Kenya Country & Tourist Information

Location
East Africa.

Area
582,646 sq km (224,961 sq miles).

Population
32.8 million (UN, 2005).

Population Density
56.29 per sq km.

Capital
Nairobi.
Population: 2.14 million (1999).

Government
Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1963.

Language
Swahili is the national language and English is the official language. There are over 42 ethnic languages spoken, including Kikuyu and Luo.

Religion
Mostly traditional but there is a sizeable Christian population (both Catholic and Protestant) and a small Muslim community.

Time
GMT + 3.

Electricity
220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are UK-type square three-pin. Bayonet-type light sockets exist in Kenya.

Head of State
President Emilio Mwai Kibaki since December 2002.

Telephone
Country code: 254 (followed by 20 for Nairobi, 41 for Mombasa and 51 for Nakuru). International calls can sometimes be made direct or operator-assisted by dialing 0196. Public telephones work with coins or with phone cards (which may be purchased from post offices or from international call services in major towns); coin-operated phone booths are painted red, card-operated booths are painted blue. Major hotels also offer an international phone service, but they usually charge up to 100% more. In larger towns, private telecommunication centers offer international services. For local calls, it is useful to have plenty of small change available.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies. The main network providers are Celtel (website: www.celtel.com), which has extensive coverage in the south west and around the coast and Mombasa, and Safaricom (website: www.safaricom.co.ke), with coverage in from Mombasa to Nairobia and in the southeast.

Internet
There are Internet cafes in major cities and hotels.

Media
Kenya enjoys a more diverse media scene than many other African countries, although some media have been harrassed for upsetting the government. Most Kenyans rely on the broadcast media, particularly radio, for news. The print media is dominated by two publishing houses, the Nation Media Group and Standard, which also have broadcasting interests.


Post
Post offices are identified by Telkom Kenya (Kenya Posts & Telecommunications Corporation). Post boxes are red. Stamps can usually be bought at post offices, stationers, souvenir shops and hotels. Airmail to Western Europe takes up to four days, and the service is generally reliable.

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1700, Sat 0900-1200 (main post offices).

Press
• The main dailies (all published in English) include Daily Nation, The East African Standard, Kenya Times and The People Daily.
• Taifo Leo is the only Swahili-language daily, published by the Nation Media Group.
• Nairobi is the main publishing center.

Radio
• Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is state owned, with language-based networks in English, Swahili and 15 other indigenous languages.
• Metro FM is a national music-based station operated by KBC.
• Coro FM is a KBC-operated Kikuyu-language station in Nairobi.
• Capital FM and Kiss FM are music stations.
• Radio Citizen is a private station with wide coverage which also operates Kikuyu-language Inooro FM and Luo-language.
• Full-time FM relays of the BBC World Service are on the air in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, and some BBC programs are also rebroadcast by private Kameme FM.
• The Voice of America has an FM relay in Nairobi and Radio France Internationale is relayed on FM in Mombasa.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Apr Good Friday.
9 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day.
1 Jun Madaraka Day.
10 Oct Moi Day.
13 Oct Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).
20 Oct Kenyatta Day.
12 Dec Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day. 
21 Mar Good Friday. 
24 Mar Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day.
1 Jun Madaraka Day.
10 Oct Moi Day.
2 Oct Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).
20 Oct Kenyatta Day.
12 Dec Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

Note
(a) Holidays falling on a Sunday are observed the following Monday. (b) Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself. Eid al-Fitr may last anything from two to 10 days, depending on the region.

Contact Information:

Kenya Wildlife Service
PO Box 40241-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (020) 600 800.
Website: www.kws.org

Kenya High Commission in the UK
45 Portland Place, London W1B 1AS, UK
Tel: (020) 7636 2371/5.
Website: www.kenyahighcommission.net
Opening hours: Mon-Fri: applications 0930-1200, collections 1400-1530.

Kenya Tourist Board in the UK
c/o Hills Balfour, Notcutt House, 36 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9EU, UK
Tel: (020) 7202 6362.
Website: www.magicalkenya.com

Kenya Embassy in the USA
2249 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 387 6101.
Website: www.kenyaembassy.com


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