Kenya player's book

[dragoon500ly]

Since I'm gearing up for a Proud Lion game with my local gaming group, here is a copy of the Kenyan player's handout that I've prepared. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome!

Proud Lion
Background Material

Sources include wiki, “The Almanac of World Military Power” and “Military Technology: The Military Balance”.

Republic of Kenya
Population: 27,000,000
Total Active Regular Armed Forces: 24,120
Gross National Product: $5.950 billion
Annual Military Expenditures: $285.377 million
Fuel Production: Refined Petroleum Products: 2.6 million metric tons
Languages:*English (official), Swahili (national), and numerous indigenous languages
Ethnicity/race:*Kikuyu 22%; Luhya 14%; Luo 13%; Kalenjin 12%; Kamba 11%; Kisii 6%; Meru 6%; other African 15%; Asian, European, and Arab 1%
Religions:*Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Islam 10%, others 2% (note: estimates vary widely)
National Holiday:*Independence Day, December 12
Communications:
Telephones:*main lines in use: 460,100
Mobile Cellular: 12.485 million.*
Broadcast media:*about a half-dozen privately-owned TV stations and a state-owned TV broadcaster that operates 2 channels; satellite and cable TV subscription services available; state-owned radio broadcaster operates 2 national radio channels and provides regional and local radio services in multiple languages; a large number of private radio stations, including provincial stations broadcasting in local languages; transmissions of several international broadcasters available.*
Transportation:
Railways:*total: 2,066 km.*
Roadways:*total: 160,886 km; paved: 11,197 km; unpaved: 149,689 km.*
Waterways:*none specifically (the only significant inland waterway in the country is the part of Lake Victoria within the boundaries of Kenya; Kisumu is the main port and has ferry connections to Uganda and Tanzania).*
Ports and terminals:*Kisumu, Mombasa.*Airports:*194.

Geography and climate
At 580,367 km2*(224,081*sq*mi), Kenya is the world's forty-seventh largest country (afterMadagascar). It lies between latitudes*5°N*and*5°S, and longitudes*34°*and*42°E. From the coast on the Indian Ocean, the low plains rise to central highlands. The highlands are bisected by the*Great Rift Valley; a fertile plateau lies in the east. The Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa. The highlands are the site of the highest point in Kenya and the second highest peak on the continent:Mount Kenya, which reaches 5,199*m (17,057*ft) and is the site of glaciers.*Mount Kilimanjaro*(5,895 m or 19,341*ft) can be seen from Kenya to the South of the Tanzanian border.

Kenya's climate varies from*tropical*along the coast to temperate inland to*arid*in the north and northeast parts of the country. The area receives a great deal of sunshine every month, and summer clothes are worn throughout the year. It is usually cool at night and early in the morning inland at higher elevations. The "long rains" season occurs from March/April to May/June. The "short rains" season occurs from October to November/December. The rainfall is sometimes heavy and often falls in the afternoons and evenings. The temperature remains high throughout these months of tropical rain. The hottest period is February and March, leading into the season of the long rains, and the coldest is in July and August.

Average annual temperatures
City Elevation (m) Max (°C) Min (°C)
Mombasa** coastal town 17 30.3 22.4
Nairobi capital city 1,661 25.2 13.6
Eldoret 2,085 23.6 9.5
Lodwar dry north plain lands 506 34.8 23.7
Mandera dry north plain lands 506 34.8 25.7

History*
Prehistory
Fossils found in East Africa suggest that primates roamed the area more than 20*million years ago. Recent finds near Kenya's Lake Turkana indicate that*hominids*such as*Homo habilis*(1.8 and 2.5*million years ago) and*Homo erectus*(1.8*million to 350 000 years ago) are possible direct ancestors of modern*Homo sapiens*and lived in Kenya during thePleistocene*epoch. During excavations at Lake Turkana in 1984, palaeoanthropologistRichard Leakey*assisted by*Kamoya Kimeu*discovered the*Turkana boy, a 1.6*million year old fossil belonging to*Homo erectus. Previous research on early hominids is particularly identified with*Mary Leakey*and*Louis Leakey, who were responsible for the preliminary archaeological research at*Olorgesailie*and*Hyrax Hill. Later work at the former site was undertaken by*Glynn Isaac.

Kenya has been inhabited by people for as long as*human history*has existed.

The first inhabitants of present-day Kenya were*hunter-gatherer*groups, akin to the modern*Khoisan*speakers.*These people were later replaced by agropastoralist*Cushitic*speakers from the*Horn of Africa.*During the early*Holocene*the regional climate shifted from dry to wetter climatic conditions, providing an opportunity for the development of cultural traditions, such as*agriculture*andherding, in a more favourable environment.

Around 500 BC*Nilotic*speaking*pastoralists*(ancestral to Kenya's Nilotic speakers) started migrating from present-day Southern Sudan into Kenya.*Nilotic groups in Kenya include the*Samburu,*Luo,*Turkana,*Maasai.

By the first millennium AD,*Bantu-speaking farmers moved into the region.*The Bantus originated in*West Africa*along the*Benue River*in what is now eastern*Nigeria*and western*Cameroon.*The Bantu migration brought new developments in agriculture and*iron working*to the region.*Bantu groups in Kenya include the*Kikuyu,*Luhya,*Kamba,*Kisii,*
Ameru,*Aembu,*Ambeere,*Wadawida-Watuweta, Wapokomo and*Mijikenda*among others.

Remarkable prehistoric sites in the interior of Kenya include the archaeoastronomical site*Namoratunga*on the west side of*Lake Turkana*and the walled settlement of ThimLich Ohinga in*Nyanza Province.

Precolonial period*
Arab traders began frequenting the Kenya coast around the 1st century AD. Kenya's proximity to the*Arabian Peninsula*invited colonisation, and Arab and*Persian*settlements sprouted along the coast by the 8th century.

