REPUBLIC OF KENYA

• Official name: Republic of Kenya
• Location: East Africa
• International organisations: African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, Commonwealth of Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, United Nations, World Trade Organisation
• Borders: Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
• Coastline: Indian Ocean
• Land area: 582,650 Km2
• Population: 39,000,000
• Annual GDP (PPP) per capita: US$1,600 (2009 CIA estimate). World ranking: 162
• Ethnicity: Virtually all of Kenya's people are of African stock, the largest groups being Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12% and Kamba 11%. There are small Indian, European and Arab minorities.
• Languages: English is the official language and is widely understood. Kiswahili is the most widely used African language, but many languages are spoken.
• Religion: Christian 78% (Protestant 45%, Catholic 33%), indigenous beliefs 10%, Sunni Moslem 10%.
• Form of government: Presidential democratic republic. Kenya is divided into seven provinces and the Nairobi Urban Area. Under the new constitution it will be divided into 47 counties, each of which will have a directly elected governor and assembly.
• Capital: Nairobi
• Constitution: The new Constitution of Kenya came into effect on 27 August 2010.
• Head of state: The President, chosen by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term. The President must be a member of the National Assembly. A successful presidential candidate must win at least 25% of the vote in at least five provinces.
• Head of government: Until 2007 the President was head of the government and appointed the members of the Cabinet. As part of the process of resolving the disputed 2007 elections, the office of Prime Minister was created and the opposition leader Raila Odinga assumed the position in April 2008. The new constitution abolishes the position.
• Legislature: Kenya has a unicameral legislature. The National Assembly (Bunge) has 224 members, of whom 210 are elected for five-year terms from single-member constituencies. Twelve members are appointed by the President and there are two ex officio members. Under the new constitution, Kenya will have a bicameral legislature. The National Assembly will have 349 members: 290 members elected from single-member constituencies, 47 women members elected from the new counties, and 12 members nominated to represent youth and people with disabilities. The Senate will have 67 members: 47 elected from the new counties, 16 women nominated by political parties, and four members nominated to represent youth and people with disabilities.
• Electoral authority: The Kenya Elections Commission administers national elections.
• Freedom House 2011 rating: Political Rights 4, Civil Liberties 3
• Transparency International Corruption Index: 21% (154 of 178 countries rated)
• Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom 2010 Index: 81% (70 of 178 countries rated)
• Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom 2010 Index: 57.4% (106 of 178 countries rated)

Political history

The coastal areas of Kenya were brought under British control in 1887, and the interior was annexed in 1895. In 1920 the territory became the Kenya Colony and Protectorate. The highland areas attracted many British settlers, and African people such as the Kikuyu lost their lands to white farmers. The whites were given self-government in 1920.

African agitation for land justice and later for independence began in the 1940s, led by the Kikuyu. Jomo Kenyatta emerged as the leader of the Mau Mau nationalist movement, which conducted a bitter terrorist campaign against the whites during the 1950s. Africans were given representation in the Legislative Council in 1957. Despite fierce opposition from the white settlers, Kenya became independent in December 1963, with Kenyatta as President. In 1969 Kenya became a one-party state ruled by Kenyatta's Kenyan African National Union (KANU). KANU rule also meant Kikuyu dominance, which was resented by the other peoples of Kenya, particularly the minority Luo.

Kenyatta died in 1978 and was succeeded by Daniel arap Moi, whose rule degenerated into a corrupt dictatorship, leading the country into bankruptcy. Attempts to reform the system from inside were frustrated, and only Kenya's dependence on external aid gave international agencies sufficient leverage to force Moi to abandon the one-party state and allow free elections in 1991.

Moi retained power by election rigging and intimidation through the 1990s, but in 2002, with a reformed election authority, the veteran opposition leader Mwai Kibaki was able to mobilise opposition to defeat Moi and end KANU rule. Unfortunately, Kibaki proved both incompetent and nearly as corrupt at Moi had been, and at the 2007 elections he was challenged by a new reform coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement led by Raila Odinga. Kibaki claimed victory through blatant election fraud, triggering riots in which 1,500 people were killed and 300,000 made homeless and the country brought close to ruin. Order was restored only when a power-charing agreement was reached, under which Odinga became Prime Minister. Odinga's supporters won a majority in the National Assembly - the ODM won 99 seats to 43 won by Kibaki's Party of National Unity.

Freedom House's 2011 report on Kenya says: "Kenya is not an electoral democracy. While there were few claims of irregularities in the December 2007 parliamentary vote, the flawed presidential poll featured apparent vote rigging and other administrative manipulations that favored the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki. In September 2008, an international commission found that the legitimacy of the election results had been undermined by several factors, including a defective voter registry and widespread fraud. The panel's recommended electoral reforms have yet to be fully implemented... Corruption remains a very serious problem. Political parties, non-governmental organizations, and the press, as well as some official bodies, have exposed many examples of government corruption and malfeasance. However, official probes and prosecutions have yielded meager results... The constitution provides for freedom of speech and a free press, and these rights are generally respected in practice... The constitution guarantees freedom of assembly. This right is generally respected, but there have been cases of unnecessary use of force at demonstrations... The judiciary’s actions have reflected the primacy of the executive branch for much of the period since independence, and judicial corruption remains an impediment to the rule of law."

Updated November 2011