Background information about Kenya
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Kenya is situated in Eastern Africa straddling the Equator.
It is a country marked by diversity, of landscape, climate and
vegetation. The people of Kenya are still strongly
influenced by the tribal groups. The strongest of these
is the Kikuyu. The capital, Nairobi, is also the
economic capital of East Africa. After gaining
independence from British rule in 1963, the nation has been
led by the KANU party and especially President Moi until he
stepped down in December 2002. It is with considerable
interest that the world is watching to see how
President Mwai Kibaki and his
party will fare in its place. Initially
everyone seemed to be delighted and instant free education at the
beginning of 2003 saw many leaving Ndumbuini Hill School to attend the
state schools. Over 80% of Kenya's workforce are employed in agriculture and 75% still live in rural areas. Many cash crops, such as coffee, tea, cotton, vegetables, and flowers are grown specifically for export. Poor harvests affect the whole country severely. Tourism is important to the nation's economy as well, but is adversely affected by violence and corruption on the streets. The two acts of international terrorism which have occurred in Nairobi and Mombassa in recent years have added to these problems. According to the pack on Nairobi Kenyan City Life produced by ACTION AID in 1992, Kenya has a system of education called '8 - 4 - 4'. By this method of schooling pupils are expected to spend 8 years in primary school, 4 years in secondary school and 4 years in university. Although schooling is 'officially' free, parents have to pay school fees if their children are to attend primary school. The average annual income for a Kenyan is about an eighth of that of an Englishman. Whereas we spend about 13% of our income on food, a Kenyan will be forced to spend 39%. They can afford few luxuries. Achieved so far - September 2003 Ndumbuini Hill School as seen in October 2003 |