Kenya

E

Energy

Since World War II hydroelectric power projects have been developed to meet the increasing demand for power. In 1993 Kenya had an installed electricity-generating capacity of about 810,000 kW, two thirds from hydroelectric power stations. Annual production of electricity in 2003 was approximately 4.3 billion kWh.

F

Currency and Banking

The monetary unit is the Kenya shilling of 100 cents (65.86 shillings equalled US$1; early 2008). The bank of issue is the Central Bank of Kenya.

G

Commerce and Trade

Kenya usually spends considerably more each year on imports than it earns from exports; in 2004 annual imports were valued at US$4,566 million and exports at US$2,686 million. Exports went principally to Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uganda. Major exports include coffee (the largest cash crop), tea, petroleum products, canned pineapple, hides and skins, sisal, soda ash, and pyrethrum extract (used in insecticides). Imports came mainly from the United Kingdom, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan, and include crude petroleum, industrial machinery, motor vehicles, iron and steel, agricultural implements, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizers.

H

Labour

In 1994 about 1.47 million people were employed in Kenya’s formal economy; more than 50 per cent worked in service industries, about 18 per cent in agriculture and forestry, and about 18 per cent in manufacturing and construction. The vast majority of the country’s estimated 10.3 million economically active people, however, works outside the formal sector, either as subsistence farmers and herders, or within the informal sector of small-scale traders, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs.

I

Transport

Kenya is served by the Kenya Railways Corporation, which operates about 1,917 km (1,191 mi) of track; the domestic network links into the Ugandan and Tanzanian systems. Kenya has a road network of about 63,265 km (39,311 mi); 14 per cent of this is paved. In 2004 there were 9 passenger cars per 1,000 people. Mombasa is the chief port and serves Uganda and Ethiopia as well as Kenya. Steamer services are maintained on Lake Victoria, with connections to Albert and Kyoga lakes in Uganda. The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi is a major terminus for Kenya Airways, which has been privatized, and other international airlines. Moi International Airport is located at Mombasa.