jobs and caused the economy to slow.The Kenyan government has made progress in addressing the high youth unemployment by implementing various affirmative action programs and projects which include: theNational Youth Service, The National Youth Enterprise Development Fund,The Women Enterprise Fund,Kazi Mtaani,Ajira Digital, Kikao Mtaani,Uwezo fund,Future Boraand Studio mashinanithatempower youth, offer job opportunities and to raise one's standard of living.
Children attend nursery school, or kindergarten in the private sector until they are five years old. This lasts one to three years (KG1, KG2 and KG3) and is financed privately because there has been no government policy on pre-schooling until recently.
Basic formal education starts at age six and lasts 12 years, consisting of eight years in primary school and four in high school or secondary. Primary school is free in public schools and those attending can join a vocational youth/village polytechnic, or make their own arrangements for an apprenticeship program and learn a trade such as tailoring, carpentry, motor vehicle repair, brick-laying and masonry for about two years.
Those who complete high school can join apolytechnicor other technical college and study for three years, or proceed directly to university and study for four years. Graduates from the polytechnics and colleges can then join the workforce and later obtain a specialised higher diploma qualification after a further one to two years of training, or join the university—usually in the second or third year of their respective course. Thehigher diplomais accepted by many employers in place of a bachelor's degree and direct or accelerated admission to post-graduate studies is possible in some universities.
Public universities in Kenya are highly commercialised institutions and only a small fraction of qualified high school graduates are admitted on limited government-sponsorship into programs of their choice. Most are admitted into the social sciences, which are cheap to run, or as self-sponsored students paying the full cost of their studies. Most qualified students who miss out opt for middle-level diploma programs in public or private universities, colleges, and polytechnics.
In 2018, 18.5 percent of the Kenyan adult population was illiterate, which was the highest rate of literacy in East Africa.There are very wide regional disparities: for example, Nairobi had the highest level of literacy at 87.1 per cent, compared to North Eastern Province, the lowest, at 8.0 per cent. Preschool, which targets children from age three to five, is an integral component of the education system and is a key requirement for admission to Standard One (First Grade). At the end of primary education, pupils sit theKenya Certificate of Primary Education(KCPE), which determines those who proceed to secondary school or vocational training. The result of this examination is needed for placement at secondary school.
Primary school is for students aged 6/7-13/14 years. For those who proceed to the secondary level, there is a national examination at the end of Form Four – theKenya Certificate of Secondary Education(KCSE), which determines those proceeding to the universities, other professional training, or employment. Students sitexaminationsin eight subjects of their choosing. However, English, Kiswahili, and mathematics are compulsory subjects.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), formerly the Joint Admissions Board (JAB), is responsible for selecting students joining the public universities. Other than the public schools, there are many private schools, mainly in urban areas. Similarly, there are a number ofinternational schoolscatering to various overseas educational systems.
Kenya was ranked 96th in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024.
Theculture of Kenyacomprises multiple traditions. Kenya has no single prominent culture. It instead consists of the various cultures of the country's different communities.
Notable populations include theSwahilion the coast, several otherBantucommunities in the central and western regions, and Nilotic communities in the northwest. TheMaasaiculture is well known to tourism, despite constituting a relatively small part of Kenya's population. They are renowned for their elaborate upper-body adornment and jewellery.
Additionally, Kenya has an extensive music, television, and theatre scene.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'ois one of Kenya's best-known writers. His novelWeep Not, Childdepictslife in Kenya during the British occupation. The story details the effects of the Mau Mau on the lives of Kenyans. Its combination of themes—colonialism, education, and love—helped make it one of the best-known African novels.
M.G. Vassanji's 2003 novelThe In-Between World of Vikram Lallwon theGiller Prizein 2003. It is the fictional memoir of a Kenyan of Indian heritage and his family as they adjust to the changing political climates in colonial and post-colonial Kenya.
Since 2003, the literary journalKwani?has been publishing Kenyan contemporary literature. Kenya has also nurtured emerging versatile authors such as Paul Kipchumba (Kipwendui, Kibiwott) who demonstrate a pan-African outlook.
Kenya has a diverse assortment of popular music forms, in addition to multiple types offolk musicbased on the variety of over 40 regional languages.
Drums are the most dominant instrument in popular Kenyan music. Drum beats are very complex and include both native rhythms and imported ones, especially theCongolesecavacharhythm. Popular Kenyan music usually involves the interplay of multiple parts, and more recently, showy guitar solos as well. There are also a number of local hip-hop artists, includingJua Cali; Afro-pop bands such asSauti Sol; and musicians who play local genres like Benga, such asAkothee.
Lyrics are most often in Kiswahili or English. There is also some emerging aspect ofLingalaborrowed fromCongolesemusicians. Lyrics are also written in local languages. Urban radio generally only plays English music, though there also exist a number of vernacular radio stations.
Zilizopendwa is a genre of local urban music that was recorded in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s by musicians such asDaudi Kabaka,Fadhili William, and Sukuma Bin Ongaro, and is particularly enjoyed by older people—having been popularised by the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation's Kiswahili service (formerly called Voice of Kenya or VOK).
The Isukuti is a vigorous dance performed by theLuhyasub-tribes to the beat of a traditional drum called the Isukuti during many occasions such as the birth of a child, marriage, or funeral. Other traditional dances include theOhanglaamong theLuo, Nzele among theMijikenda,Mugithiamong theKikuyu, andTaarabamong theSwahili.
