1. According tocia.gov, estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex, than would otherwise be expected.[2]
Seaside cities includeMombasa andMalindi (on the Indian Ocean), Nyeri, Nanyuki, Naivasha, and Thika (in the Kenyan Highlands), and Kisumu (on Lake Victoria).
The firsthumans may have lived near Kenya's lakes along theGreat Rift Valley, which cuts Kenya from north to south.
Like in theCongo, Kenyans are divided into manytribes that often fight. However, Kenya's government is trying to get the people to cooperate and has encouraged them to runbusinesses andfactories together.
Kenya's coast istropical and gets very hot. Inland, it is drier and cooler where themountains rise up. The highest mountain in the country is Mt. Kenya, which is5,199 metres (17,057ft) tall.Mount Kilimanjaro crosses over the south border, withTanzania, but its highest part is in Tanzania.
Kenya is a country ofgrassland. Three-fourths of the country is covered withplains. They are low inaltitude along the coast, but get higher further inland, making a largeplateau. The areaeast ofLake Turkana is the only truedesert, but the rest can be very desert-like.
Kenya'ssoil is generally not rich, but it is productive land, especially in the highlands. This is a very dry grassland with poorsoil.[8]
Kenya has very fewmineral resources, but the most common is soda ash.
Savannas usually get between 4 and 16inches (100 to 400mm) ofrain in a year. They are calledsavannas because of the type of plants that live there and how they get theirrain.[8]
Savannas have a wet season and a dry season. It can rain hard for long periods of time during the wet season, thennot rain at all in the dry season.
Savannas that have more rain often have manytrees spaced out across their plains. To help them live through the long dry seasons without rain, these trees have deep roots, or they store water like desert plants do. Even drier savannas will have onlygrass, and that too only in a few clumps. The dry land is very bad for crops, but it is a wonderful place for all kinds of wild animals to gather and range.[8]
Kenya has many specialwildlife parks, where animals are kept and protected frompoachers. People visit from all over the world to go on photosafaris in the parks.
Kenyans who opposed British colonization formed a group called the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, or Mau Mau. The group fought a war against Britain forindependence. The British committedwar crimes to stop the Mau Mau,[10] but on December 12, 1963 they agreed to give Kenya independence.
For many years after independence, a singleparty, theKenya African National Union (KANU), ruled the country. Generalelections were held every 5 years. However, only members of the ruling party, KANU, were allowed to be candidates for political office. The party used the police toharass andtorturesocialists andcommunists in Kenya, and worked closely with Britain and theUnited States to keep them out of politics.[11]
William Ruto is currently the president of Kenya, withRigathi Gachagua as his Deputy.[12] The two leaders have had political conflicts after Kenyatta agreed to apeace treaty often called a 'handshake' with Kenya's opposition leader,Raila Odinga. This occurred after the 2017 General Elections[13] on whom should succeed Kenya's presidency in 2022. The president supported Odinga.
All Kenyans ofschool-going age are required to attendprimary school. However, school fees and required uniforms often keep students away from school.
The Kenyan school system consists of 8 years of primary school (Standard 1 through 8), 4 years ofhigh school (Form 1 through 4) and 4 years ofuniversity. However, in 2018 there were plans to change the system to 2 years ofpre-school, 6 years of primary school, 3 years ofjunior high school, 3 years in senior high school, and 3 years in university (2-6-6-3).
At the end of primary school, all students sit for astandardized exam called Kenya Certificate of PrimaryEducation (KCPE). Students' grades on this exam determine which high school they will attend. In Form 4 (the last year in high school), students sit for another exam called the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). The highest-achieving students are granted admission into the 5 nationaluniversities (Nairobi,Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenyatta University, Egerton University and Moi University). Tertiary colleges, like Globovillee college, also feed thediploma graduates to universities.
Map ofKenya, showing major towns, lakes and mountains.
Since Kenya became independent in 1963, it usually had aone-party government. In 1991, a section of theconstitution was discarded, which automatically made it a multi-party state.
In 2012, Kenya was divided into 47counties. Each county is led by agovernor. These counties are further subdivided into 350 constituencies. Each of these is represented in the National Assembly by Members of Parliament.
In the past, Kenya was divided intoprovinces instead of counties.
↑Constitution (2009) Art. 7[National, official and other languages] "(1) The national language of the Republic is Kiswahili. (2) The official languages of the Republic are Kiswahili and English. (3) The State shall–-–- (a) promote and protect the diversity of language of the people of Kenya; and (b) promote the development and use of indigenous languages, Kenyan Sign language, Braille and other communication formats and technologies accessible to persons with disabilities."
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