Country profile
Kenya is situated in East Africa and is bordered by Uganda to the West, Tanzania to the South, the Indian Ocean to the South-East, Somalia to the East, Ethiopia to the North-East, and Sudan to the North-West. It has a landmass of approximately 582,366 square kilometers. The population comprises 40 indigenous communities (each with its own mother tongue) making up approximately 97 percent of the population while the remaining 3 percent consists of immigrants from Asia, Europe and elsewhere.
English is the official language and the medium of government school instruction while the language of the school catchment area is also used for instruction in the first three Standards of primary school Kiswahili is a compulsory subject in both primary and secondary schools. Christianity is the religion of the majority, with approximately one third of the population is Muslim.
Kenya is divided into eight administrative regions or provinces, namely Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley and Western. Each Province is divided into districts that are further divided into educational divisions and zones.
Demographics*:
|
Total population:
|
36 553 490 (2006) |
|
Annual population growth:
|
2.3% (2005) |
|
Rural population:
|
79.3% (2005) |
*latest data as of March 2009 from UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Profile of the administrative regions in Kenya, 2000
|
Province |
Number of districts |
Number of primary schools |
Primary schools GER |
Primary schools NER |
Unique characteristics |
|
Coast |
7 |
1136 |
69.5 |
52.7 |
Majority of population is Muslim. Mombasa, the provincial capital, is the second largest city in Kenya. |
|
Central |
7 |
1855 |
105.2 |
82.8 |
Densely populated. High rainfall throughout the year and well endowed with cash crops (tea and coffee). |
|
Eastern |
12 |
4142 |
99.2 |
73.8 |
Most diverse province geographically, socially, economically, and culturally. Substantial variations in educational quality among districts. |
|
Nairobi |
N/A |
250 |
52.0 |
44.9 |
Slum areas have low quality of education compared to high standards of education in schools in the city centre and outskirts. |
|
Rift Valley |
17 |
4678 |
88.3 |
66.9 |
Diverse population and varied crops. Nomadic pastoralists populate districts in the arid areas. |
|
Western |
7 |
1971 |
93.3 |
72.7 |
One main ethnic group. Sugar cane is the main cash crop. Widespread child labour practices. |
|
Nyanza |
10 |
4027 |
89.2 |
74.7 |
Three main ethnic groups – Luos, Kisiis and Kurias. Greatly affected by occasional floods and high death rates due to HIV/AIDS. High percentage of orphans and strong belief in early marriage. |
|
North Eastern |
4 |
173 |
22.8 |
14.5 |
Arid land with predominately Muslim population. Very limited support for girls’ education. Early marriages are part of the culture. Nomadic pastoralist communities with limited access to education. |
|
National |
|
18,617 |
91.69 |
70.7 |
|