Kenya

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 the constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005.

Languages & Population

Approximate Population: 36,913,721

Nationality (Noun): Kenyan(s)

Nationality (Adjective): Kenyan

Official Language(s): English, Kiswahili

Major Languages Spoken: English, Gikuyu, Kiswahili, Somali, Swahili

Country Facts

Country Name (long form): Republic of Kenya

Country Name (short form): Kenya

Country Name (local long form): Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri y Kenya

Country Name (local short form): Kenya

Name of Capital: Nairobi

UTC Time Difference (from capital): UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Countries Near by, and Bordering Kenya: Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia

Land Area: 569250 sq km

Water Area: 13400 sq km

Comparative Area: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Total Land Boundry: 3,477 km

Coastline: 536 km

National Holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

International Phone Code: 254

Currency Code: Kenyan shilling (KES)

Internet Country Code: .ke

US Embassy Location: US Embassy, United Nations Avenue, Gigiri; P. O. Box 606 Village Market Nairobi

US Embassy Mailing Address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831