Kenya Background/Factsheets
GEOGRAPHY
Area 582,646 sq.km. Most people live in the fertile plateaus of the south and west. Much of the north and east is desert. Only 9.5% of the land is cultivated.
Capital Nairobi 2.3 million. Other major city: Mombasa 600,000.
Urbanites 21%
| Population | Ann. Gr | Density | |
| 2000 | 30,080,372 | +2.02% | 52 per sq. km. |
| 2010 | 35,204,705 | +1.53% | 60 per sq. km. |
| High growth rate rapidly slowing due to impact of AIDS. | |||
PEOPLES
122 ethno-linguistic groups.
Bantu 68.2%. 49 peoples, largest: Kikuyu 6.8mill; Luyia(5) 4m; Kamba 3.9m; Gusii 2.19m; Meru 1.9m; Mijikenda(9) 1.43m; Taita(3) 330,000; Embu 316,000; Kuria 209,000.
Nilotic 26%. 21 peoples, largest: Luo 4.8m; Kipsigis 990,000; Turkana 584,000; Nandi 550,000; Maasai 522,000; Teso 279,000; Tugen 274,000; Pokot 263,000; Elgeyo 233,000; Samburu 170.000; Sabaot 158,000; Marakwet 90,000.
Cushitic 3.2%. 17 peoples, largest: Somali 580,000; Boran(5) 364,000; Oromo(2) 80,000; Rendille(2) 49,000.
Khoisan 0.3%. 12 peoples.
South Asian 0.7%. Mainly Gujarati, Panjabi and Cutchi.
Other 1.6%. British, etc. 90,000; Arab 89,000.
Literacy 78%. Official languages English, Swahili. All languages 61. Languages with Scriptures 16Bi 6NT 9por 17w.i.p.
ECONOMY
Predominantly agricultural, light industries, and a major tourist industry. Post-independence stability aided good growth until 1976. Recession, foreign debt and mismanagement have eroded this. The venal elite has little interest other than in retaining power and amassing wealth. The endemic corruption is gradually ruining the infrastructure, devastating whole industries and drying up the flow of tourists and foreign finance. A large landless, poor underclass is becoming increasingly restive and violent. HIV/AIDS is widespread and the death rate climbing with 14% of those aged 15-49 infected. HDI 0.519; 136th/174. Public debt 53% of GNP. Income/person $340 (1.1% of USA).
POLITICS
Independent from Britain in 1963. Virtually a one-party state for much of the time since then. President Moi's Kipsigis-favoring government has successfully held foreign creditors at bay, subverted any opposition and marginalized the major ethnic groups–the Kikuyu, Luo and Luyia. Kenya's future is not good unless there is meaningful change.
RELIGION
There is full freedom of religion and much of the population profess to be Christian–including many in leadership.
| Religions | Population % | Adherents | Ann. Gr. |
| Christian | 78.64 | 23,655,205 | +2.0% |
| Traditional ethnic | 11.50 | 3,459,243 | +1.0% |
| Muslim | 8.00 | 2,406,430 | +3.9% |
| Baha'i | 1.10 | 330,884 | +2.0% |
| Hindu | 0.34 | 102,273 | -2.2% |
| Jain | 0.20 | 60,161 | 0.1% |
| non-Religious/other | 0.15 | 45,121 | +10.6% |
| Sikh | 0.07 | 21,056 | -0.7% |
| There has been no nation-wide analysis of religions or a denominational survey since 1972, so many figures are approximate. | |||
| Christians | Denom. | Affil. % | ,000 | Ann. Gr. |
| Protestant | 71 | 28.66 | 8,622 | +2.2% |
| Independent | 341 | 22.88 | 6,882 | +2.8% |
| Anglican | 1 | 8.98 | 2,700 | +5.2% |
| Catholic | 1 | 22.61 | 6,800 | +1.4% |
| Orthodox | 2 | 1.94 | 584 | +1.4% |
| Marginal | 13 | 0.21 | 64 | +2.4% |
| Unaffiliated | 3.77 | 1,134 | n.a | |
| Doubly affiliated | -10.41 | -3,130 | n.a. |
| Trans-bloc Groupings | Pop % | ,000 | Ann. Gr. |
| Evangelical | 35.8 | 10,767 | +2.8% |
| Charismatic | 17.1 | 5,137 | +2.6% |
| Pentecostal | 13.6 | 4,089 | +3.1% |
Missionaries from Kenya
P,I,A 673 in 53 agencies to 17 countries: Kenya 608, Tanzania 22, Uganda 21. (Statistics are incomplete.)
Missionaries to Kenya
P,I,A 2,274 in 175 agencies from 30 countries: USA 1,332, UK 243, Germany 141, Korea 117, Canada 102.
Answers to Prayer
- Kenya's continued key role as a solid base for Christian ministry to Africa and the world.
- Kenya has 36%, or 13 million, Evangelicals – Africa's highest percentage and nearly equal to all Evangelicals in Europe.
- The growth of a missions vision in Kenya's churches – an outworking of GCOWE 1997 in South Africa and the 1998 National Consultation in 1998. The latter launched Finish the Task 2000 for reaching 22 of the country's remaining unreached peoples. All of these 22 were targeted and half were engaged by 2000.
Challenges for Prayer
- Praise God for the great freedom to preach the gospel since independence, for the receptivity of the people and for the exciting growth of the Church. Over four-fifths of the population claim to be Christian, and Christians are found in every level of society. Pray that Christians may bring truth and moral uplift to the nation as it edges to the brink of political disaster with possible economic collapse and inter-ethnic conflict. Pray also for peaceful change and a democratic government, responsive to the deep needs of the people.
- The rising level of human rights abuses, suppression of dissent, ethnic discrimination, and corruption needs to be challenged. Some Christian leaders have sought to speak out against these, which has led to confrontations with the government. The National Council of Christian Churches and the Evangelical Fellowship of Kenya are internally divided on how to handle these issues. Pray that all Christians in national and church leadership may both live exemplary lives and also speak out as one against wrongs in a society claims to be largely Christian.
- The Protestant and indigenous churches have grown fast, and the proportion of Evangelicals is high. The East African Revival (1948-1960) made a deep and lasting impression on the Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. The fires of revival were quenched by legalism, divisions, materialism and personality clashes. The subsequent growth of evangelical and Pentecostal churches(both international and indigenous) has been dramatic. One of the largest is the African Inland Church, the daughter body birthed out of the large missionary input of AIM. Few countries in Africa have been more extensively evangelized.