Kenya is governed under the constitution adopted at independence in 1963. Amendments enacted in 1964 made the country a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. It has a modified parliamentary form of government. The constitution was last amended in 1997.

Executive and Legislature

Executive authority in Kenya is exercised by a president—who is both chief of state and head of government—elected for a five-year term by popular vote from the members of the National Assembly. A vice-president and a Cabinet are appointed by the president from members of the unicameral National Assembly (Bunge), the legislative branch of government. The assembly consists of 210 directly elected members plus 12 members who are nominated by the president; the Speaker and Attorney-General are ex-officio members.

Political Parties

The Kenya African National Union (KANU) was the nation’s sole legal political party from 1982 to 1991, though Kenya had, in practice, been a one-party state since 1969. Opposition parties include the three Forum for the Restoration of Democracy parties (FORD-A; FORD-K; and FORD-People), the Democratic parties, the National Development Party (NDP), and Safina.

Judiciary

The Kenyan judicial system consists of two major courts and several lesser tribunals. The major courts are the Kenya court of appeal, with a chief justice and five associate judges; and the high court of Kenya, with seven judges. The lesser tribunals include the resident magistrates’ courts; the district magistrates courts; and the qadi courts, which determine questions of Islamic law.

Local Government

Kenya is divided into seven administrative provinces—Central, Coast, Eastern, North-Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western—as well as the Nairobi area district. Local government matters are handled by provincial advisory councils, whose members are appointed by the president. The provinces are broken down into some 40 districts, all of which have local councils with administrative functions. The higher local authorities are divided into two categories, municipalities and county councils. Below these are various urban councils, township authorities, area councils, and local councils. Although all these groups are responsible to the central government, considerable local autonomy is encouraged within the groups. Many of the councils raise their own revenues to finance public health measures, road and construction projects, and social welfare schemes. They also contribute revenue to local education costs. The Nairobi area is not included in any other district or province but has a special status of its own.

Health and Welfare

In 1999 there were 27,667 people per doctor; around 6 per cent of government expenditure was spent on health care. The country had an infant mortality rate of 68 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2001.

Defence

In 1998 the Kenyan army had a total strength of about 20,500. The navy, which is based in Mombasa, had about 1,200 officers and ratings who operated coastal patrol boats on Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean. The air force, established in 1964, had 2,500 personnel, with 20 combat aircraft and 24 armed helicopters. Military service is voluntary.

International Organizations

Kenya is a member of the UN and the Organization of African Unity, the Commonwealth of Nations.