Tessier 1

Robin Tessier

English 191

Wednesday 5-8:20

10 December 2003

Life in Kenya

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Kenya’s Location and Climate

3. Wanjiku

4. Kenya’s People and their Ways of Life

5. Agriculture

6. Education

7. AIDS

8. Government

9. Relations with the United States

10. Animal Life

11. Culture/ Tourism

Tessier 2

12. Conclusion

13. Work Cited

Tessier 3

1. Introduction

In the past when I would think of Kenya I would think of wild animals, African tribes, and AIDS. When I met Wanjiku an international student from Kenya she told me many things about the culture of her country. I know from talking and working with her that they value friendship and believe in hard work.

The people of Kenya have gone though many changes since gaining their independence in 1963. They now have the freedom of speech and religion. Kenya has also increased its educational system by building more schools.

Tourism in Kenya has expanded since 1963. People travel to Kenya because it is such a beautiful country and has the most spectacular wild life. I attended African night here at Saint Cloud State University and saw beautiful native clothing and tasted many wonderful foods. During the evening the guest speaker Dr. Richard Tweneboah spoke about the AIDS epidemic and how it was affecting Africa.

You can not think of Kenya without thinking of AIDS. Since the first case was reported in 1984 there has been 2.2 million people infected with this horrible disease. Kenya can not fight this disease alone because it is such a huge problem. They need the help of other countries. The United States has agreed to help with the fight against AIDS. Already this disease has hurt the economy and left nearly a million children without parents. People who are infected with AIDS can not find work because many

employers are testing for HIV and refuse to hire those that test positive. AIDS effects all ages and levels of society and should not be ignored and must be faced head on.

Tessier 4

From the economy to its culture Kenya has felt the devastating results of the AIDS epidemic (Africa Association for the Reduction, Intervention, and Care of AIDS A.F.R.I.C.A.).

2. Kenya’s Location and Climate

Kenya is situated right along the equator, on the eastern coast of Africa. Its coastal region is southeast, and to the east lays Somalia. Ethiopia is to the north, the Sudan to the northwest, and Uganda directly to the west. The southwestern border of the country is marked by Lake Victoria, and southward lays Tanzania.

Kenya’s coastal area is hot and humid tropical region. Beautiful sandy beaches, lagoons and swamps, and patches of rain forest line the coast. Inland, a vast plains area stretches over about three-fourths of Kenya. Its extremely dry climate and generally poor soil support only scattered plant life. The highlands in the southwest receive enough rainfall and offer enough fertile soil to support extensive farming (“Kenya”).

3. Wanjiku

Wanjiku is an International student from Kenya. She is different from many of the students that I have met on campus she is older that most she is 33 years old and married with a child. She is from Kerugoya, which is in Kenya. I have learned many things from Wanjiku. She is so willing to share information about her home country. Wanjiku is married to Pharis who is 50 years old and is also from Kerugoya.

Tessier 5

Their little boy is about a year and half now his name is Mugo. Wanjiku had Mugo in the United States. She had already applied to come to Saint Cloud State University when she found out she was pregnant. Her decision was very difficult as to whether to continue with her plans or stay in Kenya and have Mugo. She knew that an education is very important and that is why she decided to continue with her plans. Her decision to attend Saint Cloud State University was due to the fact that she has friends in Minneapolis attending school and that SCSU offers International Students in state tuition.

Wanjiku is a devoted Christian. She loves to watch TBN TV which is a Christian based channel. She feels strongly about her faith and feels that homosexuality is wrong and that American schools should be teaching Christian morals. More than 65 percent of Kenya’s people are Christians.

4. Kenya’s People and their Ways of Life

Kenya’s population is 31,069,000. Nairobi, Kenya’s largest city has about 1,162,000 people. About three-fourths of Kenya’s people live in the rural areas, about one-fourth live in urban areas (“Kenya”).

Kenya national language is Swahili although English is spoken throughout. Kenyans involved in the tourist trade speak English however it is good to have a working knowledge of Swahili. In total there are 42 ethnic languages in Kenya. There are more than 70 tribal groups among the Africans in Kenya (“Kenya”).

