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Communications

Airports [time series]

249 total, 213 usable; 22 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 47 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

14 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

64,590 km total; 7,000 km paved, 4,150 km gravel, remainder improved earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya; principal inland port is at Kisumu

Pipelines [time series]

refined products, 483 km

Ports [time series]

Mombasa, Lamu

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

2,040 km 1.000-meter gauge

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

in top group of African systems; consists of radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radiocommunication stations; 260,000 telephones; stations--11 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTLESAT

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$100 million, 1.0% of GDP (1989 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 5,444,247; 3,362,290 fit for military service; no conscription

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

most important sector, accounting for 29% of GDP, about 80% 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

Budget [time series]

revenues $2.0 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY89)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Kenyan shilling (plural--shillings); 1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $839 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $6.7 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $74 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $83 million

Electricity [time series]

730,000 kW capacity; 2,700 million kWh produced, 110 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1--24.427 (January 1991), 22.915 (1990), 20.572 (1989), 17.747 (1988), 16.454 (1987), 16.226 (1986), 16.432 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--tea 25%, coffee 21%, petroleum products 7% (1989); partners--EC 44%, Africa 25%, Asia 5%, US 5%, Middle East 4% (1988)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$5.8 billion (December 1990 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 July-30 June

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$8.5 billion, per capita $360; real growth rate 4% (1990 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$2.4 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--machinery and transportation equipment 29%, petroleum and petroleum products 15%, iron and steel 7%, raw materials, food and consumer goods (1989 est.); partners--EC 45%, Asia 11%, Middle East 12%, US 5% (1988)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 5.4% (1989 est.); accounts for 17% of GDP

Industries [time series]

small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining, cement, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

10.9% (1990 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

A serious underlying economic problem is Kenya's 3.6% annual population growth rate--one of the highest in the world. 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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%, but there is a high level of unemployment and underemployment

Geography

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Coastline [time series]

536 km Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with international boundary; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; glaciers on Mt. Kenya

Land boundaries [time series]

3,477 km total; Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 3%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 4%; other 85%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Natural resources [time series]

gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barytes, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife

Note [time series]

Kenyan Highlands one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa

Terrain [time series]

low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west

Area (Total area) [time series]

582,650 km2; land area: 569,250 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North-Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Capital [time series]

Nairobi

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

may be a few Communists and sympathizers

Constitution [time series]

12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, and 1988

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

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; 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 New York 09675); telephone [254] (2) 334141; there is a US Consulate in Mombasa

Executive branch [time series]

president, vice president, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

12 December 1963 (from UK; formerly British East Africa)

Judicial branch [time series]

Court of Appeal, High Court Chief of State and Head of Government--President Daniel Teroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); Vice President George SAITOTI (since 10 May 1989)

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment in 1982 made Kenya a de jure one-party state

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Assembly (Bunge)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of Kenya

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

labor unions; exile opposition--Mwakenya and other groups

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

only party--Kenya African National Union (KANU), Daniel T. arap MOI, president

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 President--last held on 21 March 1988 (next to be held by March 1993); results--President Daniel T. arap MOI was reelected; National Assembly--last held on 21 March 1988 (next to be held by March 1993); results--KANU is the only party; seats--(202 total, 188 elected) KANU 200

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

45 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Kikuyu 21%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, Asian, European, and Arab 1%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

9.2 million (includes unemployed); the total employed is 1.37 million (14.8% of the labor force); services 54.8%, industry 26.2%, agriculture 19.0% (1989)

Languages (Language) [time series]

English and Swahili (official); numerous indigenous languages

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

60 years male, 64 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

69% (male 80%, female 58%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Kenyan(s); adjective--Kenyan

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

390,000 (est.)

Population [time series]

25,241,978 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim 6%

Total fertility rate [time series]

6.4 children born/woman (1991)