
|

|


General
Background
 |
 |
 |

BBC
News Country Profile
The BBC country profile of Kenya offers information on
the country's political landscape, media resources and
a timeline of key events that have shaped the country,
which has been called the cradle of human civilization.
Kenya
Tourist Board
This is the official Web site of the nation's tourism
board. Despite terrorist attacks in 2002 and 1998 and
travel advisories issued against the nation, tourists
continue to flock to Kenya on luxury safaris. Find out
more about tourism in Kenya and upcoming events in the
country.
Kenya
Government Online
Visit the official Web site of the Republic of Kenya for
information about various government ministries and their
functions and a profile of Kenya's third president, Mwai
Kibaki, voted into power in December 2002. The lyrics
of Kenya's national anthem can also be found here, printed
in the two main languages spoken in Kenya, English and
Kiswahili.
"Little
to Celebrate As Kenya Turns 40"
This 2003 BBC News Online article presents a stark
account of Kenya's myriad problems and obstacles as it
prepared to celebrate 40 years of independence from British
rule. Reporter Gray Phombeah describes a Kenya of rampant
poverty, "mass unemployment," fraying infrastructure and
ethnic conflict.
Kenyaweb.com
Online since 1996, Kenyaweb is a private Internet service
provider operating in Kenya that offers detailed information
on the country's geography, history, people, culture,
economy, education system, sports and government. The
site also includes the latest news reports on Kenyan politics
and sports, as well as information relating to the trade,
agriculture and tourism industries.
African
Studies Center
The University of Pennsylvania's African Studies Center
has been around since 1993. Its Kenya page offers an audio
sample of Kenya's national anthem and a wide range of
links to Kenyan culture and politics -- from a link to
the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, D.C., to a link to a
senior thesis on the hip-hop culture of Nairobi's youth.
All
Africa.com
All Africa.com compiles stories from African news organizations.
It claims to be the largest online source of African news
presented in English and French.
back to top
|
 |
 |
 |

Running
in Kenya
 |
 |
 |

Lornah
Kiplagat and the High Altitude Training Center
Since 1997, when she won the Los Angeles Marathon, Kenya's
Lornah Kiplagat has set records on the international long
distance running circuit. From 2000 to 2002, Kiplagat
won the Peachtree 10,000m and the Falmouth Road Race,
holding the course records for both races. In November
2000, Kiplagat and her husband, Pieter Langerhorst, opened
the High Altitude Training Center in Iten, Kenya, for
female runners.
Pew
International Journalism Program, Fellows' Stories: "Flash
Forward"
In fall 2001, Lori Shontz, a sports writer for the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette and a Pew International Journalism Fellow,
reported on female long distance runners in Kenya. In
her series, "Flash Forward," Shontz writes that until
recently, Kenya's patriarchal society has prevented women
from pursuing and excelling internationally in long distance
events.
"Kenya's
Running Tribe"
This article by John Manners examines the running prowess
of the male long distance runners of the Kalenjin tribe
in Kenya. Manners claims that the Kalenjin, who make up
10 percent of Kenya's population, have taken 75 percent
of Kenya's top international running awards. The article
examines various theories and reasons for the tribe's
particular athletic talent, including their protein and
starch diet as well as the high altitudes at which they
live.
"Runaway
Success in Kenya, Land of the Fleet Elite"
This April 2001 article appeared in the Christian Science
Monitor on the eve of the Boston Marathon, which Kenyan
men have won every year since 1991. Writer Mark Crawley
notes that most of Kenya's top runners are from Eldoret,
a region in Kenya that lies 7,000 to 8,000 feet (2,133
to 2,438 m) above sea level.
Kenyan
Marathon Training Camp
Camp Marafiki (Kiswahili for "friends") is located in
Farmington, New Mexico, in the Four Corners region that
includes Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. The camp
offers weeklong training sessions at which participants
have an opportunity to train with such renowned Kenyan
marathon runners as Veronica Kanga and Jonathan Ndambuki,
at altitudes between 5,000 and 9,000 feet (1,524 to 2,743
m).
"Keino
to Probe Kenya Failure"
At the 2003 World Championships in Paris, Kenya suffered
surprising defeat and scandal as its athletes lost the
3,000m steeplechase for the first time in 12 years. Bernard
Lagat, 1,500m Olympic bronze medalist, withdrew after
testing positive for the banned substance erythropoietin.
back to top
|
 |
 |
 |

Women
and Human Rights in Kenya
 |
 |
 |

The
Federation of Women Lawyers Kenya (FIDA Kenya)
FIDA Kenya is a nonprofit NGO started in 1985 in the wake
of the third U.N. Conference on Women, held in Nairobi.
The organization's membership, currently 300, is made
up of female lawyers and female law students who work
to increase gender parity in Kenyan society through legal
aid services, advocacy, monitoring and funding initiatives.
Forum
for African Women Educationalists (FAWE)
The FAWE was created in Nairobi in 1992 to increase access
to education and improve the caliber of schooling for
young women. The NGO now boasts 33 national chapters,
making it pan-African in scope, and its Web site includes
archived newsletters about FAWE's recent achievements
as well as links to past publications.
Human
Rights Watch's Kenya Page
The New York City-based Human Rights Watch is one of the
oldest and most respected international human rights monitoring
and advocacy organizations in the world. Its Kenya page
offers an overview of human rights issues in Kenya, including
extensive information about property rights violations
against women.
Family
Health International: HIV and Women's Rights
Established in 1971, Family Health International provides
family health services through research and field work
in 70 countries. "HIV Prevention and Women's Rights: Working
for One Means Working for Both" is a policy paper by Jane
Kiragu, a Kenyan lawyer and council member of the International
Federation of Women Lawyers. Kiragu cites statistics on
the high rate of HIV infection in Kenya and how culturally
ingrained practices, such as wife beating and rape, can
increase the likelihood that a woman will contract HIV
or other STDs.
Female
Genital Mutilation in Africa: Information by Country
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a widespread practice
throughout much of Africa despite the activity of NGOs
and even the presence of legislation in some nations to
ban it. FGM is a traditional rite that entails removing
parts of a woman's genitalia. It can result in death from
hemorrhaging and infection. This Web page by Amnesty International
shows the incidence of FGM throughout Africa, what proportion
of women in each country undergo FGM and what laws, if
any, are in place to curb the practice.
back to top
|
 |
 |
 |

Media
Resources
 |
 |
 |

East
African Standard
Based in Nairobi, the East African Standard is
an English-language daily and is Kenya's oldest newspaper.
The site also features an online edition of its business
weekly, Financial Standard.
Daily
Nation
The online edition of the English-language weekly Daily
Nation contains national headlines, a weekend arts
and culture magazine, and links to other media resources,
including to Uganda's The Monitor.
Kenya
Broadcasting Corporation (KBC)
The state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation has been
in existence since 1961. Today the KBC boasts three television
channels and three FM stations -- Coro FM Radio, Metro
FM Radio and Pwani FM Radio. A program guide for its English
radio service is also available on the site.
Kameme
FM
Kameme 101.1 FM -- "a contemporary community radio station"
-- has been operating since 2000. It primarily serves
Kikuyu-speaking populations in Nairobi and outlying areas.
Visitors to its Web site can listen to live radio broadcasts
and read local and music news in Kikuyu or English.
East
FM
Operating out of Nairobi, East FM Channel 106 is a 24-hour
radio station catering to the large South Asian community
in Kenya and abroad.
back to top
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|