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General Information o Kenya
Climate
Kenya is generally a dry country; over75% of its area
is classed as arid of semi-arid with only around 20%
being viable for agriculture. Inland, rainfall and temperatures
are closely related to altitude changes, with variations
induced by local topography. Generally the climate is
warm and humid at the coast, cool and humid in the central
highlands, and hot and dry in the north and east.
Across most of the country, rainfall is strongly seasonal,although
its pattern, timing and extent vary greatly from place
to place and from year to year. The relatively wet coastal
belt along the Indian Ocean receives 1,000 mm or more
rain per year. Most rain falls from April to July as
a result of the southeasterly monsoon. Another moist
belt occurs in the Lake Victoria basin and its surrounding
scarps and uplands, mainly due to moist westerly winds
originating over the Atlantic Ocean and Congo Basin.
Except immediately adjacent to the Lake, rainfall occurs
reliably from March to November. The upland plateaux
adjacent to this area are less influenced by the lake,
and rain falls mainly in March-May and July-September.
In much of the central highlands, there is also a bimodal
rainfall pattern, with rainy seasons in March-May and
October-December. The remaining 70% or so of the land
area falls into the 'arid lowlands' zone (NRI 1996),
with rainfall averaging less than 500 mm and varying
greatly from year to year. Rainfall peaks in most areas
are in November and April. Some 30% of this zone can
be classed as semi-desert, with rainfall averaging less
than 300 mm per year and evaporation often greater that
3,000 mm.
Except for the coast and Lake Victoria region, altitude
is the main determinant of precipitation. The high-attitude
areas (over c. 1,500 m) in the central Kenya highlands
usually have substantial rainfall, reaching over 2,000
mm per year in parts of the Mau Escarpment. However,
topography also has a major influence, with strong rain-shadow
effects east of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare mountains.
Here, even areas higher than 1,800 m may be relatively
dry. In the arid lowlands the peaks of isolated mountains
attract cloud and mist, and may support very different
vegetation to that of the surrounding plains.
Differences in temperature vary predictably with altitude.
Frost occurs regularly at 3,000 m and occasionally down
o at least 2,400 m, and there is permanent snow and
ice on top of Mt. Kenya at 5,200 m. The hottest areas
are in the arid northeast, and west of Lake Turkana,
where mena maximum temperatures average over 34 C.
Currency
The official currency is the Kenya Shilling.
The written abbreviation is either KSh or using /= after
the amount (ie 500/=)
Available Notes are 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 shillings.
Available coins are 5, 10 and 20 shillings.
Visitors to Kenya should change foreign currency at
banks, bureaux de change or authorized hotels. The easiest
currencies to exchange are US Dollars, Pounds sterling
and Deutschmarks.
Travellers Cheques are widely accepted, and many hotels,
travel agencies, safari companies and restaurants accept
Credit Cards. Most Banks in Kenya are equipped to advance
cash on credit cards.
There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency
that can be brought into Kenya.
Before departure, travellers are advised to convert
any excess Kenya shillings into foreign currency at
a bank or bureau de change before departure. Departure
taxes can be paid in local or foreign currency.
Anyone wishing to take more than 500,000 Kenya Shillings
out of the country will require written authorization
from the Central Bank.
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Learn Swahili
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JAMBO is one of the most common
words you will hear spoken throughout Kenya. This
is the simplest Swahili greeting, and is often
the first word learned by visitors to Kenya.
Swahili (locally referred to
as KiSwahili) is Kenya's national language. Swahili
originated on the East African coast, as a trade
language used by both Arabs and coastal tribes.
The language incorporated elements of both classical
Arabic and Bantu dialects, and became the mother
tounge of the Swahili people who themselves rose
from the intermarriage of Arab and African cultures.
The word Swahili itself came
from the Arabic for 'coast' Sahel. But
the language became a pervasive influence, and
a regional lingua franca, becoming widely used
throughout Kenya and Tanzania. Today, the language
is also used in regions of Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda,
Rwanda, Burundi, the Congo and Zambia, and is
the most widely spoken African language. In Kenya,
most people generally speak a tribal language
at home, use Swahili as an everyday language,
and English for business.
Swahili is a relatively simple
language, being highly phonetic with a rigid grammar.
The only difficulty in learning Swahili comes
from the extensive use of prefixes, suffixes and
infixes, and a class system for nouns.
Coastal Swahili remains the most
pure, and the Island of Zanzibar is considered
the home of the language. The further away from
the coast that you travel, the less sophisticated
the language generally becomes, and grammar is
slightly more flexible. Nairobi has now become
the home of Sheng, a fashionable Creole
of Swahili, Kikuyu, English and slang.
Still, even a little Swahili
goes a long way in Kenya. It is worth learning
a little, and most Kenyans are thrilled to hear
visitors attempt to use any Swahili at all.
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Time, Public Holidays and Business
Hours
Kenya has a single time zone- which is GMT+3.
Kenyan Public holidays include:
1st January New Years Day
February/March Idd il Fitr *
March/April Good Friday**
March/April Easter Monday**
1st May Labour Day
1st June Madaraka Day
10th October Moi Day
20th October Kenyatta Day
12th December Jamhuri Day
25th December Christmas Day
26th December Boxing Day
*The Muslim Festival of Idd il Fitr celebrates the end
of Ramadhan. The date varies each year depending on
the sighting of a new moon in Mecca.
** Dates for the Christian festival of Easter vary from
year to year.
Most businesses in Kenya are open from Monday to Friday,
though some also trade on Saturday.
Business hours are generally 9:00am to 5:00pm, closing
for an hour over lunch (1:00pm — 2:00pm).
Banks are open from 9:00am to 3:00pm Monday to Friday.
Some branches open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 11:00am.
Many banks are now equipped with 24 hour ATM machines.
The Bank branches at Jomo Kenyatta International airport
(Nairobi) and Moi International Airport both run 24
hour forex services.
Electricity
The electricity supply in Kenya is 220/240 v 50hz.
Plugs are 3 point square.
If you are planning to bring a video camera charger
or any other electrical advice, please bring voltage
and plug adaptors where appropriate.
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