Kenya History and Facts

Today I would like to go back to the beginning and share information about Kenya’s history.

LOCATION AND PRESIDENTS
Kenya is a country in East Africa. It shares her borders with Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north, and Somalia to the north-east. Kenya acquired its name in the year 1920. It was colonized by the British gaining complete independence on 12th December 1963, propelling the Kenyan flag high from then on.

The first president of Kenya was Mzee Jomo Kenyatta he ruled until his death in 1978. Former president Daniel Toroitich arap Moi succeeded Mzee Jomo Kenyatta as president and retained the post until the year 2002. Currently, the country is led by President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

PROVINCES AND CITIES

Kenya has eight provinces namely: Nairobi, Central, Rift Valley (which is part of the Great Rift Valley), Western, Nyanza, Coast, Eastern and North Eastern provinces. Nairobi also referred to as ‘City in the Sun’ is the capital of the Republic. Other cities include the coastal city Mombasa and the lakeside city Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria.

AIRPORTS AND TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

The country’s main airports are Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, and The Moi International Airport in Mombasa. Others include Eldoret, Kisumu Airports and the Wilson Airport in Nairobi. The equator passes through Kenya so each day is 12 hours long. Sunrise is at 6:15am and Sundown at 6:45pm with an allowance of 30mins (+/-), thus providing adequate sunlight all year round. This favourable climate, the natural scenery, wildlife, historical sites and monuments such as Fort Jesus in Mombasa are some of the country’s attractions. The country’s landscape is enhanced by waterfalls such as Thomson’s falls in Nyahururu; mountains such as Mt. Kenya, and Mt. Elgon in the Rift Valley province.

THE KENYAN PEOPLE

The Kamba, Kalenjin, Luo, Kikuyu, Luyha are some of the tribes in Kenya all totalling 42 tribes. Kenyans are generally friendly and well educated individuals. The national language is Swahili thou English is fluently and widely spoken.

Inorder to get a feel of the country i recommend you watch some of the films shot in Kenya. The major films on the must-watch-list are; The 1985 classic Out of Africa, The Tomb Raider Cradle of Life and The Constant Gardener.