The Republic of Kenya
The Republic of Kenya is located in east Africa and lies astride the equator. It is bordered by Somalia on the east, the Indian Ocean on the southeast, Tanzania on the south, Lake Victoria (Victoria Nyanza) on the southwest, Uganda on the west, Sudan on the northwest, and Ethiopia on the north. The country is made up of several geographical regions. The first is a narrow, coastal strip that is low lying except for the Taita Hills in the south. The second, an inland region of bush-covered plains, constitutes most of the country’s land area. In the northwest, straddling Lake Turkana and the Kulal Mountains are high-lying scrublands. In the southwest are the fertile grasslands and forests of the Kenya highlands. In the west is the Great Rift Valley, an irregular depression that cuts through west Kenya from north to south in two branches. It is also the location of some of the country’s highest mountains, including Mount Kenya (17,058 feet, 5,199 meters high). People of African descent make up about 97% of the population; they are divided into about 40 ethnic groups, of which the Bantu-speaking Kikuyu, Luhya, Kalenjin, Kamba, and Gusii and the Nilotic-speaking Luo are predominant. Small numbers of persons of Indian, Pakistani, and European descent live in the interior, and there are some Arabs along the coast. The official languages are Swahili and English although many indigenous languages are also spoken. About two-thirds of the population is Christian, while a quarter follows traditional religious beliefs; the remaining are Muslim or Hindu.
Kenya’s Political Situation
Since independence, Kenya has maintained remarkable stability despite changes in its political system and crises in neighboring countries. Particularly since the re-emergence of multiparty democracy, Kenyans have enjoyed an increased degree of freedom. A parliamentary reform initiative in 1997 revised some oppressive laws that had been used to limit freedom of speech and assembly. This improved public freedoms and contributed to generally multiparty national elections in December 1997 that was marred by violence and saw the incumbent President Daniel arap Moi win by 30% of the votes. In December 2002, Kenya held democratic and open elections and elected Mwai Kibaki as their new president under the NARC coalition. The elections, which were judged free and fair by local and international observers, marked an important turning point in Kenya’s democratic evolution. President Kibaki has focused his efforts on generating economic growth, combating corruption, and improving education. Kenya is also in the process of rewriting its post-colonial constitution and its subsequent amendments that gave the president nearly unlimited powers and immunity from the law accounting for many of Kenya’s current problems. Following disagreements between the partners in the current government coalition, constitutional reform has proceeded slower than anticipated. The right leaning National Alliance Party of Kenya faction (allied to president Kibaki) favors a centralized Presidential system, while the left leaning LDP faction – led by Raila Odinga – favor a parliamentary system with Prime Minister.
posted by Hills @ 8:14 AM
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