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Kenya

At A glance

Capital City: Nairobi

Land size: 569,140 sq km

Population: 55,864,655 (2022 est.)

Official languages: English & Kiswahili

Currency: Kenyan Shilling (Ksh / KES)

UNESCO properties and sites:

Fort Jesus in Mombasa
Lamu Old Town
Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests
Thimlich Ohinga Archaeological Site
Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley
Lake Turkana National Parks
Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest

Source: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kenya/

Kenya's breathtaking natural beauty and rich wildlife provide a unique and thrilling adventure for every traveler. Begin your journey in Nairobi, the bustling capital city, where modernity meets African traditions, and experience the vibrant energy that flows through its streets. Immerse yourself in the warm hospitality of the Kenyan people, savoring flavorful cuisine, and embracing the rhythmic beats of traditional music and dance.
Get ready to be captivated by the allure of Kenya, a country that will leave you with cherished memories and a profound connection to the wild beauty of Africa.

Kenya’s vast expanses and incredible nature make it a fantastic horse-riding holiday destination. Discover the world-famous Maasai Mara, where you canter alongside herds of wildebeest and zebras, and witness the raw power and beauty of Africa's wildlife. Forge unforgettable connections with the soul of Africa as you ride through the wild beauty of Kenya.

Brief History

Trade centers such as Mombasa have existed along the Kenyan and Tanzanian coastlines, known as the Land of Zanj, since at least the 2nd century. These centers traded with the outside world, including China, India, Indonesia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Persia. By around the 9th century, the mix of Africans, Arabs, and Persians who lived and traded there became known as Swahili ("people of the coast") with a distinct language (KiSwahili) and culture. The Portuguese arrived in the 1490s and, using Mombasa as a base, sought to monopolize trade in the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese were pushed out in the late 1600s by the combined forces of Oman and Pate, an island off the coast. In 1890, Germany and the UK divided up the region, with the UK taking the north and the Germans the south, including present-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. The British established the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, which in 1920 was converted into a colony and named Kenya after its highest mountain. Numerous political disputes between the colony and the UK subsequently led to the violent Mau Mau Uprising, which began in 1952, and the eventual declaration of independence in 1963.

Jomo KENYATTA, the founding president and an icon of the liberation struggle, led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when Vice President Daniel Arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982, after which time the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) changed the constitution to make itself the sole legal political party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA, the son of founding president Jomo KENYATTA, and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform.

KIBAKI's reelection in 2007 resulted in two months of post-election ethnic violence that caused the death of more than 1,100 people and the dislocation of hundreds of thousands. Opposition candidate, Raila ODINGA, accused the government of widespread vote rigging. African Union-sponsored mediation led by former UN Secretary General Kofi ANNAN resulted in a power-sharing accord that brought ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister. The power sharing accord included a broad reform agenda, the centerpiece of which was constitutional reform.
In 2010, Kenyans overwhelmingly adopted a new constitution in a national referendum. The new constitution introduced additional checks and balances to executive power and devolved power and resources to 47 newly created counties. It also eliminated the position of prime minister. Uhuru KENYATTA won the first presidential election under the new constitution in March 2013. KENYATTA won a second and final term in office in November 2017 following a contentious, repeat election. In August 2022, William RUTO won a close presidential election; he assumed the office the following month after the Kenyan Supreme Court upheld the victory.

Source: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kenya/

Cultural Insights

Kenyans are generally friendly and hospitable. Greetings are an important social interaction, and often include inquiries about health and family members.

Visitors to a home are usually offered food or tea, and it is considered impolite to decline.

Elderly people are treated with a great deal of respect and deference.

Source: https://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Kenya.html

Transportation

By Air
Most major European and African airlines—including Kenya Airways—fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, which is Kenya’s main airport.
The fastest routes to Nairobi are usually two nonstop legs routed through London or another European city such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris. Other possible connections are available through the Middle East, Qatar and Dubai; and via Asia.

Source: http://www.magicalkenya.com/transportation-options/

Money

ATMs are widely available in Nairobi and the main towns and credit cards are widely accepted.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kenya

Health

For emergency services in Kenya, dial 999, 112, or 911.
Ambulance services are not present throughout the country or are unreliable in most areas except Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Eldoret.

In the event of an injury, appropriate medical treatment is typically available only in or near the major cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu.

If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, first deal with the emergency with first aid skills if possible and then move onto the nearest, largest Accident and Emergency department. In Nairobi this is either Nairobi Hospital or the Aga Khan University Hospital.

Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging, along with your doctor’s prescription. Check with the Government of Kenya to ensure the medication is legal in Kenya.

Cholera, malaria, dengue fever and other insect-borne infections occur in Kenya. You should take precautions to avoid being bitten by insects.

You should drink or use only boiled or bottled water and avoid ice in drinks. Don’t eat food prepared by unlicensed vendors.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kenya
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Kenya.html

Electricity

Kenya operates on a 240V supply voltage and uses type G plugs.

The Type G electrical plug has three rectangular blades in a triangular pattern and has an incorporated fuse (usually a 3 amps fuse for smaller appliances such as a computer and a 13 amps one for heavy duty appliances such as heaters). British sockets have shutters on the live and neutral contacts so that foreign objects can’t be introduced into them.

