Best of Kenya

Kenya reached independence from Britain on December 12, 1963. Jomo Kenyatta was sworn as Kenya’s president after the first ever multiracial election in the country. Kenya mobilized important projects, like the establishment of the East African Community with Tanzania and Uganda in 1967. Until today, the nation holds down on an idealized image of Kenyatta’s government, despite his excessive bias favoring his own tribe and the political corruption, by picturing him in all bills and coins of the country. Kenyatta ruled the country until his death in 1978 and then Daniel Arap Moi became president and remained in power for the next 20 years. Moi’s government was characterized by lack of democracy after a constitutional amendment in 1982 made Kenya a one-party state. The history of Kenya has been mark by political corruption and violence. On August 7, 1998, for the first time, al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden became the focus of international attention after the attack to the US embassy in Nairobi. Since 2011, the country has been in war against al-Shabaab, an extremist Islamic group from Somalia affiliated to al-Qaeda. Most recently, Kenya’s current president is facing international charges for abuse of power and violation of human rights against a Kenyan tribe. Although Kenya’s financial future seems promising, political corruption, and ethnic conflicts continue costing a lot to the country.