Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over a constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. UN-sponsored talks in late February 2008 produced a power-sharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister. Kenya in August 2010 adopted a new constitution that eliminates the role of prime minister after the next presidential election.

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania

slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

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

limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower

recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching

the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value

Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%

English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%

43,013,341 (July 2012 est.)

31.93 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

7.26 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

NAIROBI (capital) 3.375 million; Mombassa 966,000 (2009)

360 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

3.98 children born/woman (2012 est.)

0.14 physicians/1,000 population (2002)

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2006)

urban: 27% of population

rural: 32% of population

total: 31% of population

urban: 73% of population

rural: 68% of population

total: 69% of population

1.5 million (2009 est.)

7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western; note - the constitution promulgated in August 2010 designates 47 yet-to-be-defined counties as first-order administrative units

12 December 1963 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 12 December (1963); Madaraka Day, 1 June (1963); Mashujaa Day, 20 October (2010)

27 August 2010; the new constitution abolishes the position of prime minister and establishes a bicameral legislature; many details have yet to be finalized and will require significant legislative action

mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review in High Court

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly or Bunge usually referred to as Parliament (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 nominated members appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members); note - the constitution promulgated in August 2010 changes the legislature to a bicameral parliament consisting of a 290 member National Assembly and a 94 member Senate; parliament members will serve five year terms

Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court; note - the constitution promulgated in August 2010 specifies three superior courts consisting of a Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and High Court, and three subordinate courts consisting of Magistrate courts, Kadhis courts (sentences according to Muslim law), and Courts Martial

Kenya African National Union or KANU [Gideon MOI]; The National Party Alliance or TNA [Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-Kenya [Martha KARUA]; Orange Democratic Movement or ODM [Raila ODINGA]; Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-K [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]; Party of National Unity or PNU [Mwai KIBAKI]; United Republican Party or URP [William Ruto]; Wiper Democratic Movement or WDM [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]

Council of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK [Sheikh Idris MOHAMMED]; Kenya Human Rights Commission [L. Muthoni WANYEKI]; Muslim Human Rights Forum [Ali-Amin KIMATHI]; National Muslim Leaders Forum or NAMLEF [Abdullahi ABDI]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Canon Peter Karanja MWANGI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY]

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large Maasai warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center; black symbolizes the majority population, red the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, green stands for natural wealth, and white for peace; the shield and crossed spears symbolize the defense of freedom

Kenya has been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low. Low infrastructure investment threatens Kenya's long-term position as the largest East African economy. In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable economic problems facing the nation. After some early progress in rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, the KIBAKI government was rocked by high-level graft scandals in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, the World Bank and IMF delayed loans pending action by the government on corruption. The international financial institutions and donors have since resumed lending, despite little action on the government's part to deal with corruption. Unemployment is very high. The country has experienced cronic budget deficits, inflationary pressures, and sharp currency depreciation - as a result of high food and fuel import prices. The discovery of oil in March 2012 provides an opportunity for Kenya to balance its growing trade deficit if the deposits are found to be commercially viable and Kenya is able to develop a port and pipeline to export its oil.

$76.07 billion (2012 est.)

$72.37 billion (2011 est.)

$69.33 billion (2010 est.)

$41.84 billion (2012 est.)

18.89 million (2012 est.)

21.9% of GDP (2012 est.)

17.6% of GDP (2012 est.)

-4.6% of GDP (2012 est.)

50% of GDP (2012 est.)

50.7% of GDP (2011 est.)

7% (31 December 2010 est.)

NA% (31 December 2009 est.)

18% (31 December 2012 est.)

15.05% (31 December 2011 est.)

$9.279 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$7.32 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$21.23 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$17.89 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$20.03 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$18.25 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$10.2 billion (31 December 2011)

$14.46 billion (31 December 2010)

$10.76 billion (31 December 2009)

tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs

-$3.948 billion (2012 est.)

-$3.536 billion (2011 est.)

$5.942 billion (2012 est.)

$5.787 billion (2011 est.)

tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement

Uganda 9.9%, Tanzania 9.6%, Netherlands 8.4%, UK 8.1%, US 6.2%, Egypt 4.9%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 4.2% (2011)

$14.39 billion (2012 est.)

$13.83 billion (2011 est.)

machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics

China 15.3%, India 13.8%, UAE 10.5%, Saudi Arabia 7.3%, South Africa 5.5%, Japan 4% (2011)

$5.396 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$4.893 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$9.526 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$8.999 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$3.018 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$2.626 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$320 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$300 million (31 December 2011 est.)

Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar -

6.573 billion kWh (2009 est.)

5.516 billion kWh (2009 est.)

27 million kWh (2009 est.)

38 million kWh (2009 est.)

1.706 million kW (2009 est.)

43.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

43.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

12.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

32,560 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

30,960 bbl/day (2008 est.)

79,410 bbl/day (2011 est.)

1,065 bbl/day (2008 est.)

34,990 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

12.25 million Mt (2010 est.)

28.08 million (2011)

about a half-dozen privately-owned TV stations and a state-owned TV broadcaster that operates 2 channels; satellite and cable TV subscription services available; state-owned radio broadcaster operates 2 national radio channels and provides regional and local radio services in multiple languages; a large number of private radio stations, including provincial stations broadcasting in local languages; transmissions of several international broadcasters available (2007)

3.996 million (2009)

oil 4 km; refined products 928 km (2010)

none specifically the only significant inland waterway in the country is the part of Lake Victoria within the boundaries of Kenya; Kisumu is the main port and has ferry connections to Uganda and Tanzania (2011)

Kenya Defence Forces: Kenya Army, Kenya Air Force, Kenya Navy (2012)

18-26 years of age for male and female voluntary service (under 18 with parental consent), with a 9-year obligation (7 years for Kenyan Navy); applicants must be Kenyan citizens and provide a national identity card (obtained at age 18) and a school-leaving certificate; women serve under the same terms and conditions as men; mandatory retirement at age 55 (2010)

Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to almost a quarter million refugees, including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times

widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities