Kenya
Kenya has been an independent state since 1963, after the decolonization of British East Africa. The country is crossed by the equator and is bordered to the north by Ethiopia, to the northwest by South Sudan, to the west by Uganda, to the south by Tanzania and to the east by Somalia. To the southeast it is bordered by the Indian Ocean. Its population is about 55 million and the official languages are Swahili and English.
Kenya has achieved a significant level of political stability and economic development, becoming the economic hub of the region. In addition, the country has played a valuable mediation role in crises in neighbouring countries, such as Somalia, Sudan and, more recently, Ethiopia.
The very complex situation in southern Somalia, where al-Shabaab carries out most of its terrorist activities, is the main source of concern for Kenya, which has been targeted by numerous terrorist attacks since three decades ago. Since 2012, Kenya has been a major contributor to AMISOM, the African Union stabilisation mission in Somalia.
Although still affected by severe poverty, Kenya's economy can be considered the largest and most developed in Eastern and Central Africa. In the past few years, overall trade between Kenya and Italy has been characterised by a high imbalance in favour of the latter. Italian exports to Kenya include: aircraft, industrial machinery, chemicals, food and household appliances. Kenya’s exports to Italy include: rawhide, skins and leather; fruits and vegetables; plants, bulbs and cut flowers. Italy has also heavily invested in the tourism sector.
Relations between Italy and Kenya are very good. The Italian community in Kenya is the second largest in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, Italy and Kenya signed a debt conversion agreement, under which several projects have been launched in support of vulnerable populations.
On 21 April, the President of the Republic of Kenya, William Samoei Ruto, participated in an event organized by the Med-Or Italian Foundation at the Luiss University campus in Rome. The meeting reaffirmed Med-Or’s commitment to fostering structured dialogue and innovative projects with African countries, with particular emphasis on Kenya’s role as a privileged partner.
Now in its third edition and jointly organized by Italy and Kenya, the event brought together over 30 space-sector leaders from 17 African countries.
| Head of state | William Ruto |
| Head of Government | William Ruto (Since 2013, the president coincides with the head of government) |
| Institutional Form | Presidential Republic |
| Capital | Nairobi |
| Legislative Power | Bicameral Parliament (National Assembly, 350 seats – Senate 68 seats) |
| Judicial Power | Supreme Court (7 judges) |
| Ambassador to Italy | Frederick Lusambili Matwan'ga |
| Total Area kmq | 580.000 km2 |
| Land | 569.000 km2 |
| Weather | Tropical along the coasts, arid in inland areas |
| Natural resources | Limestone, sodium, salt, gemstones, zinc, gypsum, diatomite, hydroelectricity |
| Economic summary | Kenya is the main economic, financial and transport hub of East Africa. The main sector remains agriculture, followed by tourism. Despite an average GDP growth of about 5% per year, the Kenyan economy presents some serious problems that limit its development, in particular high levels of unemployment, widespread corruption and lack of infrastructure. Kenya is also often victim of terrorist attacks. |
| GDP | $ 110 billion (Dec 2021) |
| Pro-capite GDP (Purchasing power parity) | $ 1643 (Dec 2021) |
| Exports | $11,5 billion (2019) |
| Export partner | Uganda 10%, United States 9%, Netherlands 8%, Pakistan 7%, United Kingdom 6%, United Arab Emirates 6%, Tanzania 5% (2019) |
| Imports | $ 10.4 billion (2019) |
| Import partner | China 24%, United Arab Emirates 10%, India 10%, Saudi Arabia 7%, Japan 5% (2019) |
| Trade With Italy | $234 million (2021) |
| Population | 55 million (2022) |
| Population Growth | + 2.12% (2022) |
| Ethnicities | Kikuyu 17.1%, Luhya 14.3%, Kalenjin 13.4%, Luo 10.7%, Kamba 9.8%, Somali 5.8%, Kisii 5.7%, Mijikenda 5.2% , Meru 4.2%, Maasai 2.5%, Turkana 2.1% |
| Languages | English and Kiswahili (official). Various indigenous languages are also spoken |
| Religions | Christians 85.5% (mainly Protestants, Catholics and Evangelicals), Muslims 10.9%. |
| Urbanization | 29% (2022) |
| Literacy | 81,5 % |
Kenya has been an independent state since 1963, after the decolonization of British East Africa. The country is crossed by the equator and is bordered to the north by Ethiopia, to the northwest by South Sudan, to the west by Uganda, to the south by Tanzania and to the east by Somalia. To the southeast it is bordered by the Indian Ocean. Its population is about 55 million and the official languages are Swahili and English.
Kenya has achieved a significant level of political stability and economic development, becoming the economic hub of the region. In addition, the country has played a valuable mediation role in crises in neighbouring countries, such as Somalia, Sudan and, more recently, Ethiopia.
The very complex situation in southern Somalia, where al-Shabaab carries out most of its terrorist activities, is the main source of concern for Kenya, which has been targeted by numerous terrorist attacks since three decades ago. Since 2012, Kenya has been a major contributor to AMISOM, the African Union stabilisation mission in Somalia.
Although still affected by severe poverty, Kenya's economy can be considered the largest and most developed in Eastern and Central Africa. In the past few years, overall trade between Kenya and Italy has been characterised by a high imbalance in favour of the latter. Italian exports to Kenya include: aircraft, industrial machinery, chemicals, food and household appliances. Kenya’s exports to Italy include: rawhide, skins and leather; fruits and vegetables; plants, bulbs and cut flowers. Italy has also heavily invested in the tourism sector.
Relations between Italy and Kenya are very good. The Italian community in Kenya is the second largest in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, Italy and Kenya signed a debt conversion agreement, under which several projects have been launched in support of vulnerable populations.