Additionally, Kenya has a growing Christian gospel music scene. Prominent local gospel musicians include theKenyan Boys Choir.
Benga musichas been popular since the late 1960s, especially in the area aroundLake Victoria. The wordbengais occasionally used to refer to any kind of pop music. Bass, guitar, and percussion are the usual instruments.
Kenya is active in several sports, among themcricket,rallying,football,rugby,field hockey, andboxing. The country is known chiefly for its dominance inmiddle-distanceandlong-distanceathletics, having consistently producedOlympicandCommonwealth Gameschampions in various distance events, especially in 800 m, 1,500 m, 3,000 m steeplechase, 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and the marathon. Kenyan athletes (particularlyKalenjin), continue to dominate the world of distance running, although competition fromMoroccoandEthiopiahas reduced this supremacy. Some of Kenya's best-known athletes include the four-time women'sBoston Marathonwinner and two-time world championCatherine Ndereba, 800m world record holderDavid Rudisha, formermarathonworld record-holderPaul Tergat, and 5000m Olympic gold medalistJohn Ngugi. Kenya's most decorated athlete is three-time Olympic gold medalist and eleven-time world marathon major champion,Eliud Kipchoge.
Kenya won several medals during the Beijing Olympics: six gold, four silver, and four bronze, making it Africa's most successful nation in the 2008 Olympics. New athletes gained attention, such asPamela Jelimo, the women's 800m gold medalist who went on to win theIAAF Golden Leaguejackpot, andSamuel Wanjiru, who won the men's marathon. Retired Olympic and Commonwealth Games championKipchoge Keinohelped usher in Kenya's ongoing distance dynasty in the 1970s and was followed by Commonwealth ChampionHenry Rono's spectacular string of world record performances. Lately, there has been controversy in Kenyan athletics circles, with the defection of a number of Kenyan athletes to represent other countries, chieflyBahrainandQatar.The Kenyan Ministry of Sports has tried to stop the defections, but they have continued anyway, withBernard Lagatbeing the latest, choosing to represent the United States.Most of these defections occur because of economic or financial factors.Decisions by the Kenyan government to tax athletes' earnings may also be a motivating factor.Some elite Kenyan runners who cannot qualify for their country's strong national team find it easier to qualify by running for other countries.
Kenya has been a dominant force in women's volleyball within Africa, with both the clubs and the national team winning various continental championships in the past decade.The women's team has competed at the Olympics andWorld Championships, though without any notable success. Cricket is another popular sport, also ranking as the most successful team sport.Kenyahas competed in theCricket World Cupsince1996. They upset some of the world's best teams and reached the semi-finals of the2003 tournament. They won the inaugural World Cricket League Division 1 hosted in Nairobi and participated in the World T20. They also participated in theICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Their current captain isRakep Patel.
Rugby is increasing in popularity, especially with the annual Safari Sevens tournament. TheKenya Sevens teamranked 9th in the IRB Sevens World Series for the 2006 season. In 2016, the team beat Fiji at the Singapore Sevens finals, making Kenya the second African nation after South Africa to win a World Series championship.Kenyawas once also a regional powerhouse in football. However, its dominance has been eroded by wrangles within the now defunctKenya Football Federation,leading to a suspension byFIFAwhich was lifted in March 2007.
In the motor rallying arena, Kenya is home to the world-famousSafari Rally, commonly acknowledged as one of the toughest rallies in the world.First held in 1953, it was a part of theWorld Rally Championshipfor many years until its exclusion after the 2002 event owing to financial difficulties. Some of the best rally drivers in the world have taken part in and won the rally, such asBjörn Waldegård,Hannu Mikkola,Tommi Mäkinen,Shekhar Mehta,Carlos Sainz, andColin McRae. The Safari Rally returned to the world championship in2021, after the 2003–2019 events ran as part of theAfrican Rally Championship.
Nairobi has hosted several major continental sports events, including theFIBA Africa Championship 1993, whereKenya's national basketball teamfinished in the top four, its best performance to date.
Kenya also has its ownice hockeyteam, the Kenya Ice Lions.The team's home ground is theSolar Ice Rinkat thePanari Sky Centrein Nairobi,which is the first and largestice rinkin all of Africa.
Kenya men's national field hockey teamwas considered one of the good teams in the world during 1960s and 1970s.
Kenya was got 6th position in1964 Summer Olympicshockey tournament and 4th in 1971Men's FIH Hockey World Cup.
Kenyans generally have three meals in a day—breakfast (kiamsha kinywa), lunch (chakula cha mchana), and supper (chakula cha jionior simplychajio). In between, they have the 10-o'clock tea (chai ya saa nne) and 4 p.m. tea (chai ya saa kumi). Breakfast is usually tea or porridge with bread,chapati,mahamri, boiled sweet potatoes, oryams.Githeriis a common lunchtime dish in many households, whileUgaliwith vegetables, sour milk (mursik), meat, fish, or any other stew is generally eaten by much of the population for lunch or supper. Regional variations and dishes also exist.
In western Kenya, among theLuo, fish is a common dish; among theKalenjin, who dominate much of the Rift Valley Region, mursik—sour milk—is a common drink.
In cities such as Nairobi, there are fast-food restaurants, includingSteers,KFC,andSubway.There are also many fish-and-chips shops.
Cheeseis becoming more popular in Kenya, with consumption increasing particularly among the middle class.
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