Kenya is a democratic republic composed of seven provinces and the Nairobi area, which has special provincial status. The provinces are further divided into administrative districts.

The country gained independence from the United Kingdom on Dec. 12, 1963, and was ruled by the Kenya African National Union until 2002. Kenya was a de-facto one party state for many years, and an official one-party state from 1982 to 1991, during which KANU made itself the only legal party in Kenya.

Independent Kenya's first multi-party democratic election was held in 1992, but the 2002 elections marked the first time the presidency and the parliamentary majority changed hands.

Executive
The executive branch is made up of an elected president and an appointed    more... Executive
The executive branch is made up of an elected president and an appointed vice president and cabinet.

The president, who is the chief of state, head of government and the commander in chief of the armed forces, is elected to a five-year term by a direct popular vote and is eligible for two terms.

A presidential candidate needs to win the absolute majority of votes, as well as win 25 percent or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's provinces.

President Mwai Kibaki, of the Party of National Unity, was elected for his second term as president in highly contested elections on Dec. 27, 2007. Kibaki is a Kikuyu from Central province and had served as a member of parliament since Kenya's independence in 1963, prior to being elected president for the first time in 2002.

Legislative
Kenya has a unicameral National Assembly, or parliament, with 224 seats, 210 of which are elected by popular vote, 12 are nominated and the Attorney General and House Speaker are ex-officio members. All members serve five years.

The president has the power to dissolve the parliament at any time and the parliament can also vote for its own dissolution with a two-thirds vote.

There are more than 100 registered political parties in Kenya. The Orange Democratic Movement won the majority in the National Assembly in the December 2007 elections. Prior to 2002, when the National Rainbow Coalition won the general elections, the Kenya African National Union had ruled the country since its independence in 1963.

Judicial
The judicial branch is made up of the High Court, magistrate's courts and Kadhi courts, or Sharia courts.

The High Court of Kenya has unlimited criminal and civil jurisdiction for new cases, and is the court of appeals for lower courts. It is made up of a Chief Justice, High Court judges and judges of Kenya's Court of Appeal. All members of the High Court are appointed by the president.

Resident Magistrate's courts have countrywide jurisdiction and can pass any sentence authorized by law. The District Magistrate Courts have jurisdiction within the districts and powers of punishment by imprisonment for up to five years.

Kadhi's Courts have jurisdiction within districts, for matters pertaining to Islamic law.

All Kenyans age 18 or older are eligible to vote.    more... All Kenyans age 18 or older are eligible to vote.

The president and 210 of the 224 seats in the National Assembly are chosen by popular vote. The president must also win 25 percent or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's provinces.

From an electorate of 14 million Kenyans, more than 70 percent were estimated to have voted in the 2007 election, reported the BBC.

The legal system is based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English    more... The legal system is based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law and Islamic law.

Customary law that does not interfere with statutory law is used in civil matters between members of the same ethnic group.