subject: Visiting Kenya - These Is What Defines This Vacation [print this page] Kenya is an East African country that lies along the Indian Ocean coast. She is bordered by Ethiopia to the North, Tanzania to the South, Uganda and Sudan to the North West and Somali to the North East. Kenya gained its independence in 1963 with Jomo Kenyatta as the first President. Daniel Moi became the second President after Jomo Kenyatta death in 1978. President Mwai Kibaki took over in the year 2002 after winning the election under the National Rainbow Coalition Party. There are about 39 million people and about 40 tribes in the country. Swahili is the national language and English is widely spoken by the majority of the people. It is a democratic country with remarkable stability despite the political challenges and crises in the neighboring countries.
The name Kenya first originated from the Kikuyu, Embu and Kamba naming of Mount Kenya. The three names Kirinyaga, Kirinyaa and Kinyaa mean Gods resting place. MT Kenya was a sacred place for these three communities. Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya. Agriculture is the leading foreign exchange followed by tourism. The country enjoys tropical climate with the coastal region being hot and humid all the year round. The long rains are between the months of March and May while the short rains are between the months of October and November.
Kenya is rich in wildlife which can be viewed in various game parks and game reserves situated in different parts of the country. Mother Nature has also blessed the country with other attractions such as sandy beaches coast, bird watching, physical features, flora and fauna. The tourism industry has employed over 400,000 people thereby eradicating poverty. The funds collected from taxes, duties, license fees and park entry fees are used in development such as infrastructure and building of schools. Both local and foreign investors are greatly encouraged to invest in Kenya as a way to create more job opportunities and increase development.
The fact that there are many ethic groups in the Kenyan, each tribe has it's own culture. For instance, the Masai community have not allowed the western culture change their culture up to date. There is freedom of worship and, religious churches have increased tremendously over the last years. The introduction of the free primary education has greatly helped many children acquire basic education. As a result, many secondary schools have been built to accommodate more students. In 2007, the general elections brought conflicts between different communities and many people were killed and others displaced from their homes. This affected the tourism industry since there was no security. Over the past two years, peace has resumed and the number of tourist coming to Kenya has also greatly increased.
Visiting Kenya - These Is What Defines This Vacation
