• Kenya

    Kenya straddles the Equator on the East coast of Africa. Nairobi, the capital city, lies only about 90 miles south of the Equator. Kenya is bordered to the north by Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, to the west by Uganda, to the east by the Indian Ocean, and to the south by Tanzania. Geographically the country is divided into four main regions: the Rift Valley and Central Highlands, the Northern and Eastern Plains, the Western Plateau, and the Coastal Belt. Kenya boasts a diverse array of scenery ranging from the snow-capped peaks of Mt Kenya to tropical forest, from lush grasslands to barren desert, and fertile farmland to arid bush. Kenya’s coastline is famous for its sandy coral beaches. Inland are the great plains of Africa, home to countless plains game, elephants, giraffe, zebra, lions, rhino, cheetah, leopard as well as a host of other exotic inhabitants.

    Kenya’s history dates back at least 2,500,000 years. The Leakey family unearthed significant fossil discoveries at Lake Turkana and at Olduvai Gorge (in Tanzania), and these are thought to be the earliest human relics found in the world.

    Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer, arrived in Mombasa in 1498. In the 16th and 17th centuries the coast of Kenya was subjected to numerous punitive raids until the Portuguese were finally forced out by the Arabs from Oman. The Portuguese moved southwards to Mozambique.

    Meanwhile, inland the Bantu speaking people were entering Kenya from the south, and from Sudan in the north came the Nilotic people, along with the Masai, the Samburu, the Turkanas and the Kalenjin, who arrived in successive waves. The Hamitic people from Somalia and Ethiopia also made their way into Kenya.

    Kenya became a British Protectorate in 1895 and a Crown Colony in 1920. In the early 1900′s Europeans journeyed to Kenya, attracted by its healthy climate, and stayed on to become successful farmers.

    Following the Mau Mau terrorist activities during the period 1952-60, Kenya finally came under African rule in 1961. Independence was granted in 1963 and Kenya became a republic within the British Commonwealth, with Jomo Kenyatta as its first president. On his death in 1978, Daniel Arap Moi was appointed as his successor.

    Kenya’s population is estimated at about 15 million. There are over 40 different African tribes and these can be divided into 4 main ethnic groups: Bantu (e.g. Kikuyu, Abaluhyia), Nilotic (e.g. Luo), Nilo-Hamitic (e.g. Masai, Turkana, Nandi) and Hamitic (Somali, Boran etc). There are striking differences in appearance, character and culture. On Uhuru Day (December 12th) representatives from all the tribes of Kenya gather in Nairobi to celebrate independence with drums, singing and dancing. Communities of Europeans and Asians also exist throughout Kenya.

    Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa is one of the several hundred Bantu languages spoken throughout the southern half of Africa. The word “Swahili” is derived from the Arabic word for “coast”. Ki-Swahili is the national language of Kenya. Plans for a unified Swahili were laid down in the 1920′s, and the dialect of a Zanzibar town was selected. This standard form is used in the press, in education and in administration. English is widely used in the main towns and tourist centers.

    The dominant religion is Christianity, although in rural areas various traditional religions are practiced. At the coast the dominant element is Islam, and mosques may be found in several parts of the country.

     

     

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