History
of Kenya : - Kenya is the heart of African safari country,
boasting the most diverse collection of wild animals on the continent. The
first of many genuinely human footprints to be stamped on Kenyan soil were
left way back in 2000 BC by Nomadic Cushitic Tribes from Ethiopia. A second
group followed around 1000 BC and occupied much of central Kenya. The rest
of the ancestors of the country's medley of tribes arrived from all over the
continent between 500 BC and AD 500.
Drawn by the whiff of spices
and money, the Portuguese started sniffing around in the 15th century. After
venturing further and further down the western coast of Africa, Vasco da
Gama finally rounded the Cape of Good Hope and headed up the continent's
eastern coast in 1498. Seven years later, the Portuguese onslaught on the
region began. By the 16th century, most of the indigenous Swahili trading
towns, including Mombasa, had been either sacked or occupied by the
Portuguese - marking the end of the Arab monopoly of the Indian Ocean trade.
The remainder of the 18th century saw the Omani dynasties from the
Persian Gulf dug in along the East African coast. Europeans suddenly
tramping all over Africa in search of fame and fortune, even Kenya's
intimidating interior was forced to give up its secrets to outsiders. It was
downhill from here for the Maasai. As white settlers demanded more fertile
land, the Maasai were herded into smaller reserves. The Kikuyu, a Bantu
agricultural tribe from the highlands west of Mt Kenya, also had vast tracts
of land ripped from under their feet.
White settlement in the early
20th century was initially disastrous, but - once they bothered to learn a
little about the land - the British succeeded in making their colony viable.
Other European settlers soon established coffee plantations and by the 1950s
the white-settler population had reached about 80,000. With little choice
left but to hop on the economic hamster wheel created by the Europeans,
tribes such as the Kikuyu nonetheless maintained their rage. Harry Thuku, an
early leader of the Kikuyu political association, was duly jailed by the
British in 1922. His successor, Johnstone Kamau (later Jomo Kenyatta) was to
become independent Kenya's first president.
As opposition to
colonial rule grew, the Kenya African Union (KAU) emerged and became
strident in its demands. The ensuing Mau Mau Rebellion ended in 1956 with
the defeat of the rebels. The death toll stood at over 13,500 Africans - Mau
Mau guerrillas, civilians and troops - and just over 100 Europeans.
At
the December 2002 elections, KANU was routed by the National Rainbow
Coalition, led my Mwai Mbaki. This has brought about a feeling of new
optimism in the country.
Full
Country Name - Republic of Kenya
Area - 583,000 sq km
Population
- 30,766,000
Capital City - Nairobi
People - 22%
Kikuyu, 14% Luhya, 13% Luo, 12% Kalenjin, 11% Kamba, 6% Kisii, 6% Meru, 16%
other
Languages - English, Swahili, Indigenous.
Religion
- 35% Protestant, 30% Roman Catholic, 30% Muslim, 5% Animist
Government
- Republic ( Multiparty State)
Visas - :- All visitors require a visa except citizens of
some smaller Commonwealth Countries. Apply well in advance for your visa -
especially if doing it by mail.
Time: GMT/UTC
plus three hours
Climate
- The main tourist season is in January and February, since the hot, dry
weather at this time of year is generally considered to be the most
pleasant. June to September could be called the 'shoulder season' as the
weather is still dry. The rains hit from March to May (and to a lesser
extent from October to December).
Currency
- Kenyan Shilling (KSh), divided into 100 cents.
Cities
- Nairobi Kenya's capital is cosmopolitan, For sightseeing, the
National
Museum, Snake Museum and
National Archives are all interesting
and easy to get to. The latter contains far more than the usual dry
documents, and includes painting and handcrafts exhibitions. Just outside
the metropolis is the country's most accessible natural park,
Nairobi
National Park. If you have kids with you, the nearby
Langata Giraffe
Centre makes an entertaining day trip. Mombasa's
Old
Town is testament to this tumultuous era. Filled with ornate wooden
shopfronts and balconies, it's a constant source of delight for the
observant wanderer. The old quarter's most prominent attraction is
Fort
Jesus, which dominates the harbour entrance. A string of great
beaches
dominates the coast just south and north of the town.
Amboseli National
Park At 392 sq km, Amboseli has huge herds of elephants, and to see a
herd of them making their way sedately across the grassy plains.
Lamu
is a place of fantasy and other-worldliness wrapped in a cloak of medieval
romance.
Lamu Museum is an excellent introduction to the town's
culture and history. And if the museum stokes your interest in Swahili
culture then you should also check out the beautifully restored building
nearby housing the
Swahili House Museum. One of Lamu's quirkier
attractions is the
Donkey Sanctuary - no doubt a haven for all those
donkeys seeking political asylum. Taking a trip by dhow is almost
obligatory.
Masai Mara National Reserve The Mara (as the old hands
like to call it) is the most popular wildlife park in Kenya. The western
border of the park is the spectacular
Esoit Olooloo (Siria) Escarpment
and it's at the edge of the park that the concentrations of wildlife are the
highest. Lions are found in large prides everywhere and it's not unusual to
see them hunting. Elephants, buffaloes, zebras, various antelopes and hippos
also exist in large numbers.
Kakamega Forest Reserve It's home to a
huge variety of birds and animals and is well worth the minimal effort
required to get to it. The forest area of the reserve is where you'll find a
number of primate species including the red-tailed monkey, black & white
colobus monkey and the blue monkey.
Hyrax Hill Prehistoric Site Just
outside Nakuru, about 200km north-west of Nairobi, this site first went
under the archeological microscope in 1937. The digs, which continued right
up to the 1980s, indicate three settlements were made here - the earliest
possibly 3000 years ago and the most recent about 200 to 300 years ago. The
large collection of items found in the burial pits on and around the hill
include a real puzzle - six Indian coins, one of them 500 years old, two of
them dating from 1918 and 1919! The site is on the Nairobi road.
Marsabit
National Park & Reserve This northern park is home to Kenya's larger
mammals including lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes,
warthogs, zebras, giraffes, hyenas and gazelles.
Aberdare National Park
This park essentially encloses the moorland and high forest of the 60km-long
Kinangop plateau. Only rarely does this place feature in the itineraries of
safari companies and it's even less visited by individual travellers. There
are also the dramatic
Gura Falls which drop a full 300m, along with
alpine moorland, and the slim chance of seeing a black leopard, elephant,
rhino or bongo (a rare spiral-horned antelope).
Restrictions
- Proof of yellow fever vaccination is rarely checked at the airport,
but is checked at the most borders
