Kenya in Brief:
Kenya is located in Eastern Africa.
Her neighbouring countries are Ethiopia to the north,
Somalia to the east, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west,
Sudan to the north west and the Indian Ocean to the south east.
Kenya Flag:
Public Holidays:
Any holiday falling on a Sunday becomes a public holiday the following Monday.
The Kenyan Government:
President: Mwai Kibaki (2002)
State Capitol:
Nairobi
International Airport:
Jomo Kenyatta - Nairobi
Sea Port:
Mombasa
Land Area:
569,250 sq km
Total Area:
582,646 sq km
224,960 sq mi
Water:
13,400
Area Comparative:
Slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Texas.
Population:
34.7 million as of June 2006.
Kenya has 42 tribes, also known as ethnic groups.
The largest ethnic group is considered to be the Agikuyu or Kikuyu tribe.
The Kikuyu people are located in central Kenya,
but their high tribe populations and their aggressiveness in agriculture and business
have caused them to spread all over the country.
Languages:
Most people in Kenya speak three different languages: their native language, also
known as mother tongue or tribal language, the official language of
Swahili and English as a foreign language.
English is mainly taught in schools and is the official business language.
Currency:
Shillings
Driving:
Left/Right Left
The British Colonial Rule:
The Europeans came to Kenya as result of colonisation.
The British declared Kenya a Protectorate in 1895.
After a long struggle for freedom, Kenya became independent in 1963.
The struggle for independence was the most difficult procedure
that Africans have had to go through and no matter how much is
written in explanation of it, the true picture will never be clear.
Thousands of highly–trained British troops engaged massive military force against
African freedom fighters that were only armed with home–made and captured weapons.
The cost of the war was very high and the majority of people who died or suffered the most were native Africans.
The British rulers paid and corrupted some African tribes such as the Kamba and
the Kalenjin people to fight other freedom fighters for them.
The tribes that were hired by the British were known as the Home Guards. Furthermore, it was unpopular with many of the conscript troops who sympathised with the aims of African nationalist, and also many people living in Britain. The tribes that began and fought strongly for independence were the Kikuyu and the Embu tribes, but were later joined by the Maasai and the Luos. The Home Guards later realised that the war was the benefit of marginalised African people and they joined the other freedom fighters to force the British out of the country – “AND THEY DID.”