Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems Project

History

• The first people are believed to have inhabited Kenya about two million years ago. In the 700s, Arab seafarers established settlements along the coast. More than 40 ethnic groups reside in Kenya.
• The land became a British protectorate in 1890 and a Crown colony in 1920.
• Nationalist stirrings began in the 1940s and in 1952, the Mau Mau movement, made up of Kikuyu militants, rebelled against the colonial government.
• In 1963, Kenya achieved full independence. Jomo Kenyatta became its first president. Kenya was run as a one-party state by the Kenya African National Union (KANU) until 1992, when demonstrations and riots led to the first multiparty elections.
• Opposition leader Mwai Kibaki won the 2002 presidential election. Promising to put an end to corruption, he initiated a number of reforms. However, by 2004 little progress was evident and Kenya descended into violence after the presidential elections of December 2007. A power sharing agreement, between president Kibaki and Raila Odinga, leader of the Orange Democratic Movement, was negotiated in April 2008.

Geography

• Kenya is bounded to the north by Sudan and Ethiopia, to the east by Somalia, to the southeast by the Indian Ocean, to the south by Tanzania, and to the west by Lake Victoria and Uganda. It has a total land boundary length of 3,477 km and a coastline of 536 km. From the coast on the Indian Ocean, low plains rise to central highlands. These highlands are the site of Mount Kenya, the highest point in Kenya.
• The climate varies from tropical along the coast to arid in the interior.

Demographics

• In 2003, the population of Kenya was estimated to be 31,987,000 people. Approximately 33% of Kenyans live in urban areas, with the capital city, Nairobi, the most densely populated urban centre.
• There is great ethnic diversity in Kenya. The Kikuyu constitute the largest single ethnic group (22%). However, there are many other African ethnicities indigenous to Kenya and together these make up 99% of the population. The other 1% is made up of Asians, Europeans and Arab-Africans.
• English is the official language of Kenya. Swahili is classified as a national language. Numerous indigenous languages are also spoken.

Economy

• Kenya’s GDP is $39.6 billion. There also exists a large, informal economy that is not included in official GDP figures. Unemployment stands at 40%.
• Kenya’s agricultural sector employs 75% of the labour force. Tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit and vegetables are grown. Although there is a shortage of arable land and little irrigation Kenya exports tea, coffee, cut flowers and vegetables.
• Although Kenya is one of the most industrialised countries in East Africa, industry only accounts for around 13% of GDP. Small-scale consumer goods, agricultural products, aluminium, steel, lead and cement are produced. Kenya also engages in oil-refining and commercial ship repair.
• The tourism sector is the second largest source of foreign exchange for Kenya and the tourism industry employs 153,000 people.
• The official currency is the Kenyan shilling (KES).

Social services and infrastructure

• Many people in Kenya have no access to healthcare and medicine. Primary education is free and compulsory for eight years.
• Kenya has an extensive road network of approximately 153,000 km connecting most parts of the country. Much of this is unpaved. The road network accounts for over 80% of Kenya’s total passenger and freight transport.
• Mombassa is the country’s main sea port and serves most East and Central African nations. The deep-water port, with 21 berths, offers facilities such as cold storage, warehousing and a container terminal.

Fisheries

• Only 4% of fish caught in Kenya is caught in the Indian Ocean – the balance comes from Lake Victoria. The total marine fishery production in Kenya is about 10,000 tons, most of it from inshore waters.
• Fishing in Kenya is mostly carried out by artisanal fishers from sailing dhows, dugouts and other small boats, mostly non-motorised. Their gear comprises gill nets, handlines, tanglenets, traps, spearguns and pull seines. Catches are composed mostly of sea breams, sharks, snappers and barracuda. Pelagic species include mackerels, sardines and tunas. Spiny lobsters, prawns and sea cucumbers are also taken.
• The lack of suitable fishing vessels to venture into the offshore areas of the EEZ is seen as a major obstacle for the growth of Kenya’s marine fisheries.
• There are 17 industrial processing companies in Kenya, all of which are export oriented. The domestic market commands about 70% of the total fish market but is not well defined or organised. It usually involves buying fish at the beach from small scale traders and selling to various open-air markets and fish shops.

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