About Leken's Country

North of the equator, Kenya is hot and dry. South of the equator are the humid coast, the temperate highlands and tropical Lake Victoria. Volcanic mountains and the Great Rift Valley occupy the west. read more...Although the highlands around Nairobi are fertile, only 11 percent of Kenya's land is farmed. The majority of rural farmers and herders represent more than 40 ethnic groups. Forty-five percent are Protestant, 33 percent are Catholic, 10 percent are Muslim and the rest practice indigenous beliefs. English and Swahili are the official languages. Compassion works mostly in south-central Kenya. Before the coming of the Europeans, Kenya was peopled by waves of cattle-herding African clans. The coastal areas were also home to Arab traders. The Portuguese, Dutch and British, who gained control in 1896, later targeted this trade. During World War I, Kenya served as a British base of operations against the Germans in East Africa. After the Kikuyu-led Mau Mau Rebellion of the early 1950s, Kenya gained independence in 1963 and Jomo Kenyatta became its leader. Self-rule continued in 1978 when President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi took power in a constitutional succession. President Moi stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai Kibaki was elected president for a five-year term. He was re-elected in 2007 after controversial elections that resulted in violence, leaving over 1,000 people dead. A coalition government was formed, putting a halt to the violence.