Major Cities: The country’s largest cites are Nairobi, the capital and chief manufacturing center; Mombasa, the principal seaport; and Kisumu, the chief port on Lake Victoria. Smaller cities include Nakuru, a commercial and manufacturing center in the Eastern Rift Valley; and Eldoret, an industrial center in western Kenya. The population of cities, according to the 1999 census, was Nairobi – 1,346,000; Mombasa – 465,000; Kisumu – 185,000; Nakuru – 163,000; and Eldoret – 105,000.

Independence: December 12, 1963, from the United Kingdom.

Public Holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1); Good Friday (movable date in March or April); Easter Monday (movable date in March or April); Labor Day (May 1); Madaraka Day, which celebrates self-government (June 1); Moi Day (October 10); Kenyatta Forces Day (October 20); Eid al Fitr (movable date according to the Islamic calendar); Jamhuri/Independence Day (December 12); Christmas Day (December 25); and Boxing Day (December 26).

Flag:

Kenya’s flag features three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red,

and green; the red band is edged in white. Centered on the flag is a large

warrior’s shield covering crossed spears.

RECENT NEWS ARTICLES

Kenya: KCAA Meets Agent of 'War Crimes' Airline  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,A representative of Avient Aviation has told the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority that reports linking the airline to possible war crimes are true. ...

Kenya: Moi Backs MPs' Efforts to Strengthen Kanu  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,...elections," Moi said. He urged Kanu members not to be swayed by the ODM-Kenya wave, but to remain steadfast in the party. The former ...

Kenya: Muslims Celebrate End of Ramadhan  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,Ramadhan was Monday. Kassim said Muslims in Kenya could not end their fast on Sunday since the moon had not been sighted. "The official ...

Kenya: Immigration Officers Looking for Mdoe's Brother And Sister  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,...picture. The officers also said they may travel to Vanga, at the Kenya-Tanzania border, to be shown where Mdoe's mother was buried. ...

Kenya: Kenya's Past, On Loan to Its Present!  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,BETTY CAPLAN writes that the 140 artefacts loaned to Kenya by the British Museum ought to remain in the country not just because that is where they belong but ...

Kenya: UK Retailers Urged to Buy Locally Certified Kenyan Produce  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,He stressed that local agencies understood better the constrains farmers face in growing safe food, and their support has translated into Kenya supplying some ...

Kenya: Disgruntled Global Giants Drop Out of Kenya SNO Race  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,Financial bids for Kenya's second national telephone operator will be opened next week with the big global players that had earlier shown interest having ...

Kenya: When No News is Not Good News  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,The Nairobi meeting was organised by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) together with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri), which has ...

Kenya: Central Kenya Must Not Isolate Itself  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,Kenya gained self-rule, self-reliance, self-esteem and a sense of national pride. ... Despite some dark moments, Kenya has survived. ...

Kenya: China a Growing Threat to Kenya's Flower Sector  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,China, and not other African countries, poses the greatest long-term threat to Kenya's lucrative cut flower industry, according to a report appearing in the ...

Kenya: Sasini Seeks $1.4m to Boost Investment in Coffee Sector  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,...the bulk of the new funds will be pumped into the firm's coffee operations, which are to be expanded by the opening of a new mill in central Kenya in early ...

Kenya: Kinyara Sugar Investor Plans to Make More Power  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,TSB/ Booker Tate, a consortium of the Aga Khan's Industrial Promotion Services Ltd (Kenya) and Transvaal Sugar Ltd (South Africa), offered a bid price of ...

Kenya: EU, ACP Trade Pact Date May Be Reviewed  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,...the WTO members. Kenya is among 16 African countries negotiating for EPAs under the East and Southern African block. During the ...

Kenya: Kibaki's 'Mpumbavu' Remark Stirs the Nation  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,Opposition. "President Kibaki is scared of ODM-Kenya and that is why he has continuously hurled insults at us in public," said Mutula. ...

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Flying Toilets Still Airborne  -  24 Oct 2006
Inter Press Service (subscription),On a more positive note, government has initiated the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP) to address sanitation in informal settlements. ...

Kenya: State Denies Paying Pending Bills Secretly  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,Kirinyaga Construction Company that is currently undertaking several projects in Central Kenya, the committee said should refund Sh455.6 million. ...

Kenya: KPA Register First Victory in Gabon  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,Kenya Ports Authority women's basketball team atoned for their first match defeat when they beat ISPU of Mozambique 62-57 in the ongoing Africa Feminine ...

Kenya: Private Placement for Family Finance  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,Board chairman, Mr Thomas Muya said the shares will first be sold through private placement before being floated at the Nairobi Stock Exchange. ...

Kenya: Obuya Guides Lions to Victory  -  24 Oct 2006
AllAfrica.com,David Obuya scored unbeaten 88 runs to guide Stray Lion to a nine-wicket win over Nairobi Gymkhana "B" in a league match at the Simba Union. ...

Kenya: Armed violence reduction project - mission 17-21 Sep 2006  -  24 Oct 2006
ReliefWeb (press release),...and watering points. This is a common problem throughout the pastoral regions, which stretch across northern Kenya. UNDP works together ...

Boxing: Inter-Cities Tournament in Kenya - 24.10.06  -  24 Oct 2006
Seychelles Nation,...hopes in international competitions, winning the countryâ€™s only gold medal at the Inter-Cities Boxing Tournament hosted by Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya ...

This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant.