Kenya portal
Kenya portal

Introduction

Location of Kenya
The flag of Kenya

Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Kenya), is a country in East Africa. With a population of more than 47.6 million in the 2019 census, Kenya is the 28th-most-populous country in the world and 7th most populous in Africa. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi, while its oldest and second-largest city, is the major port city of Mombasa, situated on Mombasa Island in the Indian Ocean and the surrounding mainland. Mombasa was the capital of the British East Africa Protectorate, which included most of what is now Kenya and southwestern Somalia, from 1889 to 1907. Other important cities include Kisumu and Nakuru. Kenya is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest, Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, Uganda to the west, Tanzania to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the southeast. Kenya's geography, climate and population vary widely, ranging from cold snow-capped mountaintops (Batian, Nelion and Point Lenana on Mount Kenya) with vast surrounding forests, wildlife and fertile agricultural regions to temperate climates in western and rift valley counties and further on to dry less fertile arid and semi-arid areas and absolute deserts (Chalbi Desert and Nyiri Desert).

Kenya's earliest inhabitants were hunter-gatherers, like the present-day Hadza people. According to archaeological dating of associated artifacts and skeletal material, Cushitic speakers first settled in Kenya's lowlands between 3,200 and 1,300 BC, a phase known as the Lowland Savanna Pastoral Neolithic. Nilotic-speaking pastoralists (ancestral to Kenya's Nilotic speakers) began migrating from present-day South Sudan into Kenya around 500 BC. Bantu people settled at the coast and the interior between 250 BC and 500 AD.

European contact began in 1500 AD with the Portuguese Empire, and effective colonisation of Kenya began in the 19th century during the European exploration of the interior. Modern-day Kenya emerged from a protectorate established by the British Empire in 1895 and the subsequent Kenya Colony, which began in 1920. Numerous disputes between the UK and the colony led to the Mau Mau revolution, which began in 1952, and the declaration of independence in 1963. After independence, Kenya remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The current constitution was adopted in 2010 and replaced the 1963 independence constitution.

Kenya is a presidential representative democratic republic, in which elected officials represent the people and the president is the head of state and government. Kenya is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, COMESA, International Criminal Court, as well as other international organisations. With a GNI of 1,840, Kenya is a lower-middle-income economy. Kenya's economy is the second largest in eastern and central Africa, after Ethiopia, with Nairobi serving as a major regional commercial hub. Agriculture is the largest sector; tea and coffee are traditional cash crops, while fresh flowers are a fast-growing export. The service industry is also a major economic driver, particularly tourism. Kenya is a member of the East African Community trade bloc, though some international trade organisations categorise it as part of the Greater Horn of Africa. Africa is Kenya's largest export market, followed by the European Union. (Full article...)


Murang'a University of Technology

Murang'a University of Technology (MUT) is the successor of Murang'a University College (MRUC), a former constituent college of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) after being elevated from Murang'a College of Technology (MCT). The university is located 1.5 km from Murang'a town in Muranga County, 85 km northeast of Nairobi, 70 km southeast of Nyeri and 50 km southwest of Embu.

MUT offers masters, degree, diploma, certificate, and craft courses in engineering, information technology, computing, business, commerce, human resource management, hospitality management, tourism management, pure and applied sciences. (Full article...)
List of selected articles

Selected picture - show another

Sunrise in Mombasa
Sunrise in Mombasa

Sunrise in Mombasa, Kenya over the Indian Ocean. Mombasa is currently 2nd largest city in Kenya. It is located in Mombasa County.

Selected location - show another

Machakos
Machakos

Machakos is a town in Kenya, 64 kilometres southeast of Nairobi. It is the capital of the Machakos County, Kenya. Machakos Town is a major urban centre, and also a satellite town due to its proximity to Nairobi. Its population is rapidly growing and is 150,041 as of 2009. People who live here are mostly the Akambas though it is a cosmopolitan town. Machakos is surrounded by hilly terrain, with a high number of family farms. (Read more...)

Good article - show another

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

A lion in Nairobi National Park, December 2016

Nairobi National Park is a national park in Kenya that was established in 1946 about 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Nairobi. It is fenced on three sides, whereas the open southern boundary allows migrating wildlife to move between the park and the adjacent Kitengela plains. Herbivores gather in the park during the dry season. Nairobi National Park is negatively affected by increasing human and livestock populations, changing land use and poaching of wildlife.

Despite its proximity to the city and its relative small size, it boasts a large and varied wildlife population, and is one of Kenya's most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries. (Full article...)

Selected biography - show another

Mariga with Inter Milan in 2010

McDonald Mariga Wanyama (pronounced [məkˈdɒnʌld məˈriːɡɑ wɑˈɲɑːmɑ] ; born 4 April 1987) is a Kenyan former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

He is the first Kenyan footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League, for Inter Milan on 16 March 2010. In 2019 he joined politics to vie for Kibera parliamentary seat after the death of Ken Okoth. (Full article...)
List of selected biographies

Did you know (auto-generated) - load new batch

In the news

Wikinews Kenya portal
Read and edit Wikinews
27 June 2024 – Kenya Finance Bill protests
Thousands of people protest in cities across Kenya, calling for the removal of President William Ruto. (Al Jazeera)
26 June 2024 – Kenya Finance Bill protests
President William Ruto withdraws the controversial Kenya Finance Bill 2024 following an attack on the parliament that killed multiple people. (Reuters)
25 June 2024 – Haitian crisis
Kenyan police units arrive in Haiti for a United Nations-backed security mission to restore order. (France 24) (The Washington Post)
25 June 2024 – Kenya Finance Bill protests
2024 Parliament of Kenya attack
Thousands of anti-tax protestors assault and set the Parliament of Kenya building in Nairobi on fire, as riots begin following the approval of a finance bill. The ceremonial mace is also stolen by protesters. Ten people are killed and more than 50 others are injured as police open fire on protestors. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News)
President William Ruto deploys the military to stop the protests. (Bloomberg)

Selected panorama - show another

General images - show another

The following are images from various Kenya-related articles on Wikipedia.

Topics in Kenya

Categories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Discover Wikipedia using portals