The Land and the People

Kenya is made up of over 40 ethnical groups. With over 20% the Kikuyu are dominant.

The Masai (or Massai), which often stand symbolically for Kenya, make up less than 2% of the total population.

There are also Indian, Arabian, and European minorities.

The majority of the population (more than 70%) is Christian, up to 15% are followers of natural religions, and only about 10% are Muslims.

Kenya is, compared to Germany, a “young” nation:

In 2004, 42.9% of the population was under 15 years of age, in Germany only 14.6% were under the age of 15.

In Kenya children are in much more danger than in Germany. In Kenya, 79 out of 1000 children die before their first birthday and 120 die before their fifth birthday. In Germany only 4 children die before their first birthday and 5 before their fifth birthday. Children in Kenya are in so much danger that many of them die before they even go to school.

Schooling is also much worse in Kenya: the percentage of children starting at the elementary school level is only 76% of the boys and 77% of the girls. The percentage of the people capable of reading and writing over the age of 15 is at 78% for males and 70% for females. While initially the chances of getting an education are equal, later in life they shift to the disadvantage of women.

Economic Situation

Kenya’s most important exports are: tea, Coffee, and flowers.

The agricultural sector employs 75% of Kenya’s workforce but only produces about 20% of its gross national product (in Germany it is only 3% that producing 1% of the GNP)

60% of the gross national product is from the service sector where tourism is the most important area. In 2005 28%, regionally even over 50%, of those capable to work were unemployed. In Germany this rate was only 11.7%.

Development

HDI-Index (Human Development Index)

 Is put together from:

- The life expectancy at birth

- The literacy rate

- The gross enrolment ratio

And the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in US-$.

HDI-Index	2006
Kenya	152
USA	8
Germany	21