:Kenya Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Kenya
Type:
republic
Capital:
Nairobi
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North
Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence:
12 December 1963 (from UK; formerly British East Africa)
Constitution:
12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979,
1983, 1986, 1988, and 1991
Legal system:
based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in
High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations;
constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state
repealed in 1991
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Bunge)
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal, High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Daniel Teroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); Vice President
George SAITOTI (since 10 May 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
ruling party is Kenya African National Union (KANU), Daniel T. arap MOI,
president; opposition parties include Forum for the Restoration of Democracy
(FORD), Oginga ODINJA; Democratic Party of Kenya (DP), KIBAKI; note - some
dozen other opposition parties
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held on 21 March 1988 (next to be held before March 1993); results -
President Daniel T. arap MOI was reelected
National Assembly:
last held on 21 March 1988 (next to be held before March 1993); will be
first multiparty election since repeal of one-party state law
Other political or pressure groups:
labor unions; exile opposition - Mwakenya and other groups
Member of:
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS,
NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Denis Daudi AFANDE; Chancery at 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC
20008; telephone (202) 387-6101; there are Kenyan Consulates General in Los
Angeles and New York
:Kenya Government
US:
Ambassador Smith HEMPSTONE, Jr.; Embassy at the corner of Moi Avenue and
Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi (mailing address is P. O. Box 30137, Nairobi
or APO AE 09831); telephone [254] (2) 334141; FAX [254] (2) 340838; there is
a US Consulate in Mombasa
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is
edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is
superimposed at the center
:Kenya Economy
Overview:
Kenya's 3.6% annual population growth rate - one of the highest in the world
- presents a serious problem for the country's economy. In the meantime, GDP
growth in the near term has kept slightly ahead of population - annually
averaging 4.9% in the 1986-90 period. Undependable weather conditions and a
shortage of arable land hamper long-term growth in agriculture, the leading
economic sector. In 1991, deficient rainfall, stagnant export volume, and
sagging export prices held economic growth below the all-important
population growth figure.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $9.7 billion, per capita $385 (1989 est.); real
growth rate 2.3% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14.3% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%, but there is a high level of unemployment and underemployment
Budget:
revenues $2.4 billion; expenditures $2.8 billion, including capital
expenditures of $0.74 billion (FY90)
Exports:
$1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
tea 25%, coffee 21%, petroleum products 7% (1989)
partners:
EC 44%, Africa 25%, Asia 5%, US 5%, Middle East 4% (1988)
Imports:
$1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment 29%, petroleum and petroleum products
15%, iron and steel 7%, raw materials, food and consumer goods (1989)
partners:
EC 45%, Asia 11%, Middle East 12%, US 5% (1988)
External debt:
$6.0 billion (December 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5.4% (1989 est.); accounts for 17% of GDP
Electricity:
730,000 kW capacity; 2,700 million kWh produced, 110 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap,
cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining, cement, tourism
Agriculture:
most important sector, accounting for 29% of GDP, about 19% of the work
force, and over 50% of exports; cash crops - coffee, tea, sisal, pineapple;
food products - corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products;
food output not keeping pace with population growth
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis used mostly for domestic consumption;
widespread cultivation of cannabis and qat on small plots; transit country
for heroin and methaqualone en route from Southwest Asia to West Africa,
Western Europe, and the US
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $839 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7,490 million; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $74 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $83
million
Currency:
Kenyan shilling (plural - shillings); 1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents
:Kenya Economy
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1 - 28.466 (January 1992), 27.508 (1991),
22.915 (1990), 20.572 (1989), 17.747 (1988), 16.454 (1987)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
:Kenya Communications
Railroads:
2,040 km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways:
64,590 km total; 7,000 km paved, 4,150 km gravel, remainder improved earth
Inland waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya; principal inland
port is at Kisumu
Pipelines:
petroleum products 483 km
Ports:
Mombasa, Lamu
Merchant marine:
1 petroleum tanker ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,727 GRT/5,558 DWT
Civil air:
19 major transport aircraft
Airports:
249 total, 214 usable; 21 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways
over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 46 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
in top group of African systems; consists primarily of radio relay links;
over 260,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 16 AM; 4 FM, 6 TV; satellite
earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT