Resource information
Kenya’s landscape covers a total of 583 000 sq. km12 and is grouped into geographical zones including; the Savannah Lands covering most of the arid and semi- arid areas, the Coastal Margin, the Rift Valley, the Highlands and the Lake Victoria Basin. With a growth rate of 3.1% the population stands at approximately 29 million people. The country’s GNP/Capita is close to US$330. By the year 2010 and with a slow decline, the population is expected to reach a high of 39.3 million, 37.4 million with the medium decline and 35.5 million with a fast decline. The population is predominantly rural and relies on agricultural or other related activities for daily income although only 17% of the country’s territory is arable.
The next 15 or 20 years are likely to see a rapid reduction in the rate of growth of Kenya’s population. Having been close to 4% per annum in the 1970’s (when it was widely claimed to be the highest in the world), by the year 2010 it will be less than 2% and possibly under 1% if fertility falls as rapidly as envisaged in the “fast fertility decline” projections.