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Kenya, named after Mount Kenya and with a population of 53.77 million (2020), is located in east Africa and borders the Indian Ocean to
its south-east, Somalia to its north-east, Ethiopia to its north,
South Sudan to its north-west, Uganda to its west and Tanzania to
its south. Known as an African holiday and safari destination with one of Africa's better economies, Kenya has a diverse
topography, from the beaches on the Indian Ocean, to forests and
mountains, to sweeping savannahs and near desert landscapes. What is now known as Kenya was
explored by the Portuguese during the late fifteenth century who set up trading
stations there en route to India and Asia. During the 17th Century both the
English and Dutch started moving into the area together with the Omani Arabs,
however this latter group was repelled by the English and Germans during the
1880s. Between 1952 and 1959 Kenya was
placed under a state of emergency following a rebellion by the Mau Mau and the
country was finally granted its independence from British rule in 1963.
Kenya is widely regarded as a
stable and peaceful, however the country is currently under repeatedly attacks from Al-Shabab particularly
along its coastal areas for the country's involvement in security policing in
neighbouring Somalia. On 8th January 2020 Al Shabaab released a public statement 'Kenya Must Take Heed' stating that Al Shabaab intended to attack tourists, including those on safari trips. It also references government institutions and military installations as potential attack targets. Despite this ever present threat, the authorities in Kenya have successfully disrupted a number of planned attacks and made a number of arrests in recent years. They have also provided extra protection including in areas near to the Somalia border and on the Kenyan coast.
Problems facing Kenya today, apart
from the terrorist threat and sporadic civil unrest (which was often tribal targeted),
include widespread poverty and high unemployment. Although Kenya's economy is the largest in eastern and central Africa, it remains in 143rd place out of
189 countries and territories in 2019 when ranked in terms of life expectancy,
literacy, access to knowledge and the living standards of a country and life
expectancy is 66.95 years (2021). 79% of its population lives in rural areas reliant on impoverished
subsistence farming that, coupled with poor health care resources (one
doctor for every 10,000 people), drives many into further poverty as income
drops when the family earner becomes ill when suffering from HIV (6.3% of
the population), water borne diseases and malaria.
Another
factor for the rising levels of poverty in Kenya is the tripling of the
population in just 30 years, placing an unsustainable burden on available
land and already poor resources such as access to a safe water supply (52%
of the rural population) and improved sanitation (32% of the rural
population.) Thousands of
children live on the streets of Kenya's cities in a vain attempt to secure a
better future to escape this poverty (see article below). Find out more about Kenya in our Kenya profile pages
below.
Kenya Profile: Volunteer in Kenya
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Kenya Profile: Kenya Independence
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Kenya Profile: Life In Kenya
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Kenya Profile: Maasai Children
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Kenya Profile: Kenya Street Children
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Kenya Profile: Kenya Food
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Kenya Profile: Kibera Slum
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Kenya Profile: Kenya Webcam
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Kenya Profile: Kenya Images
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Kenya Profile: Nairobi Profile
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Kenya Profile: Nairobi Airport
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Kenya Profile: Kenya Quiz
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Kenya Profile: Child Sponsor Kenya
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Kenya Profile: Kenya Map
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Kenya Profile: Kenya News
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Details of current volunteer work
opportunities in each of the
countries of Africa.
Find how to sponsor a child in Africa
with our list of organisations,
charities, programs and projects.
Discover all about Africa, its tourist
attractions, history, people, culture
and daily life there.