The Kenyan coast had served host to communities of*ironworkers*and communities of subsistence farmers, hunters and fishers who supported the economy with agriculture, fishing, metal production and trade with foreign countries.

The*Kilwa Sultanate*was a medieval*sultanate, centred at*Kilwa*in modern-day*Tanzania. At its height, its authority stretched over the entire length of the*Swahili Coast, including Kenya. It was founded in the 10th century by*Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi,*a*Persian*Prince of*Shiraz.*The Persian rulers would go on to build elaborate coral mosques and introduced copper coinage.

During this period,*Arabs*from southern Arabia settled on the coast. They established many new autonomous city-states, including*Mombasa,*Malindi*and*Zanzibar. The Arab migrants also introduced*Islam*and the*Omani dialect*of Arabic to the area. This blending of cultures left a notable Arabian influence on the local Bantu*Swahili culture*and*language*of the coast.*The Arabs built Mombasa into a major port city and established trade links with other nearby city-states, as well as commercial centers in Persia, Arabia, and even India.*By the 15th-century, Portuguese voyager*Duarte Barbosa*claimed that "Mombasa is a place of great traffic and has a good harbour in which there are always moored small craft of many kinds and also great ships, both of which are bound from Sofala and others which come from Cambay and Melinde and others which sail to the island of Zanzibar."

In the centuries preceding colonisation, the Swahili coast of Kenya was part of the east African region which traded with the Arab world and India especially for*ivory*and*slaves*(theAmeru*tribe is said to have originated from slaves escaping from Arab lands sometime around the year 1700). Initially these traders came mainly from*Arab states, but later many came from Zanzibar (such as*Tippu Tip).*Close to 90% of the population on the Kenya coast was enslaved.*Swahili, a Bantu language with Arabic,*Persian, and other Middle Eastern and South Asian*loanwords, later developed as a*lingua franca*for trade between the different peoples.

Throughout the centuries the Kenyan Coast has played host to many merchants and explorers. Among the cities that line the Kenyan coast is the City of Malindi. It has remained an important Swahili settlement since the 14th century and once rivalled Mombasa for dominance in this part of East Africa. Malindi has traditionally been a friendly port city for foreign powers. In 1414, the Arab Sultan of Malindi initiated diplomatic relations with*Ming Dynasty*China*during the voyages*of the explorer*Zheng He.*Malindi authorities welcomed Portuguese explorer,*Vasco da Gama, in 1498.

Colonization*
The colonial history of Kenya dates from the establishment of a*German*protectorate over the Sultan of*Zanzibar's coastal possessions in 1885, followed by the arrival of the*Imperial British East Africa Company*in 1888. Incipient imperial rivalry was forestalled when Germany handed its coastal holdings to Britain in 1890. This was followed by the building of the*Kenya–Uganda railway*passing through the country. This was resisted by some tribes*— notably the*Nandi*led by*Orkoiyot*Koitalel Arap Samoei*for ten years from 1890 to 1900*— still the British eventually built the railway. The*Nandi*were the first tribe to be put in a native reserve to stop them from disrupting the building of the railway. During the railway construction era, there was a significant inflow of Indian peoples, who provided the bulk of the skilled manpower required for construction.

While building the railroad through*Tsavo, a number of the Indian railway workers and local African labourers were attacked by two lions known as the*Tsavo maneaters. They and most of their descendants later remained in Kenya and formed the core of several distinct Indian communities such as the*Ismaili Muslim*and*Sikh*communities.

At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the governors of*British East Africa*(as the Protectorate was generally known) and*German East Africa*agreed a truce in an attempt to keep the young colonies out of direct hostilities.Lt Col Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck*took command of the German military forces, determined to tie down as many British resources as possible. Completely cut off from Germany, von Lettow conducted an effective*guerilla warfare*campaign, living off the land, capturing British supplies, and remaining undefeated. He eventually surrendered in*Zambia*eleven days after the Armistice was signed in 1918. To chase von Lettow the British deployed the*British Indian Army*troops from India and then needed large numbers of porters to overcome the formidable logistics of transporting supplies far into the interior on foot. The*Carrier Corps was formed and ultimately mobilised over 400,000 Africans, contributing to their long-term politicisation.

During the early part of the 20th century, the interior central highlands were settled by British and other European farmers, who became wealthy farming*coffee*and tea. (One depiction of this period of change from one colonist's perspective is found in the memoir "Out of Africa" by Danish author Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke, published in 1937.) By the 1930s, approximately 30,000 white settlers lived in the area and gained a political voice because of their contribution to the market economy. The area was already home to over a million members of the*Kikuyu*people, most of whom had no land claims in European terms, and lived as itinerant farmers. To protect their interests, the settlers banned the growing of coffee, introduced a hut tax, and the landless were granted less and less land in exchange for their labour. A massive exodus to the cities ensued as their ability to provide a living from the land dwindled.*By the 1950s, the white population numbered 80,000.

In 1952,*Queen Elizabeth II*and her husband*Prince Phillip*were on holiday at the*Treetops Hotel*in Kenya when her father,*King George VI, passed away in his sleep. The young princess cut-short her trip and returned home immediately to take her throne. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at the Westminster Abbey in 1953 and, as one gentleman put it, she went up a tree in Africa a princess, and came down a queen.

From October 1952 to December 1959, Kenya was under a state of emergency arising from the*Mau Mau rebellion against British rule. The governor requested and obtained British and African troops, including the*King's African Rifles. The British began*counter-insurgencyoperations; in May 1953 General Sir*George Erskine*took charge as commander-in-chief of the colony's armed forces, with the personal backing of*Winston Churchill.

The capture of Waruhiu Itote (aka*General China) on 15 January 1954 and the subsequent interrogation led to a better understanding of the Mau Mau command structure.*Operation Anvil*opened on 24 April 1954, after weeks of planning by the army with the approval of the War Council. The operation effectively placed Nairobi under military siege, and the occupants were screened and the Mau Mau supporters moved to*detention camps. The Home Guard formed the core of the government's strategy as it was composed of loyalist Africans, not foreign forces like the*British Army*and King's African Rifles. By the end of the emergency, the Home Guard had killed 4,686 Mau Mau, amounting to 42% of the total insurgents. The capture of*Dedan Kimathi*on 21 October 1956 in*Nyeri*signified the ultimate defeat of the Mau Mau and essentially ended the military offensive. During this period, substantial governmental changes to land tenure occurred. The most important of these was the*Swynnerton Plan, which was used to both reward loyalists and punish Mau Mau.

Independence
The first direct elections for Africans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957. Despite British hopes of handing power to "moderate" African rivals, it was the*Kenya African National Union(KANU) of Jomo Kenyatta that formed a government shortly before Kenya became independent on 12 December 1963, on the same day forming the Constitution of Kenya.*During the same year, the Kenyan army fought the*Shifta War*against ethnic*Somalis*who wanted Kenya's*Northern Frontier District*joined with the Republic of*Somalia. The Shifta War officially ended with the signature of the Arusha Memorandum in October 1967, but relative insecurity prevailed through 1969.*To discourage further invasions, Kenya signed a defence pact with*Ethiopia*in 1969, which is still in effect.

On 12 December 1964 the Republic of Kenya was proclaimed, and*Jomo Kenyatta*became Kenya's first president.*At Kenyatta's death in 1978,*Daniel arap Moi*became President. Daniel arap Moi retained the Presidency, being unopposed in elections held in 1979, 1983 (snap elections) and 1988, all of which were held under the single party constitution. The 1983 elections were held a year early, and were a direct result of*an abortive military coup attempt*on 2 August 1982.

The abortive coup was masterminded by a low ranked Air Force serviceman, Senior Private Hezekiah Ochuka and was staged mainly by enlisted men in the Air Force. The attempt was quickly suppressed by Loyalist forces led by the Army, the General Service Unit (GSU)*— a paramilitary wing of the police*— and later the regular police, but not without civilian casualties. This event led to the disbanding of the entire Air Force and a large number of its former members were either dismissed or court-martialled.

The election held in 1988 saw the advent of the*mlolongo*(queuing) system, where voters were supposed to line up behind their favoured candidates instead of a secret ballot.*This was seen as the climax of a very undemocratic regime and it led to widespread agitation for constitutional reform. Several contentious clauses, including one that allowed for only one political party were changed in the following years.*In democratic, multiparty elections in 1992 and 1997, Daniel arap Moi won re-election.

Economy*
Although Kenya is the biggest and most advanced economy in east and central Africa and a minority of the wealthy urban population often leaves a misleading impression of affluence, Kenya is still a poor developing country with a*Human Development Index*(HDI) of 0.519, putting the country at position 145 out of 186 – one of the lowest in the world and half of Kenyans live in absolute*poverty. The important agricultural sector is one of the least developed and largely inefficient, employing 75 percent of the workforce compared to less than 3 percent in the*food secure*developed countries.

Despite western donors' early disillusionment with the government, the economy has seen much expansion, seen by strong performance in tourism, higher education and telecommunications, and acceptable post-drought results in agriculture, especially the vital tea sector.*

East and Central Africa's biggest economy has posted tremendous growth in the service sector, boosted by rapid expansion in telecommunication and financial activity over the last decade, and now contributes 62 percent of*GDP. Unfortunately, a massive 22 percent of GDP still comes from the unreliable agricultural sector which employs 75 percent of the labour force (a consistent characteristic of under-developed economies that have not attained*food security*– an important catalyst of economic growth) and a significant portion of the population regularly starves and is heavily dependent on*food aid. Industry and manufacturing is the smallest sector that accounts for 16 percent of the GDP.
Kenya has traditionally been a liberal market with minimal government involvement (price control) seen in the oil industry. However, recent legislation allows the government to determine and gazette price-controls on essential commodities like maize flour, kerosine and cooking oil.

Privatisation of state corporations like the defunct Kenya Post and Telecommunications Company, which resulted in East Africa's most profitable company –*Safaricom, has led to their revival because of massive private investment.

The more efficient and lucrative technology-knowledge-and-skill-based service; industry and manufacturing sectors only employ 25 percent of the labour force but contributes the remaining 75 percent of the GDP.

Kenya is East and Central Africa's hub for Financial services. The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) is ranked 4th in Africa in terms of Market capitalisation.*The Kenya banking system is supervised by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). The system consisted of 48 commercial banks, several*non-bank financial institutions, including mortgage companies, four savings and loan associations, and several score foreign-exchange bureaus.

Tourism*
Kenya's services sector, which contributes about 61 percent of GDP, is dominated by tourism. The tourism sector has exhibited steady growth in most years since independence and by the late 1980s had become the country's principal source of foreign exchange. Tourists, the largest number from Germany and the United Kingdom, are attracted mainly to the coastal beaches and the*game reserves, notably, the expansive*East*and*West Tsavo National Park*(20,808 square kilometres) in the southeast. Tourism has seen a substantial revival over the past several years and is the major contributor to the pick-up in the country's economic growth. Tourism is now Kenya's largest foreign exchange earning sector, followed by flowers, tea, and coffee. In 2006 tourism generated US$699*million.

Agriculture*
Agriculture is the second largest contributor to Kenya's*gross domestic product*(GDP), after the service sector. Agriculture, including*forestry*and*fishing, accounted for about 24 percent of GDP, as well as for 18 percent of wage employment and 50 percent of revenue from exports. The principal cash crops are tea, horticultural produce, and coffee; horticultural produce and tea are the main growth sectors and the two most valuable of all of Kenya's exports. The production of major food staples such as*corn*is subject to sharp weather-related fluctuations. Production downturns periodically necessitate food aid—for example, aid for 1.8*million people because of one of Kenya's intermittent droughts.*Tea, coffee, sisal, pyrethrum, corn, and wheat are grown in the fertile highlands, one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa.Livestock*predominates in the semi-arid savanna to the north and east.*Coconuts,pineapples,*cashew nuts,*cotton,*sugarcane,*sisal, and corn are grown in the lower-lying areas.

Unfortunately, the country has not attained the level of investment and efficiency in agriculture that can guarantee food security and coupled with resulting poverty (53 percent of the population lives below the*poverty line), a significant portion of the population regularly starves and is heavily dependent on food aid. Poor roads, an inadequate railway network, under-used water transport and expensive air transport have isolated mostly*arid*and*semi-arid*areas and farmers in other regions often leave food to rot in the fields because they cannot access markets.

Industry and manufacturing*
Although Kenya is the most industrially developed country in East Africa,*manufacturing*still accounts for only 14 percent of the GDP. Industrial activity, concentrated around the three largest urban centres,*Nairobi,*Mombasa, and*Kisumu, is dominated by food-processing industries such as grain milling, beer production, and sugarcane crushing, and the fabrication of consumer goods, e.g., vehicles from kits. There is a vibrant and fast growing cement production industry.Kenya has an*oil refinery*that processes imported crude petroleum into petroleum products, mainly for the domestic market. In addition, a substantial and expandinginformal sector*commonly referred to as*Jua Kali*engages in small-scale manufacturing of household goods, motor-vehicle parts, and farm implements.

Energy*
The largest share of Kenya's electricity supply comes from hydroelectric stations at dams along the upper*Tana River, as well as the*Turkwel Gorge Dam*in the west. A petroleum-fired plant on the coast,*geothermal facilities*at*Olkaria*(near Nairobi), and electricity imported from*Uganda*make up the rest of the supply. Kenya's installed capacity stands at 1,142megawatts.

Kenya has proven deposits of oil in*Turkana*but the commercial viability of drilling is not known. Kenya currently imports all crude petroleum requirements. Kenya, east Africa's largest economy, has no strategic reserves and relies solely on oil marketers' 21-day oil reserves required under industry regulations. Petroleum accounts for 20 to 25 percent of the national import bill.

Demographics*
Kenya has a diverse population that includes most major ethnoracial and linguistic groups found in Africa. There are an estimated 42 different communities, with*Bantus*(67%) andNilotes*(30%) constituting the majority of local residents.*Cushitic*groups also form a small*ethnic minority, as do*Arabs,*Indians*and*Europeans.

According to the*CIA World Fact Book, ethnic groups in the nation are represented as follows:*Kikuyu*22%,*
Luhya 14%,*Luo*13%,*Kalenjin*12%,*Kamba*11%,*Kisii*6%,*M eru6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian,*European, and*Arab) 1%.

The country has a young population, with 73% of residents aged below 30 years because of rapid population growth;*from 2.9*million to 20*million inhabitants over the last century.

Kenya's various ethnic groups typically speak their*mother tongues*within their own communities. The two*official languages,*English*and*Swahili, are used in varying degrees of fluency for communication with other populations. English is widely spoken in commerce, schooling and government.*Peri-urban and rural dwellers are less multilingual, with many in rural areas speaking only their native languages.

According to*Ethnologue, there are a total of 69 languages spoken in Kenya. Most belong to two broad linguistic families:*Niger-Congo*(Bantu branch) and*Nilo-Saharan*(Nilotic branch), spoken by the country's Bantu and Nilotic populations, respectively. The Cushitic and Arab ethnic minorities speak languages belonging to the separate*Afro-Asiatic*family, with the Hindustani and European residents speaking languages from the*Indo-Europeanphylum.
In addition, Kenya's capital, Nairobi, is home to*Kibera, one of the world's largest*slums. The shanty town is believed to house between 170,000*and 1 million locals.*The UNHCR base in*Dadaab*in the north also currently houses around 500,000 people.

Religion*
The vast majority of Kenyans are Christian (83%), with 47.7% regarding themselves asProtestant*and 23.5% as*Roman Catholic*of the*Latin Rite.*The*Presbyterian Church of East Africa*has 4,000 000 followers in Kenya and the surroundig countries.*

There are smaller conservative*Reformed*churches, theAfrica Evangelical Presbyterian Church,*the*Independent Presbyterian Church in Kenya, and the*Reformed Church of East Africa. 621,200 of Kenyans are Orthodox Christians. Notably, Kenya has the highest number of*Quakers*in the world, with around 133,000 members.*Sizeable minorities of other faiths do exist (Muslim*11.2%, irreligious 2.4%,indigenous beliefs*1.7%).*Sixty percent of the Muslim population lives in*Coast Province, comprising 50 percent of the total population there. Western areas of Coast Province are mostly Christian. The upper part of Eastern Province is home to 10 percent of the country's Muslims, where they constitute the majority religious group.*In addition, there is a large Hindu population in Kenya (around 300,000), who have played a key role in the local economy, they are mostly of Indian Origin. There is also a small group of*Baha'is.

Health*
Nurses treat 80 percent of the population who visit dispensaries, health centres and private clinics in rural and under-served urban areas. Complicated cases are referred to*clinical officers,*medical officers*and consultants (specialists). According to the*Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, there were 35,000 qualified nurses registered in the country; 4,600 clinical officers and 3,500 doctors for the population of 27 million people (These figures from official registers include those who have died or left the profession hence the actual number of these workers may be lower).

Despite major achievements in the health sector, Kenya still faces many challenges. Thelife expectancy*estimate has dropped to approximately 55 years in 1996 – five years below 1990 levels.*The*infant mortality*rate is high at approximately 44 deaths per 1,000 children in 1995.*The WHO estimated in 1995 that only 42% of births were attended by a skilled health professional.

Diseases of poverty*directly correlate with a country's*economic performance*and*wealth distribution: Half of Kenyans live below the poverty line near a struggling*middle-class*and preventable diseases like malaria,*HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition are the biggest burden, major child-killers and responsible for much morbidity; weak policies, corruption, inadequate health workers, weak management and poor leadership in the public health sector are largely to blame. According to 1995 estimates, HIV*prevalence*is about 6.3% of the adult population.

Education
Independent Kenya's first system of*education*was introduced by British colonists. After Kenya's independence on 12 December 1963, an authority named the Ominde Commission was formed to introduce changes that would reflect the nation's sovereignty. The commission focused on*identity*and unity, which were critical issues at the time. Changes in the subject content of history and geography were made to reflect national cohesion. Between 1964 and 1985, the 7–4–2–3 system was adopted*– seven years of primary, four years of lower secondary, two years of upper secondary, and three years of university. All schools had a common*curriculum.

In 1981, the Presidential Working Party on the Second University was commissioned to look at both the possibilities of setting up a second university in Kenya as well as the reforming of the entire education system.*The committee recommended that the 7–4–2–3 system be changed to an 8–4–4 system (eight years in primary, four years in secondary, and four years in university education). The table under Present-day education in Kenya below shows the structure of the 8–4–4 system. Although the 7–4–2–3 system theoretically ended with the introduction of the new 8–4–4 system in 1985, the last batch of students from the former system graduated from Kenyan Universities in 1992.

The current 8–4–4 system was launched in January 1985.*It put more emphasis on vocational subjects on the assumption that the new structure would enable school dropouts at all levels either to be self-employed or to secure*employment*in the informal sector.

Children attend nursery school, or kindergarten in the private sector, until they are five years old. This lasts one to three years (KG1, KG2 and KG3) and is financed privately because there has been no government policy regarding it until recently. There is much celebration and a graduation ceremony at the end of KG3 when the children are ready to join class one in primary school.

Basic formal education starts at age six years and lasts 12 years comprising eight years in primary school and four years in high school or secondary school. Primary school is free in public schools and those who exit at this level can join a vocational youth/village polytechnic or make their own arrangements for an apprenticeship program and learn a trade such as tailoring, carpentry, motor vehicle repair, brick-laying and masonry for about two years. Those who complete high school can join a*polytechnic*or other technical college and study for three years or proceed directly to the university and study for four years. Graduates from the polytechnics and colleges can then join the workforce and later obtain a specialised higher diploma qualification after a further one to two years of training, or join the university – usually in the second or third year of their respective course. The*higher diploma*is accepted by many employers in place of a bachelors degree and direct or accelerated admission to post-graduate studies is possible in some universities.

Public universities in Kenya are highly commercialised institutions and only a small fraction of qualified high school graduates are admitted on limited government-sponsorship into programmes of their choice. Most are admitted into the social sciences, which are cheap to run, or as self-sponsored students paying the full cost of their studies. Most qualified students who miss-out opt for middle-level diploma programmes in public or private universities, colleges and polytechnics.

The country's literacy level stands at 85% of the whole population. Preschool, which targets children from age three to five, is an integral component of the education system and is a key requirement for admission to Standard One (First Grade). At the end of primary education, pupils sit the*Kenya Certificate of Primary Education*(KCPE), which determines those who proceed to secondary school or vocational training. Primary school age is 6/7-13/14 years. For those who proceed to secondary level, there is a national examination at the end of Form Four*– the*Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education*(KCSE), which determines those proceeding to the universities, other professional training or employment. Students sit*examinations*in eight subjects of their choosing. However, English, KiSwahili (Languages) and Mathematics are compulsory subjects. The result of this examination is needed for placement at secondary school. In form four of secondary schools the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) is taken.

The Joint Admission Board (JAB) is responsible for selecting students joining the public universities. Other than the public schools, there are many private schools in the country, mainly in urban areas. Similarly, there are a number of*international schools*catering for various overseas educational systems.

Media*
The Kenyan Media is robust in nature with capability to deliver breaking news from across Kenya and the globe and avail information on the latest top stories, business, sports and entertainment. Popular Kenyan newspapers include:
The Standard
The Daily Nation.
The Star*
The People.
East Africa Weekly.
Television networks operational include:
Kenya Broadcasting Co-operation,*KBC
Citizen TV
Kenya Television Network,*KTN
National Television,*NTV
Kiss television.
K24 Television.
Q-TV.
Kass-TV.
All these terrestrial channels being transmitted in DVB T2 digital TV signal

Cuisine*
Kenyans generally have three meals in a day – breakfast in the morning (kiamsha kinywa), lunch after noon (chakula cha mchana) and supper in the evening (chakula cha jioni). In between they will have the 10 o'clock tea (chai ya saa nne) and 4*pm tea (chai ya saa kumi). Breakfast is usually tea or porridge with bread,*chapati,*mahamri, boiled potatoes or*yams.*Ugali*with vegetables, sour milk, meat, fish or any other stew is generally eaten by most of the population for lunch or supper. Regional variations exist though and each region has their own preferred food.

In western Kenya, among the*Luhya,*Luo*and*Kalenjin,*lye*is a common ingredient in most traditional foods and*mursik*– a traditional milk drink. It is not yet known whether*lye*is responsible for the high prevalence of*throat cancer*in these region.

In cities such as*Nairobi, there are fast food restaurants which include*KFC and McDonald’s.

POLITICO-MILITARY POLICES AND POSTURE
The president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces which he controls through the minister of defense. The armed forces are integrated under the commander of the army, who is also the commander, Kenya Military Forces. He reports directly to the minister of defense without an intermediate joint staff organization.

The Kenyan army grew out of three battalions of the former King’s African Rifles, at the time of independence in 1963. Africanization of the army proceed much faster in Kenya than in neighboring Tanganyika and Uganda. However, British officers still held top command positions in January 1964, when a mutiny occurred at the headquarters of the 11th Battalion of the Kenya Rifles near Nakuru in protest against the continued British presence and inadequate pay. At the request of President Jomo Kenyatta, British forces intervened to suppress the outbreak. The mutineers were disciplined with long prison sentences, and intensified ongoing efforts to develop a modern force with professional, nonpolitical elan.

