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Section 1: Introduction

Social, Economic and Political Situation of Kenya

The Republic of Kenya, formerly known as British East Africa, lies across the Equator, in eastern Africa, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. With a population of 32.8 million (UN, 2005), Kenya has more than 40 ethnic groups including: Kikuyu 21%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 11%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 5%, Asian, European and Arab 1%. (U.S. Department of State - Kenya 08/07). The infant mortality rate is 115/1,000 and life expectancy is age 49.

The exact number of people with disabilities in Kenya is not known. Using the United Nation’s conservative estimate that at least 10% of all countries’ populations have a disability would mean that at least 3,280,000 Kenyan’s fall within this population group. Evidence shows that road traffic injuries are rapidly emerging as a leading cause of death and disability at rates far exceeding those in developed countries (Yitambe 2004). Malaria is also a major cause of childhood death and disability in Kenya as in many other African countries (American Red Cross).

English is the country’s official language while Kiswahili is the national language. This means that government and education are conducted in English, while everything else tends to be in Swahili. In actuality, a large part of government is also conducted in Swahili. In addition to these two languages, most Kenyans also speak a local ethnic language of which there are over 40 spoken in the country.

Kenyan spiritual/religious beliefs incorporate: Protestant 40%, Roman Catholic 30% and Muslim 20%. Others (Hinduism, Baha’I, and indigenous.) 10%.

The standard of living in the city and major towns, once relatively high compared to much of sub-Saharan Africa, has been declining in recent years. Most city workers retain links with their rural, extended families and leave the city periodically to help work on the family farm. Approximately 75% of the country’s work force is engaged in agriculture, mainly as subsistence farmers. Fifty six percent of the Kenyan population lives below the poverty line. There is a high drop out rate of children from school. Moreover, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a significant impact. In 2005, Kenya ranked 154th of 177 countries in the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI). (The HDI measures attainments in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted real income.) This marked a drop of six ranks since the 2004 report (Human Development Reports).

Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963, and became a republic in 1964 (Kenya Country Profile: Employment of People with Disabilities: The Impact of Legislation - East Africa). After independence, Kenya promoted rapid economic growth through public investment, encouragement of smallholder agricultural production, and incentives for private (often foreign) industrial investment. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual average of 6.6% from 1963 to 1973. Agricultural production grew by 4.7% annually during the same period. Between 1974 and 1990, however, Kenya's economic performance declined. (U.S. Department of State - Kenya 08/07). Kenya's economy has been struggling to recover from decades of decline and stagnation, with service provision having deteriorated, per capita income severely declined in real terms, and the proportion of people below the national poverty line risen from 48% in 1990 to 56% in 2003. The economy improved and grew at 2.6 percent in 2004, compared with 1.8 percent in 2003. (United Nations Kenya ). In 2005, the gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.8 percent up from 4.9 the previous year. Nairobi continues to be the primary communications and financial centre for East Africa. It enjoys the region's best transportation linkages, communications infrastructure, and trained personnel, although these advantages are now less prominent than in past years. (U.S. Department of State - Kenya 08/07).

The Kenyan government has three branches: executive, legislative, and judiciary. The executive consists of a President who is both the chief of state and head of government, and a Vice-President and cabinet appointed by the President. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. In addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, a successful presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of the country’s seven provinces and one area. The legislative branch consists of a unicameral National Assembly, or Bunge, with 210 members elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies, to serve five-year terms, plus 12 members nominated by political parties in proportion to their National Assembly vote totals. In the exercise of legislative power, bills are passed by the National Assembly and become law upon the assent of the President. The judiciary is headed by a High Court, consisting of a Chief Justice and High Court judges and a Court of Appeal. All judges are appointed by the President.

Local administration is divided among 69 rural districts, each headed by a Commissioner appointed by the President. The districts are grouped to form seven rural provinces. The Nairobi area has special status and is not included in any district or province. The central government supervises the administration of the districts and provinces. In 2005, president Kibaki created 27 more districts which are yet to be published in Kenya Gazette as required by law.

On December 27, 2002, Kenyans held democratic and open elections deemed free and fair by international observers. The 2002 elections marked an important turning point in Kenya’s democratic evolution in that power was transferred peacefully from the single party that had ruled the country since independence to a new coalition of parties. Political veteran Mwai Kibaki won a landslide victory and is the current President. The constitution (last amended in 2001) barred his predecessor, Daniel arap Moi, from standing for re-election. President Kibaki’s National Rainbow Coalition (N.A.R.C.) won a parliamentary majority.

