Kenya

Country Profile: Kenya

Executive Summary

Consisting of diverse tribes and steeped in a troubled history of European colonialism, Kenya is emerging as a beacon of hope for African states seeking to demonstrate that consistently peaceful elections are possible. While there is still violence among its citizens on the local level, the state as a whole is migrating towards a stable future. While poorly guided economic policies by leaders of previous decades have placed Kenya in a monetary disadvantage, new energy markets are opening up from recently discovered oil reserves that could kick-start rapid economic growth.

Brief History

Jomo Kenyatta, the revered president and liberation struggle icon, led Kenya from its 1963 independence until his death in 1978. 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. Intense internal pressure and external influence prompted political liberalization in late 1991. However, the ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud. After almost two-and-a-half decades, President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai Kibaki, of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition, assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform.

Political Structure

Political Parties: Major political parties include the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the The National Party Alliance (TNA), the National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya (NARC-Kenya), the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM-K), the Party of National Unity (PNU), the United Republican Party (URP), and the Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM)

Political System: Kenya is a republic that in August 2010 presented a new constitution that abolished the position of prime minister and establishes a bicameral legislature. Many details have yet to be finalized and will require significant legislative action.

Political Conflicts: The reelection of the National Rainbow Coalition’s candidate Mwai Kibaki in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from Orange Democratic Movement candidate Raila Odinga and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died.

Economic Structure

Economic System: Kenya currently holds the title of the largest economy in East Africa. However, overall investment in infrastructure is dangerously low, and this greatly threatens this economic stance. The economy of Kenya is put at further risk due to corruption as well as reliance upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low.

Economic Trends: High food and fuel import prices have led the state to endure chronic budget deficits, inflationary pressures, and sharp currency depreciation. Yet, 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.

Economic Resources: Exports include tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, and cement

Social Structure

Religion:

Christian: 23,655,205 adherents (78.64% of population)
Traditional ethnic: 3,459,243 adherents (11.50% of population)
Muslim: 2,406,430 adherents (8.00% of population)
Baha’i: 330,884 adherents (1.10% of population)
Hindu: 102,273% adherents (0.34% of population)
Jain: 60,161 adherents (0.20% of population)
Non-religious/other: 45,121 adherents (0.15% of population)
Sikh: 21,056 adherents (0.07% of population)

Churches:

Catholic (3,597,884 members)
Church of the Province of Kenya (1,646,341 members)
Africa Inland Ch (AIC) (1,250,000 members)
Presbyterian (800,000 members)
Pentecostal Assemblies (233,333 members)
Seventh-day Adventist (483,049 members)
Assemblies of God (380,000 members)
African Orthodox (232,000 members)
African Indep Pente (228,000 members)
Baptist Convention (244,400 members)
Full Gospel (190,000 members)
Salvation Army (180,000 members)
Methodist (150,000 members)
African Brotherhood (99,099 members)
African Gospel (85,000 members)
Friends (Quaker) (55,000 members)
Other denominations (3,184,000 members)

Urbanization:

Urban population: 22% of total population (2010)
Rate of urbanization: 4.2% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Ethnicity:

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

Gender:

Overall male population: 21,454,027 (49.9%)
Overall female population: 21,559,314 (50.1%)
0-14 years: 42.5% (male 9,176,000/female 9,120,710)
15-24 years: 19.1% (male 4,118,158/female 4,112,229)
25-54 years: 32.1% (male 6,957,839/female 6,833,557)
55-64 years: 3.6% (male 689,109/female 842,131)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 512,921/female 650,687) (2012 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 16.5% (2003)

Operating Organizations

Political Groups:

Council of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK
Kenya Human Rights Commission
Muslim Human Rights Forum
National Muslim Leaders Forum or NAMLEF
Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK
Roman Catholic and other Christian churches
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM

Terrorist Groups:

al-Ittihaad al-Islami (AIAI)
al-Qaeda

Allies and Enemies

Regional Allies: South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia
Regional Enemies: N/A
Global Allies: USA
Global Enemies: N/A

Country Trajectory

Although Kenya is on the path to completing peaceful elections on a macro-scale, local politicians have been responsible for drumming up violence over the course of 2012 and early 2013. During this period, inter-communal clashes in parts of Kenya have claimed more than 477 lives and displaced about 118,000 people. The burden of the newly elected president will be to balance the state’s delicate tribal relationships of the state. It will also be essential to secure long-term economic interests such as the development of oil extraction and exportation infrastructure to ease financial woes. Throughout these vital processes, the government will need to deftly manage the implementation of its new constitution.

Current Events

Feb. 11th, 2013: Kenya hosted its first televised presidential debate. In March 2013, more than 14 million people will go to the polls next month in an election that is one of the most important since independence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/12/kenya-elections-televised-presidential-debate

Feb. 12th, 2013: Regarding the March 4th presidential election, Some Kenyans, including Prime Minister Raila Odinga, have expressed concern about possible ballot rigging. Authorities have warned that such rhetoric could create tension and trigger possible violence.

http://www.voanews.com/content/kenya-electoral-group-moves-ahead-on-election-plans/1602416.html

Sources