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The Catholic Church in Kenya is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Kenyan Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Pope in the Vatican City.
The earliest traces of the Catholic Church in Kenya begin with the missionaries that penetrated the state in 1498, led by Vasco da Gama. Due to regional conflict, poor transportation, and a largely nomadic presence, it became more established in northern Kenya during the twentieth century. [1]
According to the Catholic Church official records, there are over 18 million baptised Catholics in Kenya (nearly 40% of the country's population). According to the 2019 national housing census, 10.6 million Catholics in Kenya are strict adherents and attend Mass regularly. [2]
In 2020, there were over 3,644 priests working across more than 1,100 parishes. [3]
Within Kenya the hierarchy consists of:
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to 'place of cool waters', a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper had a population of 4,397,073 in the 2019 census. The city is commonly referred to as The Green City in the Sun.
Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the third vice president of Kenya from 1967 to 1978 under President Jomo Kenyatta, becoming the president following the latter's death.
The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 1944 but due to pressure from the colonial government, KAU changed its name to Kenya African Study Union (KASU) mainly because all political parties were banned in 1939 following the start of the Second World War. In 1946 KASU rebranded itself into KAU following the resignation of Harry Thuku as president due to internal differences between the moderates who wanted peaceful negotiations and the militants who wanted to use force, the latter forming the Aanake a forty, which later became the Mau Mau. His post was then occupied by James Gichuru, who stepped down for Jomo Kenyatta in 1947 as president of KAU. The KAU was banned by the colonial government from 1952 to 1960. It was re-established by James Gichuru in 1960 and renamed KANU on 14 May 1960 after a merger with Tom Mboya's Kenya Independence Movement.
Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013. He served in various leadership positions in Kenya's government including being the longest serving Member of Parliament (MP) in Kenya from 1963 to 2013.
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Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka is a Kenyan politician who was the tenth Vice-President of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. Musyoka served in the government under the late President Daniel arap Moi as the Secretary of Kenya African National Union party (1980-1988), Assistant Minister for Works (1986-1988), Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (1988-1992), Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1993 until 1998, Minister of Education (1998-2001); and subsequently, under the late President Mwai Kibaki, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs again from 2003 to 2004, then Minister of the Environment from 2004 to 2005. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2007 presidential election, after which he was appointed vice-president by Kibaki in January 2008.
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Kenyatta University (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Nairobi, Kenya. It acquired the status of university in 1985, being the third university after University of Nairobi (1970) and Moi University (1984). As of October 2014, it was one of 23 public universities in the country.
Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi is a Kenyan politician and land economist who is currently serving as Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya and expanded role of Foreign & Diaspora Affairs Minister of Kenya, he is a former party leader of the Amani National Congress (ANC), one of the founding political parties, of the Kenya Kwanza alliance. He served as the 7th Vice-President of Kenya in 2002 and Deputy Prime Minister (2008–2012), when he resigned to contest for the Presidency in the 2013 Kenyan general election and emerged third. He was the deputy party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) (2005–2012) and Party Leader of the United Democratic Forum Party (UDF) from May 2012 to July 2015.
Raila Amolo Odinga is a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has been the Leader of Opposition in Kenya since 2013. He is the leader of Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party.
The prime minister of Kenya was a post in the Kenyan government. The first prime minister of Kenya was Jomo Kenyatta, who became prime minister in 1963. In 1964, Kenya became a republic, the post of prime minister was abolished and Jomo Kenyatta became president. Following a power-sharing agreement in February 2008, the role was recreated that April and held by Raila Odinga. The position was again abolished by the 2010 Constitution after the 2013 elections.
Corruption in the government of Kenya has a history which spans the era of the founding president Jomo Kenyatta, to Daniel arap Moi's KANU, Mwai Kibaki's PNU governments. President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party government, and the current William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza administration has also been riddled with massive cases of graft.
George Musengi Saitoti, E.G.H. was a Kenyan politician, businessman and American- and British-trained economist, mathematician and development policy thinker.
Gideon Kipsielei Towett Moi is a Kenyan politician and former senator of Baringo County, from 2013-2022. He was elected with a landslide win of over 80%, trouncing his opponent Jackson Kosgei. He is also the party leader of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), which for decades was the ruling party in Kenya. He is the youngest son of Kenya's second president, Daniel arap Moi, and Lena Moi. His siblings include; Phillip Moi, Jonathan Moi, John Mark Moi, Raymond Moi, Jennifer Jemutai Kositany, Doris Moi, June Moi.
General elections were held in Kenya on 27 December 2002. Voters elected the President, and members of the National Assembly. They coincided with the 2002 Kenyan local elections.
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Democratic Republic of the Congo–Kenya relations are bilateral relations between Kenya and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The DRC is a strategic partner of Kenya in many areas, particularly trade and security.