Research Africa > East of Africa > Kenya > Politics

Politics        0  715 reads

1) Government
 

Administrative divisions
 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Ambassadors from Finland > Current Finnish Ambassadors > Ambassador Matti Kääriäinen
Ambassadors from Israel > Current Israeli Ambassadors > Israeli Ambassador Emmanuel Seri
ambassadors to the United States > Ambassador Peter N.R.O Ogego
Capital city Nairobi
Capital city > Geographic coordinates 1 17 S, 36 49 E
Capital city > Name Nairobi
Capital city > Time difference
 UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Commonwealth Heads of Government > Current Heads > Head of Government Mwai Kibaki
Commonwealth Heads of Government > Current Heads > Title President

Constitution
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005

Copyright > Reference s. 23(2),
Corruption 2.1 [146th of 160]
countries' copyright length > Usual term of copyright protection
50 pma;
photographs 50 pd
CPIA equity of public resource use rating 3 [48th of 75]
CPIA quality of public administration rating 3 [36th of 75]
Diplomatic representation from the US > Chief of mission
Ambassador Michael RANNEBERGER
Diplomatic representation from the US > Embassy
US Embassy, United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; P. O. Box 606 Village Market, Nairobi 00621
Diplomatic representation from the US > FAX [254] (20) 363-410
Diplomatic representation from the US > Mailing address
Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
Diplomatic representation from the US > Telephone [254] (20) 363-6000
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chancery
2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chief of mission
Ambassador Peter Rateng Oginga OGEGO
Diplomatic representation in the US > Consulate(s) general Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation in the US > FAX [1] (202) 462-3829
Diplomatic representation in the US > Telephone [1] (202) 387-6101
Elections > Head of state Direct election
embassies and high commissions in Ottawa > Address 415 Laurier Avenue East
embassies and high commissions in Ottawa > Neighbourhood Sandy Hill
Executive branch > Cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president
Executive branch > Chief of state
President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Stephene Kalonzo MUSYOKA (since 10 January 2008)
Executive branch > Election results
President Mwai KIBAKI reelected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 46%, Raila ODINGA 44%, Kalonzo MUSYOKA 9%

Executive branch > Elections
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012); vice president appointed by the president

Executive branch > Head of government
Prime Minister Raila Amolo ODINGA (since 17 April 2008)
Flag description
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center
Flag modification 12 [128th of 197]
Foreign relations > Nepal > Date of Establishment June 3, 1975
Foreign relations of Western Sahara > States recognizing the SADR > Date of recognition
June 25, 2005)
General government final consumption expenditure > annual % growth -2.04 % [107th of 147]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant 2000 US$ 2,094,985,000 constant 2000 US$ [61st of 145]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant 2000 US$ (per capita) 61.157 constant 2000 US$ per c [90th of 146]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant LCU 173682000000
General government final consumption expenditure > current LCU 242409000000
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ 3,208,420,000 $ [67th of 169]
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per $ GDP) 0.171 $ per $1 of GDP [53rd of 184]
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per capita) 93.661 $ per capita [109th of 184]
Government type republic
Heads of Missions from the United Kingdom Adam Wood
Heads of Missions from the United Kingdom > Resident Heads of Missions > Type High Commission
Independence
12 December 1963 (from UK)
Independence Day > Date December 12

International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch
Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court
Legal origin
 English
Legal system
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called "nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members)
Legislative branch > Election results
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODM 99, PNU 43, ODM-K 16, KANU 14 other 38; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - TBD
Legislative branch > Elections
last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012)
Management time dealing with officials > % of management time 11.67 % [6th of 38]
National holiday
Independence Day, 12 December
Parliamentary seats > Female 4% [121st of 143]
Partners in Population and Development > Representatives > Name Dr. Richard Otieno Muga
Policy uncertainty > % of managers surveyed ranking this as a major business constraint 49.64 % [5th of 38]
political parties > Multi party •
Political parties and leaders
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-Kenya [Musikari KOMBO]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Simeon NYACHAE]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-Kenya [Raphael TUJU]; Orange Democratic Movement or ODM [Raila ODINGA]; Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-K [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]; Party of National Unity or PNU [Mwai KIBAKI]; Shirikisho Party of Kenya or SPK [Chirau Ali MWAKWERE]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Council of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK [Sheikh Idris MOHAMMED]; Kenya Human Rights Commission [L. Muthoni WANYEKI]; Muslim Human Rights Forum [Ali-Amin KIMATHI]; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations [Ndung'u WAINANA]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Canon Peter Karanja MWANGI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY]
Political pressure groups and leaders > Other labor unions
Procedures to build a warehouse > number 11 [150th of 168]
Procedures to build a warehouse > number (per capita) 0.321 per 1 million people [146th of 170]
Procedures to enforce a contract > number 25 [129th of 170]
Procedures to enforce a contract > number (per capita) 0.73 per 1 million people [142nd of 171]
Procedures to register property > number 8 [26th of 167]
Procedures to register property > number (per capita) 233.538 per 1 billion people [125th of 167]
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament > % 7.3 % [142nd of 174]
Start-up procedures to register a business > number 13 [19th of 171]
Start-up procedures to register a business > number (per capita) 0.379 per 1 million people [130th of 171]
Status
democracy
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Time required to build a warehouse > days 170 days [97th of 168]
Time required to enforce a contract > days 360 days [120th of 171]
Time required to register property > days 73 days [58th of 167]
Time required to start a business > days 54 days [42nd of 171]
Time to prepare and pay taxes > hours 432 hours [32nd of 169]
Time to resolve insolvency > years 4.5 years [28th of 151]
Trademarks, nonresidents 1,025 [56th of 99]
Trademarks, nonresidents (per capita) 0.034 per 1 million people [92nd of 146]
Trademarks, residents 418 [60th of 98]
Trademarks, residents (per capita) 13.928 per 1 million people [92nd of 142]

