Country Profile
From The Report: Kenya 2014
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Kenya has a population of approximately 44m, with a growth rate of 2.11% in 2014, and more than one-third of the populace – 42.9% – is classified as under 14 years of age. While services are the largest GDP contributor, accounting for over 50% of economic activity, the country also has an extremely developed agricultural sector. Although it has been through its fair share of ups and downs, including outbreaks of violent unrest and high levels of poverty and unemployment, Kenya has enjoyed a spell of encouraging developments in recent years, including the discovery of new reserves of oil and water, and the passage of a new constitution. Devolution represents the most significant reform to Kenya’s political institutions since independence in 1963, although it has been a constant construct of national political dialogue over the past half-century.

This chapter contains interviews with President Uhuru Kenyatta; Richard Sezibera, Secretary-General, East African Community (EAC); Nicholas Westcott, Managing Director for Africa, European External Action Service; and Mark Simmonds, Former Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, British Foreign & Commonwealth Office; as well as a viewpoint from Gao Hucheng, Chinese Minister of Commerce.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Recent stability bodes well for continued economic expansion
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As one of the continent's heavyweight diplomatic players, and one of the largest economies in East Africa, Kenya has long served as a stepping stone for investors looking to expand deeper into Africa. In spite of its modest natural resources, the country has a comparatively diversified economy that has posted steady expansion in recent years. Although it saw a slowdown during the 2008 economic crisis and post-election riots, it avoided contraction and has since seen a regular increase in growth.…

Overview

All change: From the one-party state of the past to the constitutional reforms of the present
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Kenya’s recent political history is defined in part by robust elections, but that was not always the case. For much of the 1980s, for example, the country was officially a one-party state. However, the gradual liberalisation of the political system in the 1990s, combined with more recent reforms, have helped pave the way for a more inclusive and devolved form of governance – all under a new constitution which was approved in the 2010 referendum with a 67% vote. Post-Independence Kenya’s 1963…

Interview

Concrete measures: OBG talks to President Uhuru Kenyatta
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Interview:President Uhuru Kenyatta What are the challenges to the implementation of Kenya’s Vision 2030 development plan? PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA: It is clear that Kenya has occasionally had governance problems in the past, especially where projects of this magnitude are concerned. Money has been wasted through inefficiency, corruption and poor planning. The challenge for us is to make sure that our ambitions are not damaged by incompetence, inefficiency or corruption. That is why we are…

Viewpoint

Gao Hucheng, Chinese Minister of Commerce, on economic and trade cooperation between China and Kenya
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In the second decade of the 21st century, China and Kenya have seen high economic growth, with promising development prospects. China has adequate funds, well-developed technology and equipment, and the capacity to provide aid. Kenya has remarkable strengths, exuberant market demands and a determined resolution for development. Both countries face the task of adjusting their economic structure, transforming growth patterns, and have urgent demands in fields like power, railway, aviation and energy.…

Overview

Unique character: A land of diversity with a long history and growing economy
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Kenya, in many ways, is a country so diverse and multifaceted that it is difficult to sum up in a single sentence. It is among other things: one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations; an economic heavyweight with diplomatic clout; a storied trading post along the Indian Ocean; a country of incredible natural beauty and wealth; and a nation of rich ethnic and linguistic diversity. It has been through its fair share of ups and downs, including outbreaks of violent unrest and high levels…

Interview

OBG talks to Richard Sezibera, Secretary-General, East African Community (EAC)
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Interview:Richard Sezibera What are the risks of the current timeframes set for developing the EAC Monetary Union? RICHARD SEZIBERA: The Monetary Union Protocol was signed in 2013, and it sets out a 10-year roadmap to a single currency for East Africa. Most importantly, it provides for fiscal, financial and monetary policy harmonisation. Partner states have agreed on critical macroeconomic convergence criteria. Work on fiscal, financial and monetary harmonisation is ongoing. The EAC has introduced…

Interview

Mapping the challenges: OBG talks to Nicholas Westcott, Managing Director for Africa, European External Action Service
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Interview:Nicholas Westcott To what extent will the EU’s approach to its African partners shift away from an aid-based relationship? NICHOLAS WESTCOTT: A key theme of the recent EU-Africa Summit in Brussels was the importance of shifting the relationship between our continents from one based on aid to one focused on trade and investment. While the EU has pledged €28bn of aid over the 2014-20 period, the volume of trade and investment in Africa is also increasing, with EU-Africa trade…

Analysis

A regional emphasis: Devolving power to county governments in an effort to redistribute wealth and resources
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Devolution represents the most significant reform to Kenya’s political institutions since independence in 1963, although it has been a constant construct of national political dialogue over the past half-century. British resistance to devolution, mainly to protect settler interests and those of allied tribes, gave way to provincial devolution post-independence, but failed to provide the necessary political engagement and empowerment demanded by the Kenyan people. Granted under Chapter 11 (Articles…

Interview

OBG talks to Mark Simmonds, Former Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, British Foreign & Commonwealth Office
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Interview:Mark Simmonds What opportunities exist for increased bilateral investment between Kenya and the UK? MARK SIMMONDS: The UK government has identified oil and gas, along with the development of the Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor linking northern Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia, as two important high-value opportunities. In addition, financial services and ICT hold huge potential given Nairobi’s emerging role as a regional hub. Several of the UK’s large blue chip…