Kenya: Climate and Facts - Report Example

Kenya Introduction Kenya is a developing country situated in the eastern part of Africa. This paper outlines Kenyas location in the world, its capitol city, population size, organization of government, and basic statistics. This paper also provides significant historical information regarding political and social issues that impact Kenya today, and further discusses the principle economic activities of this country, and the levels of poverty, health concerns and disease, social and political activities. Subsequently, the climate and environmental conditions of the country as well as challenges the people face with the environment are also discussed in this paper. Additionally, this paper discusses the countrys progress on the UN Millennium Development goals. As mentioned earlier, Kenya is located in the eastern part of Africa and it neighbors Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. The capitol city of Kenya is called Nairobi. According to the Kenya Population Data Sheet prepared by the Kenya government, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Informing Decision-Makers to Act (IDEA), Inform Empower Advance (PRB), and the National Coordinating Agency for Population Development, "Kenyas population is growing rapidly and has more than tripled from 10.9 million people in 1969 to 38.6 million people in 2009. Given the high number of births per woman, the population will continue to increase steadily" (1). Out of the 38.6 million population size in 2009, 19.4 million were females while males accounted for 19.2 million. Currently, the countrys population is estimated to be approximately 43 million (International Fund for Agricultural Development). Though Kenya has a central government run by eighteen ministries, power has been devolved to the County Governments in accordance to the countrys constitution. It is worth noting that the country has forty seven counties each run by a Governor whose roles and responsibilities are over-sighted by Senators. Each county has a Senator. The country has a total of 42 different tribes spread all across the country (USAID and Kenyan Government). Historical background There are a lot of political and social issues that have shaped Kenya. According to the Institute of Developmental Studies, "Kenyas political context has been heavily shaped by historical domestic tensions and contestation associated with centralization and abuse of power, high levels of corruption, a more than two decades long process of constitutional review and post-election violence". Some of the landmarks of the history of Kenyas politics that have shaped the country includes the new constitution that was accepted and officiated in the year 2010, and the nonviolent elections that were conducted on March 4th 3013. Other than political issues, there are also social issues that impact on the country today. One of the social challenges is the gap between the rich and the poor. A huge percentage of Kenyas population falls below the poverty line and most of them live in the arid and semi arid area which accounts for 80 percent of Kenyas demography. Subsequently, there is also the issue of overpopulation particularly in the major cities such as Nairobi. The high rates of poverty in the rural areas have forced people to move to big towns and cities in search of jobs. This has aggravated the development slums attributed to the high rates of unemployment. Unemployment is a huge challenge in the country as approximately seventy percent of the countrys population are young people below the age of thirty. Though the annual growth of Kenyas economy averages 5 percent annually, the changes in the economy are not felt by the common individuals (Institute of Developmental Studies). Social issues One of the principle economic activities that contributes the highest to the economy include agriculture. This is regardless of the fact that less than twenty percent of Kenyas land surface is viable for agriculture. Some of the crops grown include tea, coffee, rice, and maize. A good number of farmers are also involved in horticulture whereby they produce agricultural products such flowers and French beans for export. Tourism is another economic activity that is considered as a possible factor for reduction of the high poverty levels in the country, earns foreign currency foe the country, creates employment for many Kenyans, and contributes to the economic growth of the country (Valle and Yobesia 402). According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, "nearly half of the countrys 43 million people live below the poverty line or are unable to meet their daily nutritional requirements" (n.p). As mentioned earlier, a huge percentage of poor people are found in the arid and semi-arid areas and this has been largely contributed by frequent droughts and low levels of rainfall all through the year. Sub-Saharan Africas population have been over-burdened by disease basically as a result of poverty and inaccessibility to health care. Similarly, a huge percentage of Kenyas population suffers from a range of preventable medical conditions or diseases. According to the Foundation for Sustainable Development, approximately seven percent of Kenyas population is suffering from HIV/AIDS and this is considered one of the major hindrances to economic development in the country. Many people have been rendered unproductive as a result of HIV/AIDS and other diseases such as malaria. Environmental issues Kenya lies within the equator hence the climatic conditions are tropical. There are two rainy seasons in the country namely the short rains and the long rains. Long rains take place between March and May every year while short rains are experienced between October and December every year. Temperature ranges from as low as 140c to 360c all the year round. It is also imperative to elucidate the fact that Kenya experiences a lot of environmental challenges. The major challenge involve the degradation of the countrys natural resources such as water, forest cover, as well as arable land. This also affects water sources. This is attributed to an increase in population level hence people are forced to look for additional land hence cutting down trees in forested areas. Subsequently, there has been poor implementation of strategies and rules aimed at safeguarding natural resources (European Union 6). Kenyas progress on the UN Millennium Development goals There are eight Millennium Development Goals that were introduced by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) that ought to be accomplished by the year 2015. These goals include "poverty and hunger eradication, achievement of education for all, gender equality, reduction of child mortality, improvement of maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and other illnesses including malaria, environmental sustainability, and also the development of global partnership for development" (UNDP). Kenya as a country has gone a long way in the execution and realization of the Millennium Development goals as a whole. In a bid to achieve education for all in line with the MDGs, Kenya introduced free primary education and this is a remarkable attempt to achieve this goal. In terms of eradication of HIV/AIDS and other diseases such as malaria, Kenya implemented strategies that allowed people living with the disease to access antiretroviral drugs free of charge. This has significantly reduced the burden of HIV/AIDS through the improvement of health status of infected individuals and subsequently elevating the level of continued existence or decreasing death rates associated with this disease. Kenya has also implemented strategies for ensuring gender equality particularly after the implementation of the new constitution that requires a third of all public offices to be held by women. These are some of the goals the country have tried to implement though it is still struggling in implementing some of the goals such as poverty and hunger eradication (UNDP). Works cited European Union. Kenya Country Environment Profile: Final Report. Westlands: ETC East Africa Ltd, 2006. Print. Foundation for Sustainable Development. "Health Issues in Kenya." fsdinternational.org, n.d. Web. 30 April. 2014. Institute for Development Studies. "Social, economic and political context in Kenya." eldis.org, n.d. Web. 30 April. 2014. International Fund for Agricultural Development. "Enabling poor rural people to overcome poverty in Kenya." ifad.org, December. 2013. Web. 30 April. 2014. UNDP. "The Millennium Development Goals: Eight Goals for 2015." undp.org, 2013. Web. 30 April. 2014. USAID & Kenyan Government. "Kenya Population Data Sheet 2011." prb.org, 2011. Web. 30 April. 2014. Valle, Elisabeth, and Yobesia Mark N. "Economic Contribution of Tourism in Kenya." Tourism Analysis 14 (2009): 401-414. Print. Map showing rivers and mountains in Kenya Map showing ports and airports in Kenya Read More