KENYA is the world’s favourite safari destination. The
economic giant of the Eastern and Central African region and the main
gateway to Africa, Kenya is a hospitable and friendly country, with a
thriving economy and unmatched natural attractions.
It boasts picturesque landscapes adorned by the Great
Rift Valley, the snow-capped Mount Kenya and numerous tropical forests,
rivers, lakes and coastal beaches. Kenya is home to the largest species
of wildlife in the world.
The Kenyan people besides being warm-hearted and
friendly are renowned for their hard work and determination to succeed.
The numerous athletes and medalists give a true testimony of the
resilience of the people of Kenya.
In terms of trade, industry and investment, Kenya has
some of the most competitive and attractive incentives and resources in
Africa. This young African democracy, which has been a haven of peace
since its independence in 1963 is arguably one of the best places in the
world to visit, live and invest.
Kenya – A holistic indescribable experience.
Kenya is located in Equatorial East Africa and shares
borders with Uganda to the west, Tanzania to the south, Sudan to the
northwest, Somalia to the northeast and Ethiopia to the north.
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The country covers an area of approximately 58,650 square
kilometres. The topologically is diverse: The eastern region slopes
gently to the coral-backed seashore; the western portion rises more
abruptly through a series of hills and plateaus to the rift valley, and
then slopes westward to the lowest part occupied by Lake Victoria.
The country’s coastline is approximately 536
kilometres at the Indian Ocean with a series of beautiful beach hotels
offering world class accommodation. There are two rainy seasons, the
long rains from March to May and the short rains in October and
November. On the plateau, the weather is hot and dry with temperatures
during the day of between 25 degrees and 30 degrees Celsius.
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The Kenyan people, the Bantus, Nilotes and Cushites
migrated from various parts of Africa. The nilotes consisting of the
Kalenjin, Maasai, the Luo, Turkana and Iteso moved from the west of Lake
Turkana into Kenya. The Luo’s migrated from southern Sudan to Uganda
and settled on the shores of Lake Victoria.
The Bantus moved from the Congo Forest and settled in
myriad places, between the hills and mountains of Central Kenya. Britain
colonised Kenya and in 1962, the Lancaster Constitutional Conference
was held in London, giving birth to the first Constitution. Kenya
finally achieved internal self government on June 1st, 1963, celebrated
annually as Madaraka Day.
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On December 12th, 1964 (now celebrated as Shujaa Day),
Kenya was declared a republic with Jomo Kenyatta as the first president,
a position he held until his death in 1978. The then vice President
Daniel Moi took over power and ruled until December 2002 when he handed
over power after 24 years to incumbent president, Mwai Kibaki. Kenya has
total population 38,610,097 – comprising of 19,192,458 males and
19,417,639 females according to last year’s census. |
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Some 26,122,722 people (67.7 per cent) of the population
live in rural areas whereas 12,487,375 (32.3 percent) live in urban
areas. The national language is Kiswahili and the official languages are
Kiswahili and English. Indigenous languages are also widely spoken and
vary depending on region.
The Maasai eat a lot of meat, while communities living
in the Rift Valley consume a lot of milk. Among Kenyans, culture is one
of the crucial factors in defining their music. Instruments used for
traditional music include the African drum (Ngoma), a variety of rattles
and shakers, small harps, the Wandindi and the Nyatiti, widely popular
in western Kenya.
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The popularity of music, both local and international,
spiralled in Kenya particularly in 1960s with the arrival of both
independence and the electric guitar. At the time, there were definite
influences from South African jazz, Zimbabwean highlife guitar and the
distinctive rumba from the Congo. Later on a hybrid form of vibrant
music, the fast and rhythmic benga, evolved widely in the country and to
date is common.
The most items of art and craft are found in
almost all parts the country at galleries or shops. They include Masaai
bead jewellery and figurines, music instruments, gold and silver
jewellery, soapstone sculptures, wooden carvings, tribal masks and
paintings as well as batiks and kikoys – a traditional wraparound
“kanga” used mostly by women. Kenyans are legendary long distance
runners and win most of the marathon meets in the world. The athletes
are well
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known for their achievements that date back to early
1960s and continue to win in Olympics and Commonwealth Games besides
other meets.
The outstanding beauty of Kenya is well known and it
continues to attract tourists in large numbers. From the savannah in the
south, the deserts of the north, to Lake Victoria – the second largest
freshwater lake in the world – in the west, the tropical beaches in the
east and the snow capped peaks of Mount Kenya is evidence that Kenya has
a great variety to offer to visitors.
In game parks and reserves one is likely to view the
elephant, the rhino, the buffalo, the leopard, the lion, the hippo, and
crocodile. Giraffes, numerous species of antelopes and birds can be
viewed almost all year round. Indeed, Lake Nakuru is the greatest
ornithological spectacle in the world and home of the world famous
flamingo. The white rhino, the waterbuck, the grevy zebra, baboon,
hyena, warthog, pelican and several others are available, making the
country one of the most visited in the region.
Kenya produces cut flowers almost exclusively for
export, supplying 98 percent of its 40 types of flowers to European
countries. Carnation, statics, astromeria and roses are the most
predominant flowers grown, mostly in fertile lands surrounding Lake
Naivasha. Kenya is the only place in the world that can produce best
straight rose stem.
United States President, Barack Obama with Kenyan elders
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