Kenya

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Republic of Kenya Jamhuri ya Kenya
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Harambee"  (Swahili) "Let us all pull together"
Anthem: Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu "O God of All Creation"
Capital and largest city	Nairobi 1°16′S 36°48′E / 1.267°S 36.800°E / -1.267; 36.800
Official languages	Swahili, English[1]
Demonym(s)	Kenyan
Government	Presidential Republic
• President	William Ruto
• Deputy President	Rigathi Gachagua
• National Assembly Speaker	Moses Wetangula
• Chief Justice	Martha Koome
Independence
• from the United Kingdom	12 December 1963
• Republic declared	12 December 1964
Area
• Total	580,367 km2 (224,081 sq mi) (47th)
• Water (%)	2.3
Population
• 2017 estimate	48,622,646[2] (29th)
• 2009 census	38,610,097[3]
• Density	67.2/km2 (174.0/sq mi) (140th)
GDP (PPP)	2011 estimate
• Total	$70.573 billion[4]
• Per capita	$1,725[4]
GDP (nominal)	2011 estimate
• Total	$35.787 billion[4]
• Per capita	$875[4]
Gini (2008)	42.5 medium · 48th
HDI (2014)	0.548[5] low · 143rd
Currency	Kenyan shilling (KES)
Time zone	UTC+3 (EAT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (not observed)
Date format	dd/mm/yy(AD)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+254
ISO 3166 code	KE
Internet TLD	.ke
1. According to cia.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]

Kenya is a country in East Africa, about halfway down, near the horn of Africa. It has the Indian Ocean to its east and Lake Victoria to west. Kenya borders the Jubaland part of Somalia (east), Ethiopia (north), South Sudan (north-west), Uganda (west), and Tanzania (south). Kenya is about the size of France, and almost as large as Texas (U.S.).

The capital city of Kenya is Nairobi, which is the 14th largest city in Africa (after Accra, Ghana).^[6] Some cities on the seaside are Mombasa and Malindi on the Indian Ocean, Nyeri, Nanyuki, Naivasha, and Thika in the Kenyan Highlands, and Kisumu on Lake Victoria.

The first humans may have lived near the lakes of Kenya along the Great Rift Valley, which cuts Kenya from north to south.

Kenya's coast is tropical and gets very hot. Inland, it is drier and cooler where the mountains rise up. The highest mountain in Kenya is Mt. Kenya, at 5,199 metres (17,057 ft). Mount Kilimanjaro crosses over the south border, with Tanzania, but the highest part of Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania.

Kenya is home to many different indigenous peoples with their own cultures, languages, and histories. There are at least 44 living languages and 1 extinct language that is not spoken any more.^[7] English and Swahili are the official languages spoken in Kenya. Because of colonialism, school-going Kenyans are required to learn English, and it is used in schools and universities.

Kenya was colonized by the British, who began taking land from indigenous peoples to build ranches. They also discriminated against Kenyans in their own land.^[8] Kenyans who were against this formed a group called the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, or Mau Mau, that fought a war against Britain for independence. The British committed war crimes to stop the Mau Mau,^[9] but on December 12, 1963 they agreed to give Kenya independence.

For many years after independence, a single party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU), ruled the country. General elections were held every 5 years. However, all candidates for election to office had to belong to the ruling party, KANU. The party used the police to harass and torture socialists and communists in Kenya, and worked closely with Britain and the United States to keep them out of politics.^[10]

William Ruto is currently the president of Kenya with Rigathi Gachagua as his Deputy.^[11] The two leaders have had political issues after Kenyatta had a peace agreement often dubbed as a 'handshake' with Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga after the 2017 General Elections^[12] on whom should succeed Kenya's presidency in 2022 as the president supports Odinga.

1. ↑ 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."
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Cite error: The named reference cia was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
3. ↑ "Official 2009 census results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-30. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} "Kenya". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
5. ↑ "Human Development Report 2011" (PDF). United Nations. 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
6. ↑ "15 Africa's Largest Cities – Top Metropolitan Areas". Archived from the original on 2015-05-03. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
7. ↑ "Kenya".
8. ↑ Cheruiyot, Ruth Catherine (1974). A Study of Racial Discrimination in Kenya During the Colonial Period (PDF) (Master of Arts thesis). Oklahoma State University.
9. ↑ Walsh, Declan (2005-03-12). "Revealing the shameful secrets of a dirty war". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
10. ↑ Maloba, W. O. (2017). The Anatomy of Neo-Colonialism in Kenya: British Imperialism and Kenyatta, 1963–1978. African Histories and Modernities. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-3-319-50964-8.
11. ↑ Said-Moorhouse, Cullinane and Duggan, Lauren,Susannah and Briana (31 October 2017). "Uhuru Kenyatta wins disputed Kenya presidential rerun". CNN.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. ↑ Muriuki, Benjamin (27 November 2019). "The 19-Hour Uhuru-Raila Meeting That Brokered The Handshake Deal". Citizen Digital.