Source: https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs

Communication

Time zone in Kenya: East Africa Time (GMT+3)

International country code – 254

Kenya’s telecom market continues to undergo considerable changes in the wake of increased competition, improved international connectivity, and rapid developments in the mobile market.
Much of the progress in the broadband segment is due to the government’s revised national broadband strategy, which has been updated with goals through to 2030, and which are largely dependent on mobile broadband platforms based on LTE and 5G. (2022)

Source: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kenya/

Phrasebook

English	Swahili
Hello!	Jambo
Goodbye	Jwa heri
Good morning	Habari za asubuhi
Good evening	Habari za jioni
Good night	Lala salama
Please	Tafadhali
Thank you	Asante
Yes	Ndiyo
No	Hapana

Source: https://www.tripsavvy.com/swahili-or-kiswahili-for-travelers-1454482

Entry Requirements

If you are visiting Kenya, your passport should be valid for 6 months from the date you arrive.
You should have at least two blank pages in your passport on arrival.

You need a visa to enter Kenya. Kenyan entry visas are exclusively issued electronically, with passengers required to obtain their e-visas before departure. You can apply for single entry and transit visas on the e-visas website: http://evisa.go.ke/evisa.html

Source: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kenya/entry-requirements

Embassies and Consulates

U.S. Embassy in Nairobi
United Nations Avenue Nairobi
P. O. Box 606 Village Market
00621 Nairobi
Phone: 254 20 363-6000

High Commission of Canada in Nairobi
Limuru Road, Gigiri
Nairobi
Phone: 254 20 366-3000

Source: for USA https://www.usembassy.gov/
For Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/embassies-consulates

UNESCO Sites

Fort Jesus in Mombasa
The Fort, built by the Portuguese in 1593-1596 to the designs of Giovanni Battista Cairati to protect the port of Mombasa, is one of the most outstanding and well preserved examples of 16th Portuguese military fortification and a landmark in the history of this type of construction. The Fort's layout and form reflected the Renaissance ideal that perfect proportions and geometric harmony are to be found in the human body. The property covers an area of 2.36 hectares and includes the fort's moat and immediate surroundings.

Lamu Old Town
Lamu Old Town is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, retaining its traditional functions. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms enriched by such features as inner courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors. Lamu has hosted major Muslim religious festivals since the 19th century, and has become a significant centre for the study of Islamic and Swahili cultures.

Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests
The Mijikenda Kaya Forests consist of 10 separate forest sites spread over some 200 km along the coast containing the remains of numerous fortified villages, known as kayas, of the Mijikenda people. The kayas, created as of the 16th century but abandoned by the 1940s, are now regarded as the abodes of ancestors and are revered as sacred sites and, as such, are maintained as by councils of elders. The site is inscribed as bearing unique testimony to a cultural tradition and for its direct link to a living tradition.

Thimlich Ohinga Archaeological Site
Situated north-west of the town of Migori, in the Lake Victoria region, this dry-stone walled settlement was probably built in the 16th century CE. The Ohinga (i.e. settlement) seems to have served as a fort for communities and livestock, but also defined social entities and relationships linked to lineage. Thimlich Ohinga is the largest and best preserved of these traditional enclosures. It is an exceptional example of the tradition of massive dry-stone walled enclosures, typical of the first pastoral communities in the Lake Victoria Basin, which persisted from the 16th to the mid-20th century.

Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley
The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley , a natural property of outstanding beauty, comprises three inter-linked relatively shallow lakes (Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru and Lake Elementaita) in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya and covers a total area of 32,034 hectares. The property is home to 13 globally threatened bird species and some of the highest bird diversities in the world. It is the single most important foraging site for the lesser flamingo anywhere, and a major nesting and breeding ground for great white pelicans. The property features sizeable mammal populations, including black rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, greater kudu, lion, cheetah and wild dogs and is valuable for the study of ecological processes of major importance.

Lake Turkana National Parks
The most saline of Africa's large lakes, Turkana is an outstanding laboratory for the study of plant and animal communities. The three National Parks serve as a stopover for migrant waterfowl and are major breeding grounds for the Nile crocodile, hippopotamus and a variety of venomous snakes. The Koobi Fora deposits, rich in mammalian, molluscan and other fossil remains, have contributed more to the understanding of paleo-environments than any other site on the continent.

Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest
At 5,199 m, Mount Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa. It is an ancient extinct volcano, which during its period of activity (3.1-2.6 million years ago) is thought to have risen to 6,500 m. There are 12 remnant glaciers on the mountain, all receding rapidly, and four secondary peaks that sit at the head of the U-shaped glacial valleys. With its rugged glacier-clad summits and forested middle slopes, Mount Kenya is one of the most impressive landscapes in East Africa. The evolution and ecology of its afro-alpine flora provide an outstanding example of ecological and biological processes. Through the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve, the property also incorporates lower lying scenic foothills and arid habitats of high biodiversity, situated in the ecological transition zone between the mountain ecosystem and the semi-arid savanna grasslands. The area also lies within the traditional migrating route of the African elephant population.

Source: https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ke