Kenya (continued)
National Assembly—last held on 21 March 1988 (next to be held March 1993); results—KANU is the only party; seats—(202 total, 188 elected) KANU 200
Communists: may be a few Communists and sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups: labor unions; exile opposition—Mwakenya and other groups
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OAU, UN, UNDP, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Denis Daudi AFANDE; Chancery at 2249 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 387-6101; there are Kenyan Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York; US—Ambassador Smith HEMPSTONE; Embassy at the corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi (mailing address is P. O. Box 30137, Nairobi or APO New York 09675); telephone [254](2) 334141; there is a US Consulate in Mombasa
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center
Economy
Overview: A serious underlying economic
problem is Kenya's 3.8% annual population
growth rate—one of the highest in
the world. In the meantime, GDP growth
in the near term has kept slightly ahead
of population—annually averaging 5.2% in
the 1986-88 period. Undependable
weather conditions and a shortage of arable
land hamper long-term growth in
agriculture, the leading economic sector.
GDP: $8.5 billion, per capita $360; real growth rate 4.9% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.3% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%, but there is a high level of unemployment and underemployment
Budget: revenues $2.3 billion; expenditures $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.71 billion (FY87)
Exports: $1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—coffee 20%, tea 18%, manufactures 15%, petroleum products 10% (1987); partners—Western Europe 45%, Africa 22%, Far East 10%, US 4%, Middle East 3% (1987)
Imports: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—machinery and transportation equipment 36%, raw materials 33%, fuels and lubricants 20%, food and consumer goods 11% (1987); partners—Western Europe 49%, Far East 20%, Middle East 19%, US 7% (1987)
External debt: $6.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.8% (1987 est.)
Electricity: 587,000 kW capacity; 2,250 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining, cement, tourism
Agriculture: most important sector, accounting for 30% of GDP, about 80% of the work force, and over 50% of exports; cash crops—coffee, tea, sisal, pineapple; food products—corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products; food output not keeping pace with population growth
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis used mostly for domestic consumption; widespread cultivation of cannabis and qat on small plots; transit country for heroin and methaqualone en route from Southwest Asia to West Africa, Western Europe, and the US
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $771 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $6.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $74 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $83 million
Currency: Kenyan shilling (plural—shillings); 1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1—21.749 (December 1989), 20.572 (1989), 17.747 (1988), 16.454 (1987), 16.226 (1986), 16.432 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
Communications
Railroads: 2,040 km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways: 64,590 km total; 7,000 km paved, 4,150 km gravel, remainder improved earth
Inland waterways: part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya; principal inland port is at Kisumu
Pipelines: refined products, 483 km
Ports: Mombasa, Lamu
Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft
Airports: 247 total, 211 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 45 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: in top group of African systems; consists of radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radiocommunication stations; 260,000 telephones; stations—11 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTLESAT
Defense Forces
Branches: Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, Air Force; paramilitary General Service Unit
Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,240,551; 3,235,557 fit for military service; no conscription
Defense expenditures: 1.0% of GDP, or $100 million (1989 est.)
