REPUBLIC OF KENYA Official name: Republic of Kenya Location: East Africa International organisations: The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, The African Union, The Commonwealth of Nation, The Non-Aligned Movement, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation Borders: Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda Coastline: Indian Ocean Land area: 582,650 Km2 Population: 31,100,000 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.

Capital: Nairobi Constitution: The Constitution of Kenya dates from 12 December 1963 but has been amended many times. 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: The President, who appoints the members of the Cabinet. 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. Electoral authority: The Kenya Elections Commission administers national elections.

Freedom House rating: Political Rights 3, Civil Liberties 3
(Freedom House notes that Kenya's rating for both political rights and civil liberties has improved since 2001. These ratings were issued before the election of President Kibaki, so the political rights rating would now be even higher.)

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.

Jomo Kenyatta

Kenyatta died in 1978 and was succeeded by Daniel arap Moi, whose rule degenerated into a corrupt dictatorship, which led 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. Kibaki's National Rainbow Coalition is a broad-based reformist coalition, but lacks a positive programme for government. The Kenya African National Union, in opposition for the first time, still represents the powerful Kikuyu and is led by Uhuru Kenyatta, son of the founding president.