Facts About Kenya

Read all about Kenya on this page. Below is an overview of all the facts about Kenya on this website, in the form of handy fact sheets and concise articles. Are you missing any interesting facts about Kenya? Send me a message and I'll be happy to provide some more Kenya information.

Kenya is a country in East Africa which is comparable in size to the US state of Texas. Scientists believe that the first humans originated in this area.



Kenya is the major safari country in Africa, and Nairobi the safari capital of the world. Kenya has a system of well-managed nature reserves across the country, where lions, rhinos, elephants and many, many zebras, antelopes and birds can be seen in the wild. One large nature reserve lies just outside Nairobi and can be visited by taxi from the capital. From Nairobi airport, one can often see giraffes grazing.


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It is less well known that Kenya also has beautiful white sand beaches along its more than 500-kilometre coastline, with palm trees, blue seas and resorts with cool Martinis.

Kenya was last colonized by the British, which left many marks on the language, culture and legal system. A struggle for independence led by the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party finally secured independence in 1963.

After this, KANU strongman Daniel Arap Moi ruled the country for 40 years. Between 1982 and 1991, after changing the constitution, he ran the country as a one-party state. It was not until 2002 that he was finally beaten in the elections by the main opposition party NARC (National Rainbow Coalition), after which Mwai Kibaki became President on the promise of eliminating the corruption that permeates the country.

Politicians unfortunately care more about buying ever more expensive Mercedes cars than about addressing the big problems: AIDS, poverty, crime and the widespread corruption. Although this factor is decreasing in importance, the tribe you belong to is still one of the main facts of social life. The Kikuyu tribe is the biggest and dominates the country politically and economically. The first president, Jomo Kenyatta, was a Kikuyu, as is the current President Mwai Kibaki.

AIDS is a big health problem in Kenya. About 7% of all inhabitants have HIV/AIDS and 150,000 people die of AIDS every year. Literacy is high in Kenya: 85% of people above 15 can read and write.

Overview of all Fact Sheets

Below are links to short articles with more facts about Kenya. Again, if you miss any facts about Kenya, send me a message through the contact form and I'll see if we can add a page.

Kenya's Flag - The flag of Kenya was adopted in 1963. It's colors are taken from the traditional colors of the African liberation movement and each have a special meaning.

Kenya's National Anthem - The Kenya National Anthem, like it's flag, was adopted in 1963 - the date of Kenya's independence. Written in Swahili, the title translates as "Oh, God of All Creation".

Kenya climate - Kenya has a tropical climate with sun throughout the year. Two times per year, the weather changes from rainy to dry season. The coast region is hotter than inlands, and in the mountains it's outright cold.

Economy of Kenya - The country's economy has seen growth almost each year since 1990. Main sectors are tea, coffee, flowers and of course tourism. Here are all the facts.

Kenya Coffee - Kenya Coffee has an excellent reputation around the world. It's a big earner of foreign income - in 2005 coffee exports reached a peak of US$ 131 million.

Kenya Real Estate - This sector has seen a lot of growth in Kenya in recent years, although limited mainly to rich Kenyans and foreigners, and commercial property for tourism (resorts, lodges). There are some legal things to check well, such as unclear land rights.

Government of Kenya - Kenya is a republic with an elected head of state (the President) and an elected parliament (the National Assembly). At least if there isn't any election fraud. The system is not so different from many Western countries.

Solar Energy in Kenya - A page with sunny facts about Kenya. The big rise in the use of solar energy in Kenya has received a lot of attention from the Western media.

Kenya Sports - A page about sports in Kenya. Kenyans are crazy about football (soccer). The country has achieved remarkable successes in long-distance running, and to a lesser extent in cricket. For tourists, the country offers good options for hiking, diving, deep-sea fishing and dhow sailing.

Kenya Cricket - Kenya is doing very well in international cricket. The Kenyan national cricket team upsets many countries. Kenyan cricket has faced several crises recently, but it seems it's getting up it's feet again.

Kenya Top Bar Hives - KTBH's are used for beekeeping and have been first used on a large scale in Kenya by development ngo's as they are much cheaper to build than regular hives used for beekeeping.

Kenya Adoptions - In case you're considering to adopt a child from Kenya - there are many orphans - then here are the details. It's a quite lenghty process, with many legal stuff to arrange.

The Abandoned Baby Center (Nairobi) – The opening of the Abandoned Baby Center (ABC) in Nairobi in 2001 received a lot of media attention. Its mission is to provide a home for children under the age of 4 who have been abandoned by their parents, often because they died of AIDS or because their mother couldn’t support them and simply left them somewhere.

Are you missing any facts about Kenya on this page? Send me a message and I'll be happy to add a page here.

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