ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Industries Rana Tanveer Hussain, Dean of the African Group Mohamad Karmoune Ambassador of Morocco, High Commissioner of Kenya and others cutting cake to celebrate the Independece Day of Kenya. – DNA/Online
Situated on the equator, Kenya is a major economy on Africa’s east coast, with tangible links to early humankind.
In the East African Rift Valley palaeontologists have discovered some of the earliest evidence of man’s ancestors.
In the present day, Kenya’s ethnic diversity has produced a vibrant culture but is also a source of political conflict.
A former British colony, Kenya gained independence after the Mau Mau insurgency of the 1950s.
The origins of the insurgency remain disputed by historians and its conduct became a controversial legacy for independent Kenya. In 2013, the British government paid compensation to claimants who said they had been the victims of abuses by colonial forces fighting the rebellion.
The jihadist movement Al-Shabab, based in neighbouring Somalia, has launched many attacks in Kenya, mostly in the north-east, but also two high-profile and mass-casualty assaults in Nairobi: on the Westgate shopping mall in 2013 and the DusitD2 complex in 2019.
Other pressing challenges include high unemployment, crime and poverty. Droughts frequently put millions of people at risk.
