Water Wars: Ethiopia and Kenya
Notable Entry, Interactive Narratives. 2008 Knight-Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism.
Pulitzer Gateway: Water Wars
Visit the interactive Water Wars Web Portal, sponsored by the Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting.
Kibera: Not a Drop to Drink
The long rainy season in Kenya has begun and sudden storms regularly burst over Nairobi. Many welcome the downpours, which signal the end of another dry summer and wash the steamy crowded capital clean each morning.
As featured in Women's eNews, 1h2o.org, and Living on Earth. Produced in association with the Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting.
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Country Fact Sheets from the CLP
Because we believe that good journalism must be contextualized, we've decided to share with our readers some of the more interesting and lesser known facts about the countries we've reported on. While these are in no way comprehensive descriptions of these complex places, this is the information that we've found most helpful in placing these countries in a global framework and underscoring the broader implications of the issues we've covered. In developing these Fact Sheets, we've worked to incorporate both the official facts and statistics reported by government sources as well as our own observations through reporting in each country. If you have any suggestions or requests for information you'd like to see included, write to us at info@clpmag.org
Kenya
Straddling the equator on the eastern coast of Africa, Kenya's vibrant history and culture have made the country an African icon. Its diverse landscapes and abundant wildlife are known as one of the world's most famous tourist destinations. The country, long considered one of the most politically stable in the region, was shaken by violent post-election turmoil in late 2007 and early 2008. The violence left over a thousand dead and hundreds of thousands displaced throughout the country, raising international alarm and shaking hopes that Kenya might be an exception to the political corruption and ethnic strife that plague the continent. Despite a reputation as a stable middle-income country with a growing economy, the standard of living for average Kenyans has been on the decline for several years, even prior to recent unrest.
Size: Slightly more than twice the size of Nevada.
Population: About 37 million, projected to reach 50 million by 2020. Kenya is home to almost a quarter of a million refugees from conflicts in neighboring countries like Uganda, Sudan and Somalia.
Languages Spoken: English (brought by British colonial rule) and Kiswahili (a coastal blending of Arabic and African languages) are the official languages in Kenya. Prominent ethnic groups, including Kikuyu, Luhya, Luo, Kalenjin, Kamba, Kisii, Meru, and the Maasai typically maintain their own languages as well, and as a result many Kenyans are trilingual. Kenya's ethnic diversity has produced a vibrant culture but is also a source of conflict and many minority tribes claim to be politically under-represented.
Type of Government: Republic, led by President and National Assembly. Kenya's governmental structure is in flux, with the post of Prime Minister recently added to break political deadlock over contested election results. The country, which gained independence from British colonial rule in 1963, has had only three presidents and many complain that politics here are too insular, with the same families keeping control over high political offices. Despite problems with corruption and nepotism, Kenyan civil society is lively and political participation among average citizens is high. Kenya ranks 150th out of 179 on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions index, alongside Ecuador and Zimbabwe.
Religion: Kenya is about 45% Protestant, 33% Roman Catholic, 10% Muslim and 10% indigenous religions.
Gender and Health Issues: Overall literacy in Kenya is relatively high at 85.1%, with a 7.6% gap between men and women. HIV/AIDS is a major health issue affecting 5.9% of the population, though infection rates have actually decreased slightly in recent years. Life expectancy is low at only 55.3 years - 22.3 years younger the life expectancy in the U.S. 31.5% of women of childbearing age use a modern form of contraception. Abortion is illegal except if needed to save the woman's life. Attitudes toward abortion were revealed following recent post-election violence when rape victims were denied abortions.
Environment and Resources: Kenya has a strong environmental movement, and public awareness of the vital role environment and wildlife play in the country's economy and well-being is widespread. Kenyan Wangari Maathai was awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work to promote environmental sustainability and protect public land from development and illegal land grabs. The Kenyan government has also all but eradicated wildlife poaching. Despite these successes, Kenya faces profound environmental challenges brought on by high population growth, deforestation, climate change and pollution. Two of Kenya's most well-known geographic features are becoming symbols of the country's environmental distress. The glaciers on Mt. Kenya, Africa's second highest peak, continue to melt at alarming rates and Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical lake, is plagued by invasive species, over-fishing, and shocking drops in water levels.
Per Capita GDP: $1,600
Receives US Counterterrorism Assistance: Yes. The American Embassy in Nairobi was attacked by Islamic terrorists in 1998, and the United States continues to view Kenya as a stable ally in a tumultuous and unpredictable region. After 9/11 US military aid to Kenya more than tripled.
Death Penalty: While the death penalty exists, there has not been an execution in over 20 years, and there has been recent talk of legal abolition.
Industries: Agriculture is one of the top industries in Kenya, employing 75% of the population put producing only 16.3% of GDP. Tea and coffee are among Kenya's top exports, alongside refined oil shipped to other East African countries, and cut flowers exported mostly to Europe. Tourism is now Kenya's largest foreign exchange earning sector, generating $803 million in 2006, though recent violence crippled tourism earnings in 2008.
Poverty Rate: 50% of the population live below the poverty line, with over a thrid of the population unemployed.
McDonald's Restaurants: None
Price of Gas: $5.75 per gallon
Currency: Kenyan Shilling. About 62 shillings to the dollar.
Media: Newspapers are the lifeblood of political debate in Kenya, and are consumed eagerly by most citizens. Kenya enjoys a freer media scene than many other African countries and ranks 78th out of 169 in the Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Index. Kenyans have historically experienced a relatively independent press, although newspapers had to practice self-censorship during the era of Presidents Kenyatta and Moi. Kenya's national media is dominated by two major outlets, the Nation and Standard, both of which also provide broadcast news. Broadcast media is particularly popular in Kenya with many private radio and TV networks available throughout the country such as the Nation Television (NTV), and the popular BBC and Al-Jazeera, as well as KTN, a new 24 hour Kenyan news channel. Online media outlets are gaining popularity, with about 2.77 million internet users, and 6.485 million cellphone users.
Posted: 2008
Country Fact Sheet Sources
- General Statistics - CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
- Abortion Legal Status, Maternal Mortality, Infant Mortality, Contraception: http://www.medicationabortion.com
- Abortion Legal Status: http://www.crlp.org/pub_fac_abortion_laws.htm
- Contraceptive Use: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/contraceptive2005/WCU2005.htm
- Maternal Mortality: http://www.childinfo.org/areas/maternalmortality/countrydata.php
- McDonald’s Country List: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_McDonald%27s_franchises
- Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19388
- The Economist Intelligence Unit Quality of Life Index: http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf
- Human Development Index: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index
- 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index: www.yale.edu/esi/
- General Statistics - World Atlas: http://www.geographyiq.com
- Counterterrorism Funding Information - State Dept. Country Reports: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt
- Death Penalty Status: http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-countries-eng
- Human Trafficking information: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2006/
- BBC Country Profiles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm
- Department For International Development: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/allcountries.asp?view=region
- United Nations Development Programme: http://www.undp.org/
- The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/
Note: Population growth projections are often controversial. To calculate them for these fact sheets, we simply used the current population and population growth rate provided by the CIA World Factbook.