Kenya

The Republic of Kenya with a capital city in Nairobi is located in Eastern Africa on the Indian Ocean. The country has almost 32 million inhabitants who come from different African tribes, cultures and have different religions. Protestants and Catholics are the biggest group among them.

Kenya lies on the both sides of the equator and separates northern deserts from the vast plateau of the South. The culture of this country was shaped by immigrants coming from all parts of Africa, Near East, Asia and Europe. Kenya is one of the last regions in the world known for its wildlife and a very rich natural environment: coral reefs, vast savannas, tropical forests and soda lakes. Total area of Kenya with snow- covered volcanoes and a desert amounts to 582, 750 km² and the differences in height total 5,199 meters. Kenya has a 480-kilometer long sea-cost. About 13,600 km² of the total area comprise waters: the part of vast Lake Victoria and Lake Turkan.

Among eight main rivers, the Tana River, which flows down from the slopes of the Kenya massive and flows through the eastern plains to the Indian Ocean, is the longest (700 km) one. Kenya is also a country full of contrasts, as far as the way and the standard of living are concerned. The aborigines live in small chalets with thatched roofs as well as in rich cities.

A rich tourist infrastructure make it possible to spend free time in various ways, e.g. to relax sluggishly under coconut palms or to look for an adventure in the bush far away from the civilization. The offer of quarters is also very diverse, it starts from small tents to luxurious hotels which compete with the best in the world. Inhabitants welcome tourists very warmly and make every effort to make sure that their stay is free from any problems. The majority of tourists visiting Kenya comes back home enchanted by this country.

Kenya is often called the "Cradle of Humanity", because on its area in the neighborhood of Lake Turkan, the oldest human remnants ( human1470), which are 2 million years old, were found.

The primitive population inhabiting the area of this country belonged to the Ethiopian ethnic group. The coast of this country has always been an attractive place to settle. Arabs were the first settlers who founded more than a dozen sultanates in the 7th century. Together with Persian merchants, they traded with slaves and ivory. Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach the Kenyan cost on the way to India. Next Portuguese people followed him and founded first colonies between 15th and 18th century. By the end of the 18th century, this area belonged once again to Arabs who incorporated it into the Zanzibar Sultanate. From 1895, Kenya is included in The East Africa Protectorate under the British management. It was the first time that the Brits risked to appear in the inland. In 1914 a lot of British farmers came to Kenya. A couple of thousand people settled in the southwestern parts of the country on very fertile soils. On their farms with volcanic and well-irrigated soil, they employed cheap labor force, i.e. local Maasai and Kikuju tribes. Kenya was a British colony from 1920 and it encouraged farmers to set up big plantations.

After World War II, the liberation movement led by the KANU organization (The Kenya African National Union) and Jomo Kenyatta originated. In 1953-56, when a bloody insurrection led by the Mau – Mau guerrilla broke out, the fight escalated. The guerrillas were against the fact that Kenya was a republic of white settlers. As a result of the struggle, Kenya was granted autonomy at the beginning of 1963 and after a couple of months, on 12 December, it regained its independence. A lot of white settlers left Kenya and went to Rhodesia and the Republic of South Africa. The republic was proclaimed in 1964 and its first president was Jomo Kenyatta. In 1963 Kenya became a member of the UN and the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Nowadays, Kenya plays a leading economic and political role in Eastern Africa and its capital city is a seat of various African organizations.

Interesting Places

Nairobi

Nairobi - the capital city of Kenya has about 2.5 million inhabitants. In the small centre of the city surrounded by trees, old colonial buildings stand next to skyscrapers. In the suburbs, there are elegant houses with gardens. Between the centre of the city and rich suburbs, vast districts of tenement-houses were built to liquidate slums. Nevertheless, new slums are being built every day around these houses.

Nairobi is for sure the most modern city of black Africa. For the majority of tourists Nairobi is a convenient stop between the airport and national parks.

This is a list of places which are worth seeing while visiting the city:

City Park - the first public park in Nairobi, established in 1904. It is a 120-hectare area abundant in forest plants and wonderful gardens. There is also a war cemetery with the graves of the East African soldiers, dating back mainly to World War II.

Gallery Watatu - one of the best galleries where visitors can see and buy authentic works of art. About 30 artists from Africa displays their works on collective exhibitions here. Individual exhibitions of sculpture and paintings are also organized here.

National Archives - in the down hall there are fascinating works of art from the private collection of the former vice president Joseph Murumbi: Persian carpets, Indian chests, paintings, African masks and drums from the whole continent. On the next floor, there is a display of archival journals about the heroes of Kenya.

Kenya National Museum - a wonderful museum which is one of the most important places for visitors in the centre of Nairobi. A collection of geological exhibits as well as exhibits connected with Kenya’s fauna. The most interesting part of the museum is a Prehistoric Hall. In the museum, there are among others skulls, the discovery of which influenced the theory of evolution. In other rooms visitors may find the exhibits showing different life-styles and tradition of the main Kenyan tribes. There are also rooms devoted to Mau Mau movement and a gallery of the modern Kenyan art.

Parliament Building - is not attractive from the outside, but the interior is more impressive. Visitors can see here a collection of 49 tapestries displayed by the East Africa Women's League showing the colonial history of Kenya.

The Payapaa Arts Center - founded by one of the main artists of Kenya - Elimo Njau, is a working artists’ studio used by painters and sculptors. A collection of sculptures and paintings for sale is also here.

The Railway Museum is dedicated to the history of the construction of the “crazy railroad”. Visitors may see here numerous photos and souvenirs showing the past of the railway. In front of the museum there are old engines and rail-coaches.

Snake Park - a small park which displays a variety of East African snakes. There are also turtles, crocodiles and a small aquarium with freshwater fish called tilapia.

Ethnographic Park (Bomas of Kenya) is little disappointing for visitors. There are numerous small tribal villages along paths, but the majority of them is empty and few tribal representatives are occupied with a sale of souvenirs.

Langata Giraffe Center - it is a wonderful centre for the preservation of nature. Its biggest attraction is a high platform where visitors can feed a herd of Rothschild’s giraffes. In the neighborhood, there is a bird sanctuary and a path of nature.

Nairobi National Park - the first national park in Kenya. It covers the area of 120 km2 between the city and the Athi River. About 80 species of mammals and 500 species of birds live here. Only elephants are missing here.

The Nairobi Safari Walk – a lot of rare animal species can be seen here, e.g. pygmean hippopotamus, cheetah and leopard. This orphanage for animals founded by the Dutch school is nowadays a hospital, a research and a breeding centre for rare species. During weekends audiovisual projections and film presentations take place here.

Ostrich Park - birds in different ages, i.e. nestlings and very old specimens live here.

Uhuru Garden – the independence of Kenya was announced at this place. Gardens located in front of a 24-meter high Uhuru (freedom) Monument are in the shape of a map of Kenya.

Olorgesailie National Park - In 1942, the traces of settlement dating back to about 200,000 years B.C. were discovered. The remnants of the old village can be still seen here and in a small neighboring museum there are a lot of fossils of animals as well as some tools of the Stone Age.

Fourteen Waterfalls - a 27- meter high cascade on the Athi River which has a shape of a horseshoe .

Ol Doinyo Sabuk National Park - a great number of different species of birds and big herds of buffalos live here. The park covers the area of 18 km2 and surrounds an extinct volcano which is 2,146 meters high. There is also a very beautiful view from its peak .