Kenya Travel Podcast with Baraka Kimani

Location

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania

Terrain

Low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west

Climate

Varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Elevation

Highest point

Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Mean elevation

762 m

Area

Total

580,367 sq km

Land

569,140 sq km

Water

11,227 sq km

Size comparison

Five times the size of Ohio; slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Coastline

536 km

Land borders

Total

3,457 km

Border countries

Ethiopia 867 km; Somalia 684 km; South Sudan 317 km; Tanzania 775 km; Uganda 814 km

Natural resources

Limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land

49.5% (2023 est.)

Arable land

11.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

1.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

36.7% (2023 est.)

Forest

6.5% (2023 est.)

Other

44% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Volcanism: limited volcanic activity; the Barrier (1,032 m) last erupted in 1921; South Island is the only other historically active volcano

Note

The Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second-highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value; Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical lake and the second-largest freshwater lake, is shared among three countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda

Population

Total

55,751,717 (2025 est.)

Male

27,857,519

Female

27,894,198

Nationality

Noun

Kenyan(s)

Adjective

Kenyan

Ethnic groups

Kikuyu 17.1%, Luhya 14.3%, Kalenjin 13.4%, Luo 10.7%, Kamba 9.8%, Somali 5.8%, Kisii 5.7%, Mijikenda 5.2%, Meru 4.2%, Maasai 2.5%, Turkana 2.1%, non-Kenyan 1%, other 8.2% (2019 est.)

Languages

Languages

English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Major-language sample(s)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)

Religions

Christian 85.5% (Protestant 33.4%, Catholic 20.6%, Evangelical 20.4%, African Instituted Churches 7%, other Christian 4.1%), Muslim 10.9%, other 1.8%, none 1.6%, don't know/no answer 0.2% (2019 est.)

Median age

Total

21.5 years (2025 est.)

Male

21.1 years

Female

21.4 years

Life expectancy

Total population

70.4 years (2024 est.)

Male

68.6 years

Female

72.2 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

29.5% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

4.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Population heavily concentrated in the west along the shore of Lake Victoria; other areas of high density include the capital of Nairobi, and in the southeast along the Indian Ocean coast, as shown in this population distribution map

Largest cities

5.325 million NAIROBI (capital), 1.440 million Mombassa (2023)

Background

Trade centers such as Mombasa have existed along the Kenyan and Tanzanian coastlines, known as the Land of Zanj, since at least the 2nd century. These centers traded with the outside world, including China, India, Indonesia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Persia. By around the 9th century, the mix of Africans, Arabs, and Persians who lived and traded there became known as Swahili ("people of the coast") with a distinct language (KiSwahili) and culture. The Portuguese arrived in the 1490s and, using Mombasa as a base, sought to monopolize trade in the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese were pushed out in the late 1600s by the combined forces of Oman and Pate, an island off the coast. In 1890, Germany and the UK divided up the region, with the UK taking the north and the Germans the south, including present-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. In 1895, the British established the East Africa Protectorate, which in 1920 was converted into a colony, and named Kenya after its highest mountain. Numerous political disputes between the colony and the UK led to the violent Mau Mau Uprising, which began in 1952, and the eventual declaration of independence in 1963.

Jomo KENYATTA, the founding president and an icon of the liberation struggle, led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when Vice President Daniel Arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982, after which time the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) changed the constitution to make itself the sole legal political party. MOI gave in to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in 1991, but the ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud. MOI stepped down in 2002 after fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA, the son of the founding president, and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform.

Opposition candidate Raila ODINGA challenged KIBAKI's reelection in 2007 on the grounds of widespread vote rigging, leading to two months of ethnic violence that caused more than 1,100 deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands. African Union-sponsored mediation resulted in a power-sharing accord that brought ODINGA into the government as prime minister and outlined a reform agenda. In 2010, Kenyans overwhelmingly voted to adopt a new constitution that eliminated the prime minister, introduced additional checks and balances to executive power, and devolved power and resources to 47 newly created counties. Uhuru KENYATTA won the first presidential election under the new constitution in 2013. He won a second and final term in office in 2017 after a contentious repeat election. In 2022, William RUTO won a close presidential election; he assumed the office the following month after the Kenyan Supreme Court upheld the victory.

Government

Presidential republic

Capital

Nairobi

Time zone

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Republic of Kenya (English)/ Jamhuri ya Kenya (Swahili)

Independence

12 December 1963 (from the UK)

National day

Jamhuri Day (Independence Day), 12 December (1963)

Overview

Fast growing, third largest Sub-Saharan economy; strong agriculture sector with emerging services and tourism industries; IMF program to address current account and debt service challenges; business-friendly policies foster infrastructure investment, digital innovation and public-private partnerships; vulnerable to climate change-induced droughts

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$5,800 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$5,700 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$5,500 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

4.5% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

7.7% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

7.7% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

5.5% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

5.6% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

5.8% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

134.822 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

139.846 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

117.866 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

109.638 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

106.451 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Agriculture, transportation, services, manufacturing, construction, telecommunications, tourism, retail

Agriculture

Sugarcane, milk, maize, bananas, tea, potatoes, cassava, cabbages, camel milk, mangoes/guavas (2023)

Airports

368 (2025)

Railways

Total

3,819 km (2018)

Standard gauge

485 km (2018) 1.435-m gauge

Narrow gauge

3,334 km (2018) 1.000-m gauge

Ports

Total ports

4 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

1

Small

2

Very small

1

Ports with oil terminals

1

Key ports

Kilifi, Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa

Internet domain

.ke

Internet users

Percent of population 35% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

71.4 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

126 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Water pollution from urban and industrial wastes and from use of pesticides and fertilizers; flooding; water-hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching

Fresh water

30.7 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)