Tessier 6

The Swahili language has special resonance for African Americans. During the Black Panther era of the 1960s, black cultural nationalist such as Amiri Baraka and Maulana Karenga decreed that black Americans could not truly be free until we learned an African language, so as to escape the racism “encoded” in English. The African language they proposed was Swahili. The one African word known to more African Americans than any other must be kwanza, the Swahili word to which Karenga turned to name the “African” holiday that he invented as alternative to Christmas. Even on the original Star Trek television series, the sole black person in space was an African named Uhura, derived from the Swahili word for freedom (Gates 151). Wanjiku speaks English, Swahili, and Kekuyu. She enjoys communicating with the deaf and has learned both Kenya and American Sign Language.

Most of Kenya’s rural people live on small farm settlements, raising crops and livestock for a living. Many of these rural farm families must struggle to produce enough food for their own use. But others grow enough to offer their extra produce

for sale. Wanjiku's family grew and sold coffee and tea, they were also able to grow all their food for their large family.

Most of the country's urban people work in stores, factories, and business or government offices. Most urban Kenyans keep close ties with their rural friends and relatives through regular visits and letters (“Kenya”). Wanjiku keeps in contact with her family and friends by email on daily basics. She is also in regular contact with those sisters and brothers that have cell phones. She calls her parents once a month

Tessier 7

and talks with all that do not have cell phones or the internet. She talks for no less then an hour because there are so many to talk to and catch up.

Kenyans place much value on large families. Wanjiku is a good example of that with six brothers and three sisters. Her brothers and sisters age 38 to 16. Wanjiku’s father Njeru and mother Wangari are retired farmer. They own 12 acres of land and their cash crop was coffee and tea. They also grew many different fruits and vegetables for their family.

5. Agriculture

Agricultural activity in Kenya is divided about equally between the production of cash crops and subsistence crops. Cash crops are products raised for sale. Subsistence crops are those raised by farmers for their own use.

Coffee and tea are Kenya’s chief cash crops and its most important source of income. Other cash crops include cashews, cotton, pineapples, and sugar cane. Tea flourishes in the highlands and is picked every 14 days all year-round. Kenya is the largest producer in Africa and the world’s foremost exporter (Reader 30).

6. Education

Kenya’s children are not required to attend school by law. But large numbers of Kenya’s parents value education as key to a better life for their children. About 80 percent of the children receive at least an elementary education.

Since independence, Kenya’s government has greatly increased the number of schools in response to demands for educational opportunities by the people. Today the government operates schools in most parts of the country. In addition, groups of

Tessier 8

private citizens have set up schools in many places that have not government schools. These schools are called self-help, or harambee, schools. Harambee is a Swahili word means pulling together. Education is free for students in government elementary schools. The students in high schools and all students in harambee schools must pay tuition.

Kenya has three national schools of higher education. They are the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University in Nairobi, and Moi University in Eldoret. Several private colleges and institutes of higher education also operate in Kenya (“Kenya”).

6. AIDS

According to the Association for the Reduction, Intervention, and care of AIDS

(A.F.R.I.C.A.) Kenya’s first AIDS case was reported in 1984 and marked the beginning of a new era in Kenya’s history.  Since its first case, AIDS case grown

exponentially in Kenya, such that approximately 2.2 million people are infected with the virus and around 1.5 million Kenyans have died due to AIDS-related causes since 1984. With nearly 15% of the population infected with HIV, the Kenyan government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), charities and international organizations have taken steps to educate the public on how to prevent the spread of AIDS and the actual causes and effects of the disease.  Though the infection rate seems to have stabilized, the life expectancy in Kenya has fallen to a mere 45 years old.  In recent years, the government has taken a more proactive approach in acknowledging the extent of the problem and facing the issue head on.  In 2001, legislation was passed making the importation and production of generic anti-AIDS drugs legal in Kenya.  In

Tessier 9

2000, President Moi formed the National AIDS Control Council which studied how the government could affect the spread of AIDS.  President Moi declared the disease a national disaster and made public statements approving the use of condoms and AIDS education.  AIDS has had a huge impact on the economy as major corporations are reluctant to invest in a population where many of the workers are at risk for or are already infected with HIV.  Many companies have begun to require HIV testing and refuse to hire HIV positive applicants. With nearly a million children orphaned by AIDS, many young hopefuls do not receive the education they need to get ahead as they are forced to leave school and get a job to support themselves once their parents are gone.  AIDS has effected all ages and levels of society to such an extent that it can

not be ignored and must be faced immediately. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the AIDS epidemic to combat is the stigma which surrounds AIDS sufferers.  Because AIDS was initially associated with prostitution, and because community and government leaders refused to discuss the issue in public, AIDS has become a disease of shame.  AIDS sufferers become outcasts and are shunned.  The daily obituaries never include AIDS as the cause of death; rather “natural causes” tend to refer to those who died from the disease.  Recently, local political, community and religious groups have made pledges to increase awareness and support in the prevention of AIDS as well as to discuss the disease and try to eliminate the stigma surrounding those who carry it. Today Muslim and Christian leaders are joining in the fight against AIDS.  By discussing the disease in places of worship, schools, meetings and public events, there will be increased understanding and tolerance (A.F.R.I.C.A.).

