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Kenya
Capital City....................................Nairobi 
Population..............................34.3 Million
Former Colonial power...................Britain
Leader....................................Mwai Kibaki
Links: Where is Kenya? - Sport in Kenya - Health in Kenya - Education in Kenya - Alive & Kicking Kenya
History
Did you know that the oldest evidence of mankind's existence is found in Kenya, making it commonly referred to as ‘the cradle of life'? Many different people have tried to control Kenya ever since. Arab traders began coming to the coast of Kenya in the 1st century AD and Arab and Persian towns appeared from the 8th century. During this time the Bantu and Nilotic people were moving into the area and the Bantu now make up 75% of Kenya's population. Before the 16th century, the coastal area of Kenya continued to trade with the Arab world and also India for spices, ivory and slaves. Swahili was the common trading language.
European Interest
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Kenya when Vasco da Gama visited Mombasa in 1498 on his way to India. This opened up a new spice trade route and Portugal only focussed on controling the area around Mombasa.
First Omani Arabs and then the Dutch and British had interest in Kenya from the 17th century. But it was the Germans who first made the coastal areas a protectorate in 1885. The Imperial British East Africa Company arrived in 1888 and the Germans handed its coastal areas to the British in 1890 and they both negotiated Kenya's official boundaries. Britain named it British East Africa. Why do you think it was fought over?
During World War I (1914-1918), British forces in British East Africa (Kenya), battled against German forces in German East Africa (Tanzania), eventually emerging victorious. During the early part of the 20th century lots of European settlers came to the highlands of Kenya to start coffee plantations and dominated the native Kikuyu tribe.
Rebelion and Independence
Tensions in the area did not stop there. Resistance to white/foreign rule and white ownership of land, led by Mau Mau rebels of the Kikuyu tribe, resulted in a rebellion from 1952 - 1959. In 1963 Kenya won its independence from Britain and in 1964 Jomo Kenyatta became the first president of the republic of Kenya. 
But Kenyatta's government was criticised for corruption and helping his personal friends and family in particular. The next government, led by Daniel arap Moi from 1978 also failed to provide effective development for Kenya and became increasingly authoritarian. Kenya is regularly ranked among the ten most corrupt countries in the world, according to the watchdog group Transparency International (http://www.transparency.org/).
In 1991 the international community cancelled all aid to Kenya, putting pressure on Moi's government to hold multi-party elections, not unlike those we have here in Britain. In 2002, Moi was constitutionally barred from running agasin in an election, and Mwai Kǐbakǐ, running for the opposition coalition "National Rainbow Coalition" (NARC), was elected President, becoming Kenya's third leader. In the same time, between 1963 and 2002, Britain has had 8 Prime Ministers. How many can you name? Click here for answers.
The new ruling coalition promised to focus its efforts on generating economic growth, combating corruption, improving education, and rewriting its constitution. A few of these promises have been met. The last election was on 27th December 2007. The result was very close and disputed between Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki. Tension and violence early in 2008 errupted. After weeks of trouble an agreement was reached to form a national unity government.
Today, Kenya is still a poor country. After years of under funding its infrastructure (railways, roads, communications, etc.) is crumbling, and in 2004-2005 a drought ravaged the country.
Fun Fact: Recently in Kenya one of the biggest controversies has surrounded a local government order demanding Donkeys to wear nappies! This has caused quite a stink in the local town of Limuru where one donkey owner said, ‘if we have to put nappies on our donkeys, soon they will say our cows need them too.'