Kenya relies on a voluntary recruitment program for its armed forces; because of ample manpower it is able to be rigidly selective. The Kenyan army enjoys a standard of health and education considerably higher than that existing in the country as a whole. Service is for nine years.

The foremost defense problem facing Kenya today is that posed by separatist elements among some 300,000 Somali peoples who are currently living in the northeastern section of Kenya. Since independence, Kenya has been concerned about Somali ambitions to establish a Greater Somalia embracing parts of Kenya and Ethiopia. Kenya’s 1963 defense treaty with Ethiopia stems from this fear (on June 9, 1970, the border with Ethiopia was delineated and accepted by both countries). In 1967, Somalia and Kenya concluded a peace agreement, but periodic border incidents have occurred.

Kenya expressed support for Ethiopia and provided very limited nonmilitary logistical support during Ethiopia’s Ogaden conflict with Somalia. However Kenya remains concerned over the Marxist nature of the Ethiopian regime.

Relations with Uganda and Tanzania, marked by the collapse of the East African Community (EAC), have deteriorated sharply since 1975. Uganda claimed a part of western Kenya in early 1976. Kenya’s assistance to the Israeli rescue operation after the Entebbe Raid in July 1976 resulted in reprisals against Kenyans in Uganda and the massing of troops by both nations along their border. Tensions eased by the end of the year. In February 1978, the two nations established bilateral diplomatic relations outside the EAC. Bitter ideological invective and a commercial war with Tanzania accompanied the demise of the EAC. The border was closed early in 1977. Each nation seized assets and expelled citizens of the other during 1977. Commercial relations were not reestablished until 1978.

Internal politics have centered mainly around jockeying within the governing KANU party for succession the President Kenyatta. Elected to his third five-year term in 1974, Kenyatta had conducted a government crackdown on dissidents in the Kenyan Parliament since 1975. The immediate transition following Kenyatta’s death in August 1978, was smooth, with the presidency passing to Daniel arap Moi, who had served as vice-president for almost ten years.

From 1964 to 1992, the country was ruled as a one-party state by the Kenya African National Union (KANU), first under Kenyatta, and then under Daniel arap Moi. Demonstrations and riots put pressure on Moi to allow multiparty elections in 1992.

Tensions persist between the dominant Kikuyu tribe and the Luo, whose most popular leader, Tom Mboya, was assassinated in 1969. The 1975 assassination of government critic Joshia Mwangi Kariuki appeared government-inspired and reflected factional strife within the Kikuyu elite. Though KANU elections were postponed in 1976 and 1977, the government, through the professional Kenya Police, has maintained order.

The economy did not flourish under Moi's rule. In the 1990s, Kenya's infrastructure began disintegrating and official graft was rampant, contributing to the withdrawal of much foreign aid. In early 1995, President Moi moved against the opposition and ordered the arrest of anyone who insulted him.

A series of disasters plagued Kenya in 1997 and 1998: severe flooding destroyed roads, bridges, and crops; epidemics of malaria and cholera overwhelmed the ineffectual health care system; and ethnic clashes erupted between the Kikuyu and Kalenjin ethnic groups in the Rift Valley.

Upon independence, the Kenyan Army, already equipped by Britain, was given $9.8 million in additional weapons and equipment plus another $23.8 million in military assers, mainly installations. To establish a navy with patrol craft, Britain has provided a base at Mombasa, training and $3.64 million in equipment. Over 300 British military personnel continue on duty with the Kenyan Military Forces in a training role. Kenyans receive training in Britain. Joint training exercises of British and Kenyan units are held annually in Kenya. By a 1964 agreement, Britain granted Kenya $140 million in development and military aid.

In addition to British assistance, Kenya has received aircraft from Canada and Kenyans have been trained in Bulgaria, Ethiopia and Israel. In 1964 some members of KANU were reported to have received military training in Eastern European Communist countries and others to have had guerrilla training in Communist China. Kenya has received military assistance from the United States of $1.2 million since 1974. Training has been given in the United States to fifty-one students.

Kenya is a member of the Commonwealth, the OAU, and the East African Community. A 1964 agreement with Britain permit’s the British army to train in Kenya and the RAF and RN to use Kenyan bases.

Kenyan Military Forces
History*
1896 to 1900*
The period between 1896 and 1900 saw the East African Rifles deployed in a number of campaigns in line with British colonial policies. In collaboration with Major Cunningham's Uganda Rifles, expeditions were organized against the Nandi who put up a strong resistance. It was not until 1906 that they were subdued. Another one in 1900 commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Hatch, Commandant of the East African Rifles, followed this. Two medals were issued after these expeditions namely “1898” and “Jubaland 1900”. The East African Rifles also sent troops to help Uganda Rifles suppress a mutiny by Sudanese troops in Uganda. Captain Harrison who led this expedition was decorated. After being deployed on this expedition, he remained behind to form the 1st Battalion of the Uganda Rifles. This battalion later became 5 KAR.

In 1901 the British government decided to organize all the existing troops in Central Africa, East Africa, Uganda and British Somaliland under one command. Lieutenant Colonel Manning, an officer in the Indian Corps was appointed Inspector General for all the troops and promoted to the rank of general. After the troops based in different parts of British East and Central Africa territories were placed under a central command, the regiment born thereof was officially designated “King's African Rifles” on 1 January 1902. The composition of this regiment was as follows:-
The 8 companies of 1 Central African Rifles became 1 Battalion King's African Rifles.
The 6 companies of 2 Central African Rifles became 2 Battalion King's African Rifles.
The 7 companies and one camel company of East African Rifles became 3 Battalion King's African Rifles.
The 9 companies of the Uganda Rifles became 4 Battalion King's African Rifles.
The 4 companies of the Contingent of Uganda Rifles became 5 Battalion Kings African Rifles.

