Kenya
Full country name: Republic
of Kenya
Area: 583,000
sq km
Population: 30,339,770
Capital city: Nairobi
People: 24%
Kikuyu, 16% Luhya, 13% Luo, 12% Kalenjin, 11% Kamba, 6% Kisii,
6% Meru, 16% other
Languages: English,
Swahili, indigenous.
Religion: 40%
Protestant, 36% Roman Catholic, 16% Muslim, 6% Animist
Government: Republic
(multiparty state)
President: Emilio
Mwai Kibaki
GDP: US$42.4
billion
GDP per head: US$1525
Annual growth: 1.6%
Inflation: 2.5%
Major industries: small-scale
consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap,
cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining,
cement, tourism
Major trading partners: Uganda,
Tanzania, UK, Germany, UAE, South Africa
Facts for the Traveler
Visas: All
visitors require a visa except citizens of some Commonwealth
countries and citizens of selected countries such as Denmark,
Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, South
Africa and Sweden. Apply well in advance for your visa -
especially if doing it by mail.
Health risks: Malaria (except in Nairobi and
high-altitude areas), cholera, hepatitis, meningitis, mugging,
typhoid, schistosomisis, HIV, Rift Valley fever and yellow
fever.
Time: GMT/UTC
plus three hours
Electricity: 240V
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: About
700,000 visitors per year
When to Go
The main tourist season is in January and February, since the
hot, dry weather at this time of year is generally considered to
be the most pleasant. It's also when Kenya's birdlife flocks to
the Rift Valley lakes in the greatest numbers. June to September
could be called the 'shoulder season' as the weather is still
dry. The rains hit from March to May (and to a lesser extent
from October to December). During these months things are much
quieter - places tend to have rooms available and prices drop.
The rains generally don't affect travelers' ability to get
around.
Events
Kenya's most spectacular annual event is organized by an
unlikely group - wildebeests. Literally millions of these
ungainly antelopes move en masse in July and August from the
Serengeti in search of lush grass. They head south again around
October. The best place to see this phenomenon is at the Masai
Mara National Reserve. Kenya's more orthodox annual events
include public holidays such as Kenyatta Day (20
October) and Independence
Day (12
December).
