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Kenya
Public Holidays
- 1st January - New Year
- Good Friday and 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 Boxing Day
- Idd-ul-Fitr (End of Ramadhan)
Idd-ul-Hajj (not yet a gazetted public holiday)
NB- When the dates above fall on a Sunday then Monday is a public holiday
Geographical Position
Kenya lies across the equator in east-central Africa. The geographical coordinates of the country are Latitude 4° North to 4° South and Longitude 34° East to 41° East.
Location and Size
Kenya is located on the East coast of Africa. It is bordered to the north by Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia; Uganda and Lake Victoria lie to the west; Tanzania and Mount Kilimanjaro are to the south while the Indian Ocean lies to the east. It is 582,646 sq km and is the world’s 47th largest country.
Climate
Kenya enjoys a tropical climate experiencing moderate temperatures averaging about 220C throughout the year. It is hot and humid at the coast, temperate inland, and dry land at the north and northeast parts of the country.
There are two seasons: short rains (October to December) and long rains (March to June), the hottest period being from January to March.
Topography
Kenya has diverse physical features, which are divided into: low lying arid and semi-arid lands, coastal belt, plateau, highlands and the lake basin around Lake Victoria.
The country is bisected by the Great Rift Valley which extends for 8,700 km. on the surface of the earth from the Dead Sea in Jordan to Beira in Mozambique. Kenya has the second highest snow capped mountain (Mt. Kenya) in Africa rising to a height of 5,199 metres, after Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Several big and small lakes and rivers form part of the geography of Kenya. Lake Turkana is found in the northern part of the country, whereas Lake Victoria lies to its west. Other important lakes include Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru.
There are numerous rivers in Kenya also. The rivers Nzoia, Yala and Gori flow across the country before draining into Lake Victoria. Rivers Tana and Athi flows in the southeastern part, while Ewaso Ngiro is found in the northeastern part of the country.
