Introduction
Kenya is a country of remarkable diversity, strategic importance, and vibrant growth. It presently has a population of approximately 54.9 million people, according to statistics from the Kenya Bureau of Statistics. 2024 UN estimates.
Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, sits in the south-central part of the country and serves as a major regional, political, economic, and cultural hub in Africa.
The national language of the Republic is Kiswahili while the official languages are Kiswahili and English. The State promotes and protects the diversity of language of the people of Kenya; and promotes the development and use of indigenous languages, Kenyan Sign language, Braille and other communication formats and technologies accessible to persons with disabilities.
Location
Kenya is located in Eastern Africa. It is strategically positioned in the heart of East Africa, bordered by South Sudan to the northwest, Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, Uganda to the west, Tanzania to the south, the Indian Ocean is located to the southeast.
The country’s geographical diversity has led to Kenya being home to a variety of natural wonders, including the Great Rift Valley, towering Mount Kenya, and lush, fertile highlands in the central region.
Kenya’s strategic position on the Indian Ocean offers it a unique advantage as a key maritime gateway to East and Central Africa. The country’s location has made it a crucial hub for trade and investment, connecting Africa with global shipping routes and markets in regions such as Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia
Economy
The Kenyan economy is the largest in East Africa. After independence, Kenya promoted rapid economic growth through public investment, encouraged smallholder agricultural production and provided incentives for private (often foreign) industrial investment. Additionally, Kenya is a regional transportation and financial hub. The main sectors of the economy are agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and services.
Kenya has experienced continued growth in GDP over the last few years, supported by ongoing public infrastructure projects, strong public and private sector investment and appropriate economic and fiscal policies, reflecting the broad-based and diversified nature of the Kenyan economy.
Kenya’s financial sector is vibrant, well developed and diversified in the region and has highest financial inclusion in the region and globally. Banking sector is well capitalized, profitable with capital adequacy and liquidity ratios above the recommended thresholds.
The government is supporting the Private Sector and especially export-oriented industrialization with a longer-term objective of achieving the status of a Newly Industrialized Country (NIC) by the year 2020.
Macroeconomic stability has been preserved over the last few years with inflation, interest rates and exchange rates remaining largely stable, thanks to the prudent monetary and fiscal policies.
Tourism
Kenya is blessed with breathtaking landscapes and natural wonders. From the majestic Mount Kenya and the expansive Great Rift Valley to the pristine white-sand beaches along the Indian Ocean, the country offers a wide array of experiences for visitors. The country is also renowned for its abundant wildlife, including the famous Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhino) found in national parks and game reserves.
Kenya’s warm climate is favorable for tourism with different regions offering a different feel. The diverse geography also supports an impressive range of flora and fauna, making Kenya one of the world’s top destinations for eco-tourism and wildlife enthusiasts.
Culture
Kenya is bestowed with well over 40 different ethnic groups with different languages and dialects, traditional arts & crafts, architecture in homestead designs, clothing and jewelry, food, social and economic activities. Successive migrations and interethnic interactions right until the British colonisation in the late 19th Century, have left their mark in the rich mixture of tribes, race and customs seen in Kenya today. If any one thing of Kenya speaks of this unique character, it is the modern melding of traditional societies and culture. Kenya’s culture is both diversified and fragmented, born of myriad sources and influences both new and old.
In Kenya the modern and the traditional live side by side, and at times the lines blur. For many visitors to Kenya, this is evident within minutes of arrival. In Kenya it is possible to leave Nairobi, a city with a thriving business heart powered by the latest information technology, and drive in just a few hours to a place where life is lived in accordance with tradition and custom, where warriors armed with spears drive cattle into thorn brush enclosures to protect them from lions at night.
Languages
The Kenyan official national language is English, which is widely spoken, as well as the national language Kiswahili. Both Languages are taught in school throughout the country. Kiswahili is the most widely spoken African language, with 50 million speakers in East Africa and Central Africa, particularly in Tanzania (including Zanzibar) and Kenya.
There are many other languages spoken by each of Kenya’s 42 different ethnic groups, including Kikuyu, Luhya, Kalenjin, Luo and Kikamba and many more. The average Kenyan therefore speaks at least three different languages.
A more modern language spoken amongst the younger members of society is Sheng. This is a mixture of Kiswahili and English along with a words of other languages.
Food
Kenyan cuisine includes a variety of African and Indian recipes. Ugali (porridge made from cornmeal or millet flour), groundnut soup, stews and kebabs are favourite dishes. Use of spices and coconut feature in Kenyan cuisine. Indian food such as pilau rice, samosas and chapatis are popular throughout the country. Tea is served very hot and sweet.
Traditional Song and Dance
Songs and dance have always played an important role in African culture, used especially to mark important events and ceremonies. For example, the Maasai had the Engilakinoto, sung after a victorious lion hunt. Structured around a deep rhythmic chant it is accompanied by a spectacular dance in which warriors display their strength and prowess by leaping directly and vertically into the air.
The Luhya of Western Kenya developed a very distinctive dance style called Isukuti after the local name for a drum. This extremely energetic dance is usually performed by paired male and female dancers, and accompanied by the playing of drums, bells, long horns and whistles.
The Kamba and Chuka people both developed a distinctive drumming style, in which a long drum is leant forward and clasped between the legs. The Kamba are well known for their athletic, almost acrobatic dancing.
Taarab
Along the coast, the growth of Swahili culture saw the growth of a unique style of music, called Taarab. Combining elements of African percussion with Arabic rhythms, Taarab has become a popular form of music that remains a coastal favourite today.
Benga
The first Kenyan recording studio was founded in 1947, as local musicians inevitably set about defining a national sound. The two main influences are from the South, South African Jazz and Zimbabwean ‘highlife’ guitar work; and from the West, the distinctive rumba rhythm of Congolese pop. From these influences a hybridized form of music evolved- widely known as Benga. Singers sung in their own tribal language, resulting in strong ethnic followings.
Afropop
The 90’s and the 21st Century have seen a great deal more Western influence, and the adoption of reggae, rap, rhythm and blues and swing into Kenyan music. A new wave of popular musicians is creating a form of Kenyan music which fuses traditional elements with the many external influences to produce something new and very interesting. This new genre that has been wildly embraced by young Kenyans.
The arrival of better and more easily accessible instrumentation and recording facilities is continuing to strengthen and diversify the Kenyan music scene.
