Kenya

Kenya is investing heavily in transport infrastructure.

Capital: Nairobi Other towns/cities: Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru Population: 48.3-million (2018) GDP: $87.9-billion (2018) GDP per capita (PPP): $3 467 Currency: Kenyan Shilling

Regional Economic Community:

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Landmass: 569 140km² Coastline: 536km Resources: Limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, graphite, tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane. Main economic sectors: Agriculture, tourism, horticulture. Other sectors: Oil, ship repair, ICT, steel, lead, manufacturing.

New sectors for investment:

Oil, infrastructure. Key projects: Presidential “Big Four” priorities: manufacturing, universal healthcare, affordable housing and food security. Lamu Port-South Sudan-EthiopiaTransport (LAPSSET) corridor project. Various cross-border railway projects. Chief exports: Tea, flowers, coffee, fish, cement, petroleum products. Top export destinations: Uganda, Pakistan, US, Netherlands, UK, Tanzania. Top import sources: China, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Japan. Main imports: Motor vehicles, oil, machinery and transportation equipment, iron and steel. Infrastructure: 16 airports with paved runways; pipeline for refined products (1 432km); 177 800km of highway (14 420km paved); the Northern Corridor (a multimodal trade route) links the landlocked countries of the Great Lakes Region with the maritime seaport of Mombasa (which has an LNG terminal; other seaports: Kisumu, Lamu. ICT: Kenya is ranked 138 on the ICT Development Index 2017 (ITU). Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 90. Climate: Tropical on the coast and dry inland. Mount Kenya is Africa’s second-highest mountain. The Kenyan Highlands is a fertile agricultural production region. Varied wildlife abounds. Lake Victoria is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world and the largest tropical lake. Religion: Christianity, Islam, traditional. Modern history: Worse than usual floods and landslides have hit Kenya recently, attributable to changing weather patterns. The country has experienced violence from Al-Shabab, a Somalian grouping, which made attacks on civilians in 2013 and 2015.

The presidential election of 2007 led to a major social and political crisis. A peaceful election was held in 2013 but the winner, Uhuru Kenyatta, was accused of crimes against humanity in the earlier election. He won the 2017 election, but it was overturned by the Supreme Court. Kenyatta came out on top again when the opposition boycotted the second running. The World Bank believes that the new Kenyan constitution of 2010 is improving accountability and encouraging investment at local level. The document provides for a bicameral legislative house, devolved county government and a judiciary which is not dependent on politicians for tenure.