1902-1963*
On 1 April 1902, 3 KAR moved its headquarters from Mombasa to Nairobi, and together with 4 KAR and 5 KAR, was used by the British colonial government in expeditions against those who resisted British rule. In 1904 5 KAR, which was mainly made up of Indian troops, was disbanded chiefly because of maintenance costs and also because the British felt they had contained the resistance to their rule. It was however reconstituted in 1916 during World War I and stationed in Meru.

Later in 1926, 5 KAR was again disbanded and their colours were handed over to 3 KAR for safe custody. On 1 March 1930 the unit was once again reconstituted, presented with their colours and stationed in Nairobi. After World War II both battalions were used by the colonial government to contain the*Mau Mau*rebellion. On the dawn of independence the Kenya National Assembly passed a bill to amend the status of the military forces in Kenya . Accordingly, the former units of the King's African Rifles were transformed to the Kenyan Military Forces and the Independent Kenyan Government was legally empowered to assign names to the units as deemed necessary with effect from midnight, 12 December 1963. Thus 3 KAR, 5 KAR, and 11 KAR became 3 Kenya Rifles, 5 Kenya Rifles, and 11 Kenya Rifles respectively. The transformation of King's African Rifles to Kenya Military Forces on the midnight of 12 December 1963 was a major milestone in the foundation of today's Kenya Army units.

1963-present*
Between 1963 and 1967, Kenya fought the*Shifta War*against Somali residents who sought union with their kin in the Somali Republic to the north.

On the evening of 24 January 1964, the failure of the Kenyan Prime Minister to appear on television, where 11th Kenya Rifles junior soldiers had been expecting a televised speech and hoping for a pay rise announcement, caused the men to mutiny.*Parsons says it is possible that the speech was only broadcast on the radio in the*Nakuru*area where Lanet Barracks, home of the battalion, was located. Kenyatta's government held two separate*courts-martial*for 43 soldiers.
In the aftermath of the mutiny and following courts-martial, the 11th Kenya Rifles was disbanded.*A new battalion, 1st Kenya Rifles, was created entirely from 340 Lanet soldiers who had been cleared of participation in the mutiny by the Kenyan Criminal Investigations Division (CID). Hornsby writes that after the mutiny, '[Kenyatta] improved conditions, announced pay rises to the military, speeded Africanisation, and instructed the intelligence services to infiltrate and watch the army for signs of disaffection.

Discussions began in March 1964 between Kenya and Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations*Duncan Sandys*on defence, and a formal agreement was signed on 3 June 1964. All British troops would leave by 12 December 1964, the British would assist the army, resource and train a new*Kenya Air Force, and create a new*Kenya Navy. They would also provide RAF and Army units to support internal security in the north-east. Significant military loans would be cancelled, and much military property made over to the Kenyan Government. In return, British aircraft would be able to transit through Kenya, RN ships of the*East Indies Station*and other units could visit*Mombasa, communications facilities could be used until 1966, and troops could exercise in Kenya twice a year*(of which the last commitment continues to this day).

Timothy Parsons wrote in 2002-03:
'..Kenyatta did not have to worry about the political reliability of the Kenyan Army because expatriate senior British military advisors ran it along*KAR*lines throughout the 1960s. Following the lessons of the*Lanet protects, African officers assumed operational command of all major units, but a British training team still oversaw the Kenyan Army for most of the decade. More significantly, an informal defence arrangement with Britain reassured Kenyatta that he could rely on direct British military support in the event of an army mutiny or attempted coup.'

Within months of British Brigadier A.J. Hardy handing over command of the Kenya Army to Brigadier*Joseph Ndolo*on 1 December 1966, British influence was underlined with the appointment of Major General*Robert Penfold*as*Chief of the General Staff, a new position as senior officer of the entire armed forces.*Ndolo succeeded Penfold as Chief of General Staff in 1969, but was retired on 24 June 1971 after being implicated in a coup plot allegedly organised by*Joseph Owino. The service chiefs thereafter reported directly to the Minister of Defence,*James Gichuru.*The post of Chief of the General Staff was only filled again seven years later when*Daniel arap Moi*moved Lieutenant General*Jackson Mulinge*from Army Commander to CGS in November 1978.*Mahamoud Mohamed succeeded Mulinge in 1986, and was CGS until 1996. Mohamed was succeeded by General*Daudi Tonje, CGS 1996-2000.

The South African Institute for Security Studies wrote when Moi was still in power:*"the Kenyan armed forces’ reputation as a politically neutral establishment has been undermined by irrefutable evidence of tribal favouritism in the appointment of key posts. In the military (and also the Police and GSU), there is a virtual monopoly of President Moi’s ethnic group, the*Kalenjin, in the top brass. Of 18 military generals, at least a third are Kalenjin; of 20 brigadiers, 7 are Kalenjin - an ethnic group that accounts for only a tenth of Kenya’s population. This obviously works to the disadvantage, especially, of the*Kikuyu*and the*Luo."

From the 1990s the Kenya Army became involved in*United Nations peacekeeping*operations, which, Hornsby says, 'offered both experience and a source of income for the army and its soldiers.'*(The United Nations reimburses troop contributing countries for each soldier contributed.) Kenya's first peacekeeping deployment was to*UNTAG*in Namibia; from 1989 to 1996,

In the early twenty-first century, the Ministry of State for Defence, just like that of Internal Security and Provincial Administration, is part of the Presidential machinery. All but senior military officers are appointed, promoted, and, if necessary, removed by the military's personnel system. The president appoints and retires senior military officers. Under the authority of the president as commander-in-chief, the minister of defence presides over the National Defence Council. The Chief of General Staff is the tactical, operational and administrative head of the military.*

Kenya Army*
As of 1996, the Kenya Army had five brigades: two infantry, one with three battalions and one with two battalions; one armoured, with three battalions; one independent infantry, with two battalions; and one engineer, with two battalions.*In addition, the army included air defense artillery, airborne, and independent air cavalry battalions.