Transnational Issues > Disputes > International
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times

UN membership date 16 Dec. 1963
United Nations mission
http://www.un.int/kenya/
http://www.kenyaembassy.com/
Washington, D.C. embassies > Neighborhood Kalorama Heights


SOURCES
All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008; Wikipedia: List of Ambassadors from Finland ; Wikipedia: Ambassadors from Israel ; Wikipedia: List of ambassadors to the United States ; CIA World Factbook, 14 June, 2007 ; Wikipedia: Commonwealth Heads of Government ; Wikipedia: List of countries' copyright length ; Transparency International; World Development Indicators database; Wikipedia: Elections by country ; Wikipedia: List of embassies and high commissions in Ottawa ; Flagspot; Wikipedia: Foreign relations of Nepal ; Wikipedia: Foreign relations of Western Sahara ; Wikipedia: Heads of Missions from the United Kingdom ; Wikipedia: Independence Day ; CIA World Factbook, 28 July 2005; United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook and Statistical Yearbook; Wikipedia: Partners in Population and Development ; Wikipedia: List of political parties ; electionworld.org; Wisconsin High School Model United Nations; Wikipedia: List of Washington, D.C. embassies

Democracy
 

Bertelsmann Transformation Index > Management Index 2006 4.53 [69th of 118]
Bertelsmann Transformation Index > Status Index 2006 5.78 [60th of 119]
Bertelsmann Transformation Index>Political Transformation 6.45 [52nd of 119]
Civil and political liberties 1.5 [113rd of 140]
CPIA gender equality rating 3 [55th of 75]
CPIA policies for social inclusion/equity cluster average 3.1 [51st of 75]
CPIA property rights and rule-based governance rating 3 [35th of 75]
CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 3.3 [29th of 75]
CPIA transparency, accountability, and corruption in the public sector rating 3 [34th of 75]
Electoral system first-past-the-post
Electoral system type plurality
Female candidacy 1,919 [142nd of 161]
Female ministers 6.2% [96th of 125]
Female parliamentarians 3.6% [139th of 157]
Female suffrage "1919 ,1963"
First female parliamentarian
1969 (elected and appointed)
Gender Parity Index in primary level enrolment 0.960568891120332 [96th of 183]
Homosexuality laws of the world > Homosexuality laws > Laws against homosexuality Male only
Parliamentary elections > Invalid votes 1.6% [73rd of 110]
Parliamentary elections > Registered voter turnout 65.5% [93rd of 152]
Parliamentary elections > Total vote 5,910,580 [42nd of 154]
Parliamentary elections > Turnout 46.7 [93rd of 117]
Parliamentary elections > Voter registration 9,030,090 [42nd of 152]
Parliamentary elections > Voting age population 12,665,000 [39th of 163]
Parliamentary elections > Voting age population (per capita) 374.371 per 1,000 people [144th of 162]
Presidential elections > Invalid votes 0.7% [59th of 61]
Presidential elections > Registered voter turnout 83.9% [13th of 86]
Presidential elections > Total vote 4,273,600 [30th of 87]
Presidential elections > Turnout 33.7 [72nd of 82]
Presidential elections > Voter registration 5,095,850 [33rd of 86]
Presidential elections > Voting age population 12,665,000 [21st of 91]
Presidential elections > Voting age population (per capita) 374.371 per 1,000 people [77th of 91]
Vote counting technology manual


SOURCES
Bertelsmann Transformation Index online, 2006; http://www.bertelsmann-transformation ... /BTI_2006_Ranking_GB.pdf; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2000-2001, New York: Freedom House, 2001; World Development Indicators database; No comment is being made on the state of democracy. Categorizations are based on the electoral law, or the last competitive election held; IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 1995. Women in Parliaments 1945-1995: A World Statistical Survey. Geneva and IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 2001. Correspondence on year women received the right to vote and to stand for election and year first woman was elected or appointed to parliament. March. Geneva; IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 2001. Correspondence on women in government at the ministerial level. March. Geneva; calculated on the basis of data on parliamentary seats from IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 2002. Parline Database. March 2002; IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 1995. Women in Parliaments 1945-1995: A World Statistical Survey. Geneva and IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 2001. Correspondence on year women received the right to vote and to stand for election and year first woman was elected or appointed to parliament. March. Geneva.; Source: Millennium Development Goals Database | United Nations Statistics Division; Wikipedia: Homosexuality laws of the world ; Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2003; Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

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