Tessier 10

8. Government

Kenya is a republic. Its Constitution, adopted in 1963, grants the people such rights as freedom of speech and religion. Kenyan citizens 18 years of age or older may vote in elections. Kenya has a president who assisted by about 20 Cabinet ministers heads Kenya. Each Cabinet minister heads an executive department of the government. The country’s vice president is a member of the Cabinet. A National Assembly that has 200 voting members makes Kenya laws. Kenya’s voters elect the president and 188 members of the members of the National Assembly to five years terms. The president appoints 12 Assembly members and selects the vice president and other Cabinet ministers. Cabinet members are normally selected from among the members of the Assembly. Candidates for the presidency must run for a seat in the National Assembly at the same time as they run for the office of president. To become president, one must win both elections. Armed forces of Kenya include an army, an air force and a small navy and coastal patrol. About 14,000 people serve in the armed forces. All military service is voluntary.

Kenya’s political history has been rocky at best, and with the growth of AIDS, the government faced yet another obstacle in maintaining stability. Throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, as AIDS cases grew, the Kenyan government tried to downplay the issue and avoided taking on aggressive campaigns to increase education and awareness. Because the country was heavily dependent on foreign tourism, the government did not want to hurt Kenya’s image by making it appear unsafe for travel. There were specific campaigns targeted at high-risk groups, such as prostitutes, making it seem that the disease was limited to only that sector. Similarly, being under one-party rule, the public agenda was set by President Moi alone, as he faced no opposition. Even today, the country’s AIDS program falls under the office of the President, as opposed to the Ministry of Health. Kenya receives massive amounts of foreign aid and, thus, the government is oriented towards central policy-making controlled by a few beaurocrats. Until recently, the government was unwilling to take the appropriate steps to fully resist the spread of the disease. In the last three years there have been major improvements in how the government has addressed the AIDS crisis. A legal was developed in 2001 to address the issues of AIDS in government. The task force came out with a report in August of the same year that addressed issues such as doctor-patient confidentiality, human rights, scientific research, parent-child transmission, drug trials, and various strategies and policies the government could undertake to fight the scourge. The task force has urged the government to establish a legal framework to protect the individual and prevent the spread of AIDS, such as whether it should mandatory for pregnant mothers to receive and take free retroviral treatment. Yet the issue of doctor-patient confidentiality has arisen, since officials and researchers have run across cases of intentional infection. The National AIDS Control Council has asked that confidentiality be waived after a 90-day period, and spouses or partners can be informed of the results. AIDS testing has become more available since the disease was declared a national disaster in 2001. Voluntary counseling and testing centers (VCTs) have been established all over the nation, where two drops of blood and fifteen minutes are all that are necessary to determine HIV status. AZT, the typical drug used by developed nations to treat the disease, is out of reach for most Kenyans.

Tessier 12

However, research for AIDS vaccines is under funded. While vaccination would be the easiest and most cost effective form of AIDS prevention and treatment, most research done for such vaccines is based on European or American strains, while the biggest outbreaks of the disease are in Africa and Asia (A.F.R.I.C.A.).

7. Relations with the United States

On October 6, 2003 President Kibaki came to the United States to meet with President Bush. The two Leaders discussed the alliance in the war on terror. In Nairobi and Mombasa and beyond, terrorists have made Kenya a battleground. President Kibaki affirmed the fact that the Kenyan people refuse to live in fear. Kenyans security forces has disrupted terror operations and has arrested suspected terrorists. Earlier this year, President Bush announced $100 million counter terrorism initiative to provided East Africa with training, equipment and assistance to strengthen the security of those nations in East Africa. Kenya is our key partner in this initiative, and its government clearly has the will to fight terror-and our government will continue to give the people the help they will need to combat the problem.