The army's organisation consists of two*armoured*brigades, four*infantry*brigades, one*engineer*brigade, one armoured*reconnaissancebattalion*(76th), three*artillery*battalions, three engineer battalions, one independent*air cavalry*battalion with 35 armed helicopters (Embakasi), five infantry battalions, one*parachute*battalion and one ranger battalion for*low-intensity warfare.

Units*
1st Kenya Rifles Battalion*–*Nanyuki
3rd Kenya Rifles Battalion*– Lanet Barracks,*Nakuru
5th Kenya Rifles Battalion*–*Gilgil
7th Kenya Rifles Battalion*– Langata Barracks,*Nairobi. Previously 7 KR was located at Gilgil in a camp formerly held by British troops. The first task of the unit was to clean and repair the camp. Moved to Langata in 1973.
9th Kenya Rifles Battalion*– formed September 1979, with in-postings from 3, 5, and 7 KR. At Moi Barracks near Eldoret town. Took part in*Exercise Natural Fire.
15th Kenya Rifles Battalion – the Battalion, commonly abbreviated 15 KR, a.k.a. 'One five', is the seventh infantry battalion and the youngest*infantry*unit in the*Kenya Army.*The unit was conceived as*Namibian-bound, Kenya's contingent that was on a UN peace keeping mission, c.1990. Formed 13 March 1989. On return back from the mission the unit was constituted to a fully fledged infantry unit that was going to be based in the coastal city of*Mombasa*at the*Mariakani Barracks. Located at Nyali beach, Mombasa.
There is also a report that the 4th Kenya Rifles is at Lanet in addition.

There are three other infantry units in the Kenya Army that are not necessarily part of the Kenya Rifles; 20 Parachute Battalion, and the two Ranger units, 30th Battalion and 40th Battalion, part of the Special Operations Regiment (SOR). In addition, 50th Air Cavalry Battalion is a unique unit flying*Hughes 500s*which may have some airmobile infantry capability.


Equipment of the Kenya Military Forces*
Name Type Quantity Origin
Vickers Mk3 MBT 76 United Kingdom
Vickers ARV ARV 7 United Kingdom
BRDM-3 armd car 16 USSR
AML-60 armd car 44 France
AML-90 armd car 34 France
Ferret armd car 20 United Kingdom
Saladin armd car 10 United Kingdom
Shorland armd car 8 United Kingdom
BMP-1 IFV 105 USSR
WZ551 IFV 35 PRC
BTR-60 APC 24 USSR
Panhard M-3 APC 15 France
Saracen APC 15 United Kingdom
Puma M2615 APC 150 South Africa
UR-416 APC 52 Germany
Pack 105mm howitzers Arty 16 Italian
M-109A1 SP 155mm hows Arty 18 USA
D-30 towed 122mm hows Arty 18 USSR
81mm mortars mortars 50 United Kingdom
120mm mortars mortars 20 France
Carl Gustav RCL Recoilless Rifles 100 Swedish
Wombat 120mm RCL Recoilless Rifles 20 United Kingdom
Milan ATGM 100 United Kingdom
Swingfire ATGM 30 United Kingdom
Hughes 500MD Scout 15 USA
Hughes 500MD Attack 15 USA
Hughes 500MD Training 2 USA
SA-330G Puma Transport 10 France
Mi-17 Transport 3 USSR
Mi-28 Attack 16 USSR



The*Kenya Air Force*(KAF)
The main airbase operating fighters is*Laikipia Air Base*in*Nanyuki, while*Moi Air Base*in*Eastleigh, Nairobi*is the HQ & operations Kenya Air Force. Other bases include FOB Mombasa (Moi inter. Airport), FOB Mandera, FOB Wajir & FOB Nyeri (mainly helicopters/small planes). The air force does not own helicopter gunships. Contrary to popular opinion, all of Kenya's fleet of helicopter gunships are exclusively operated by the Army's 50th Air Cavalry Division.

2 Fighter Ground Attack squadrons with 25 F-5E, 4 F-5F
1 Counter Insurgency/Training squadron with 12 Short Tucano
1 Transport squadron with 15 DHC-5D Buffalo
1 Transport squadron with 9 DHC-8-103 and 1 Fokker 70 VIP transport
1 Training squadron with 14 Scottish Aviation Bulldog-103

Kenya Navy
Based at Mombasa, shimoni, Msambweni, Malindi, Kilifi and Manda (part of the Lamu Archipelago).

The Kenyan Navy was established on 12 December 1964, exactly one year after*Kenya*gained independence. It was preceded by the colonial*Royal East African Navy*(REAN).*Following the disbanding of the REAN in 1962, the East African Railways and Harbours Co-operations assumed control of naval operations in the former East African colonies until the independent states established their own navies.

In 1972 at State House,*Mombasa,*Major JCJ Kimaro*is promoted to*Lieutenant Colonel*by the HE President*Jomo Kenyatta*and appointed as the first commander of the Kenyan Navy. He died in a tragic road accident in 1978 and*Major General E S Mbilu*took over the command of the Kenya Navy until his retirement in 1988 where,*Brigadier JRE Kibwana*is promoted to*Major General*and appointed the Navy Commander replacing*Major General*E S Mbilu.

P-3134 KNS Harambee II (P400-class offshore patrol vessel, ex-French)
P6129 KNS Shujaa; P6130 KNS Shupabu large patrol boats
P3126 KNS Nyayo; P3127 KNS Umoja missile baots armed with Otomat SSM
P3100 KNS Mamba small missile boat armed with Gabriel SSMs
L39 KNS Tana; L38 Galana medium landing ship/logistics ships
P943; P944; P945; P946; P947 (P101-class patrol craft, ex-Spanish)

Kenyan Police
The 11,500 man police force is the largest and best equipped in East Africa. Approximately half perform internal security functions; the force is well equipped and trained in riot control and includes and air unit and constabulary-type general service units.