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NAVIGATION
Republic of Kenya
former: British East Africa
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya former: British East Africa |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Nairobi |
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Administrative divisions:
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7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western |
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Independence:
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12 December 1963 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 12 December (1963) |
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Constitution:
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12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001 |
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Legal system:
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based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President Michael Kijana WAMALWA (since 3 January 2003) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President Michael Kijana WAMALWA (since 3 January 2003) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2007); vice president appointed by the president election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called "nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1 |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI] - the governing party |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY, chairman] |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Yusuf Abdulraham NZIBO
consulate(s) general: offices in Los Angeles and New York are closed; mission to the UN remains open FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829 telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101 chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Johnnie CARSON
embassy: US Embassy, P. O. Box 30137 Mombasa Road (near St. James Hospital), Nairobi mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831 telephone: [254] (2) 537-800 FAX: [254] (2) 537-810 |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Kenya, the regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, is hampered by corruption and reliance upon several primary goods whose prices continue to decline. Following strong economic growth in 1995 and 1996, Kenya's economy has stagnated, with GDP growth failing to keep up with the rate of population growth. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.3% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1%, and Kenya is unlikely to see growth above 2% in 2002. Substantial IMF and other foreign support is essential to prevent a further decline in real per capita output. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 24%
industry: 13% services: 63% (2000 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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50% (2000 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 37% (2000) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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45 (1994) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.3% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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10 million (2001 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 75%-80% |
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Unemployment rate:
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40% (2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.91 billion
expenditures: $2.97 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
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small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-0.7% (2001 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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4.616 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 22%
hydro: 70% other: 8% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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4.433 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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140 million kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs |
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Exports:
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$1.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement |
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Exports - partners:
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UK 13.5%, Tanzania 12.5%, Uganda 12.0%, Germany 5.5% (2000) |
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Imports:
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$3.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics |
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Imports - partners:
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UK 12%, UAE 9.8%, Japan 6.5%, India 4.4% (2000) |
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Debt - external:
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$8 billion (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$457 million (1997) (1997) |
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Currency:
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Kenyan shilling (KES) |
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Currency code:
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KES |
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Exchange rates:
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Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 78.597 (January 2002), 78.563 (2001), 76.176 (2000), 70.326 (1999), 60.367 (1998), 58.732 (1997) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June |