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Country Profile Kenya

Located in east Africa, on the equator and bordering the Indian Ocean, Kenya is one of many African nations that are adopting a place in the world economy as a top tourist destination. The service industry of Kenya accounts for approximately 62 percent of its GDP, most of this being through tourism. Even though these services are the main source of income for Kenya, 75 percent of the labor force still works in agriculture, creating a potentially volatile situation.

There are more than 40 million people in Kenya, though only 22 percent of them live in urban areas. This puts Kenya at almost half of the regional average in this area. The per capita income is $1570, compared to regional numbers of $2561. Kenya still has a very small industrial base and most of its people subsist on low-paying service jobs and agricultural work.

Life expectancy in Kenya is about ten percent higher than the surrounding areas. Contraceptive use is almost double the regional average and smoking among men is on the rise, with more than 25 percent of males said to be smokers. These are common signs of a modernizing effect taking hold on the country’s culture and traditions.

Medical expenditures have seen some increase in recent years, but still remain low at around one-third of the regional average. Skilled medical personnel number 1.4 doctors and 11.8 nurses and midwives per ten-thousand people. This is slightly below the regional average for doctors and slightly higher for nurses and midwives. Despite fair numbers, Kenya’s health sector is plagued with problems, included a poorly trained workforce and weak leadership.

Infant mortality is lower than the regional average of 127 deaths per 1,000 live births, at 84 deaths per 1,000 live births. There has been some decline in these numbers recently, though not much. The disparity between rich and poor shows that poor children are 40 percent more likely to die before age 5 than wealthier children. Maternal mortality is much better than the surrounding areas, at nearly one-sixth of the average for the region. There are still many problems with malnutrition, and approximately 35 percent of children suffer from stunted growth. Kenya’s reliance on a large agricultural base often creates mass starvation among the poor when environmental factors affect output.

The number of skilled births in Kenya is just below the regional average at 44 percent. Wealth and location play a huge part of this, as those in urban areas are two times more likely to receive this service than those in rural areas and the wealthiest are four times more likely than the poorest.

The prevalence of HIV in Kenya is 50 percent higher than the regional average and around eight times higher than global numbers. Immunization rates have also fallen, but are still greater than the regional average. Disease presents a major obstacle to Kenya’s future growth.

Availability of clean drinking water in urban areas has fallen recently, from 90 to 80 percent. In rural areas, however, this number has risen from 30 to 50 percent in the last 20 years. Proper sanitation still remains a problem in both urban and rural sectors, rising only five percent over the last two decades.

Tourism may be providing jobs for some of Kenya’s people, but does not help with the massive amount of poverty and lack of infrastructure. Most of the country consists of an agricultural workforce with little access to health services due to poverty and location. If Kenya can transition to a more diverse economy, it may be able to overcome many of the problems that it faces and raise the standard of living for its entire people.