Almost 99 per cent of Kenya's population is black African. The country also has small numbers of Asians, Europeans, and Arabs. The black Africans are divided into more than 30 ethnic groups belonging to four linguistic families—Bantu, Nilotic, Paranilotic, and Cushitic. The largest ethnic groups are the Bantu-speaking Kikuyu (22 per cent of the population), Luhya (14 per cent), and Kamba (11 per cent); the Nilotic-speaking Luo (13 per cent); and the Paranilotic-speaking Kalenjin (12 per cent).

Population Characteristics

The population of Kenya (2001 estimate) is 30,765,916, giving an overall population density of about 53 people per sq km (137 per sq mi). The population was increasing at the very rapid rate of 3.5 per cent annually in the early 1980s; the rate in 2001 was 1.27 per cent. About 68 per cent of the people live in rural areas (1999 estimate). Average life expectancy in 2001 was 46.6 years for males and 48.4 years for females. Collecting population statistics has been complicated by the large-scale movement of nomadic groups and of the influx of Somali refugees across the border.

Principal Cities

Nairobi, with a population of 1,810,000 (1995 estimate), is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The main seaport is Mombasa, population 465,000 (1989), built mostly on an offshore island of the same name. Other important cities are Kisumu, 185,100 (1989), a port city on Lake Victoria and capital of Nyanza province; Nakuru, 150,000 (1991 estimate), the capital of Rift Valley Province; and Eldoret, 104,900 (1989), a rail centre north-east of Kisumu.

Religion

The population of Kenya is about 38 per cent Protestant, 28 per cent Roman Catholic, and 6 per cent Muslim. The remaining people are largely followers of various traditional religions.

Language

Nearly all the African ethnic groups in Kenya have their own distinct languages, some of which are closely related. The official language is Swahili, which has become a major African language since the early 20th century. Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya and English are also widely used.

Education

Education is compulsory in Kenya, the first eight years of primary school are provided free by the government. In 1993 some 5.4 million pupils attended about 15,800 primary schools with a teaching staff of more than 173,000, and some 517,500 students attended more than 2,600 secondary and teacher-training schools staffed by some 18,400 teachers.

Kenya has five universities: the University of Nairobi (founded 1956) and Kenyatta University (1972), both in Nairobi; Egerton University (1939), in Nakuru; Moi University (1984), in Eldoret; and the Jomo Kenyatta University College of Agriculture and Technology. Specialized colleges included Mombasa Polytechnic (1948) in Mombasa; and the Kenya Conservatoire of Music (1944), Kenya Polytechnic (1961), and Strathmore College (1960) in Nairobi. Some 88,000 students were enrolled at higher education level. Adult literacy in 2001 was 95.4 per cent. In 1996, 6.5 per cent of the country's gross national product (GNP) was spent on education.

Culture

Many of Kenya's foremost cultural institutions are in either Nairobi or Mombasa. In Nairobi are the National Museums of Kenya, which include exhibits on natural history and geology; the Kenya National Archives; and the McMillan Memorial Library, with a special collection of Africana. In Mombasa is the Fort Jesus Museum, a history museum housed in a 16th-century Portuguese fort. The Kitale Museum features displays on scientific and historical topics.