President Bush discussed a deep commitment to waging a broad, effective effort against the AIDS virus, which afflicts nearly 30 million people on the African continent. In Kenya alone, some one million children have been orphaned due to AIDS. The United States is Kenya's largest bilateral donor in the fight against AIDS. Our support will grow under America’s emergency plan for AIDS relief, which has

Tessier 13

committed to spending $15 billion over five years in an effort to turn the tide against this disease.

President Bush also told President Kibaki that the United States stands with Kenya work on modernizing the economy. Trade and growth are the only sure ways

to lift people and nations out of poverty. It is important to keep American's markets open to African goods and to increasing commercial ties with African nations. Kenya is one of America's most important economic partners in Africa. American investment in Kenya totals more the $285 million and trade between the two countries total $400 million per year.

10. Animal Life

Kenya is known for the great variety of its wildlife and is especially famous for its big game animals associated with the African savanna. The major big game species include elephants, rhinoceroses, zebras, giraffes, and lions and other large cats. Although many of these species are protected in national parks and game reserves, hunters have severely reduced the number of large mammals in Kenya, particularly elephants and rhinoceroses. Kenya’s rhinoceroses are critically endangered. Birds including ostriches, flamingos, and vultures abound in Kenya, as do reptiles such as pythons, mambas, and cobras.

11. Culture and Tourism

Kenya’s ethnic diversity has produced a variety and richness of cultural forms that reflect African, Asian, and European influences. Visual arts are not highly

Tessier 14

important in contemporary Kenya, although varieties of wood and clay sculptures are produced for the tourist trade.

Distinctive forms of music and dance are associated with each of Kenya’s ethnic groups, and traditional music has flourished since independence. Kenya also has a thriving industry in popular music, which combines Western and African, influences. Most of Kenya’s major libraries and museums are located in Nairobi. These include the McMillan Memorial Library: Memorial Library: the University of Nairobi Library: the Kenya National Archives, which includes a small museum: and the National Museum, which features historical and cultural exhibits. The Museum

of Fort Jesus in Mombasa, featuring archaeological and historical artifacts from the coast is the most significant museum outside the Nairobi.

Tourism in Kenya has expanded dramatically since 1963, and since 1989 it has been the country’s leading source of foreign currency. Kenya’s main tourist destinations are the beaches along the Indian Ocean coast: national parks and game reserves, such as Tsavo National Park and Amboseli National Park: and museums and historical sites.

12. Conclusion

Although Kenya has made economic progress since independence it still faces major problems. Only about a fifth of its land is suitable for farming, and its population is growing at a rapid rate. Kenya has increased its industry and tourism to lessen its heavy economic reliance on agriculture (“Kenya”).

Tessier 15

AIDS has had a huge impact on the economy, as major corporations are reluctant to invest in a population where many of the workers are at risk for or are already infected with HIV. Many companies require HIV testing and refuse to hire those who test positive. Since the first case was reported in 1984 nearly a million children have been orphaned. Religious leaders are seeing this disease not just as a disease that affects prostitutes and drug addicts but one that affects all walks of life and are talking openly in churches, schools and public meeting places. With research and education there is hope for Kenya’s future.

When I interviewed Wanjiku we did not discuss the AIDS epidemic so I did not get her view of what is happening with AIDS in her home country. What I did get from our interview is that her faith is strong and that she believes that we should being teaching Christian morals in our schools. Wanjiku comes from a large family and was raised to work hard. I really enjoyed interviewing Wanjiku she is bright and cheerful and always looks for the good in all people.

Now when I think of Kenya I still think of AIDS, wild animals and African tribes but now think of many other things such as good food, beautiful clothing and a strong religious faith. AIDS has been declared a national disaster and with the help of other countries Kenya will not have to fight this disease alone.

Tessier 16

13. Work Cited

Africa Association for the Reduction, Intervention, and Care of AIDS.

AIDS in Kenya. 2003 30 Nov2003 <http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/

~nairobi/AIDSinKenya.html>

Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State. President Bush, Kenya

Kibaki Discuss State Visit. 2003. 12 Nov 2003 <http://www.state.gov/p/af/rls/prsrl/24988.htm>

Gates, Henry Louis. Wonders of the African World. United States. Alfred A. Knopf. 1999: 151

"Kenya" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. 2002.

"Kenya" The World Book Encyclopedia. 2002.

Reader, John. Africa. Washington DC: National Geographic. 2001: 30