President Kibaki said that he would make the fight against corruption a priority and promised to address Kenya’s economic challenges. However, in early 2006, revelations from investigative reports of two major government-linked corruption scandals rocked Kenya and led to several resignations, including three cabinet ministers. The next democratic elections are to be held in 2007.

Most Kenyans rely on the broadcast media, particularly radio, for news. Until recently, the liberalization of broadcasting had a limited impact outside of Nairobi. However, some private radio and TV networks now have wide coverage over much of the country. TV viewing is substantial but few Kenyans are regular internet users, owing to cost and access problems. The Kibaki government came to power promising further media liberalization. However, in late 2003, there was a crackdown on unregistered alternative newspapers, using a controversial law passed by the previous government. Moreover, a March 2, 2006 media crackdown on the Standard newspaper, conducted by masked Kenyan police officers, was internationally condemned and met with outrage by the Kenyan media and civil society.

Description of Interview Research Sites1

Rift Valley

Rift Valley Province is the largest province in Kenya whose main dominant feature is the Great Rift Valley from which the province derives its name. According to the 1999 census the province population was 6, 987, 036. The province is considered the country’s bread basket for its agricultural productivity which is one of the major main economic activities in the province. The other major economic activity is tourism. The province is home of the world famous game parks including , Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru game park and a number of game reserves spread across the province. The rift valet is a major tourism attraction on top of the rich culture of the people of the province that include, the Maasai, El moro, Turkana and the Samburu. Apart from agriculture and tourism other economic activities in the province include mining and industrial production.

The two dominant communities in the province are Kalenjin, and Maasai. However the province is also home to large portion of the Kikuyu population. The other communities in the province include the Samburu, Turkana, Pokot, Kikuyu, Kisii and Luhya.

With 60 per cent of the population living in the rural area, the poverty level in the province is 48 per cent.

Rift Valley was selected for research because of its peri-urban set up. Although the province is home of two major towns, Nakuru and Eldoret, the province is predominantly peri-urban. Both towns are centres of agribusiness in the country.

Nakuru Town has a concentration of people with disabilities drawn from all disability groups.

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya. It is the political and administrative of the country with a population estimated at 4 million. Nairobi is the business capital of east and central Africa thus blending a cosmopolitan culture. It is also the east Africa’s industrial capital.

Although the Kikuyu community is the most dominant, the city is a melting pot of all the ethnic communities in the country. The city has the highest population of people of European, American and Asian origins. The major economic activities in the city are industrial production and tourism. The city is home to the only game park located in a city in the world. The Nairobi national park is a 10 minutes drive from the city centre.

With national unemployment levels soaring at 40 per cent, 50 per cent of the population lives in the slums of Kibera, Mathare, Korogocho, and Mukuru. Between 500,000 and 1,000,000 live in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa second only to Soweto in Africa.

According to Pulling Apart: Facts and Figures on Poverty in Kenya, Nairobi is among the three out of Kenya’s provinces that can be casually classified as high inequality high poverty provinces. The poverty levels in the three provinces is 52.6 percent.

Nairobi was selected for the study because of its diversity in ethnicity and income levels. The city has a large population of people with disabilities drawn from all disability groups who run to the city from the harsh social economic conditions in the rural areas of the country.

Nyanza

Nyanza province lies on the south western side of Kenya. The prominent geographical feature in the province is Lake Victoria, the world largest fresh water lake and the source of the Nile. The province has a population of approximately 4.2 million. The dominant communities in the province are the Luo, the Kisii, and the Kuria.

80 per cent of the population lives in rural areas. The province has the highest poverty level in the country at 65 per cent. The highest causes of poverty in the province are unreliable rainfalls, high incidence of HIV/Aids, and dilapidated physical infrastructure. The main economic activities in the province are fishing, farming especially cane, cotton, coffee, and gold mining. Tourism in the province is just beginning to become a major economic activity due to government efforts to spur development in the area.

Nyanza was selected as a site for the research because it is a predominantly a rural province. Further more the region the main town, Kisumu has a large population of people with disabilities being the centre a people with disabilities primary and secondary, and rehabilitation centres that are run by the government, Catholic Church and the Salvation Army.

Sources

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