UN in Kenya Book Launch - 2006
Since Kenya’s independence in 1963, and indeed even before
then, the United Nations family has contributed to the country’s
socio-economic development, touching virtually every aspect
of the lives of its people. This publication celebrates the
United Nations partnership with Kenya and retraces important
events over the past four decades that have furthered Kenya’s
development and its international profile.
This publication does not attempt to provide a comprehensive
catalogue of United Nations work in Kenya since independence.
Instead, it presents a broad history of the United Nations
presence in the country, with an emphasis on human interest rather than statistics.
The brief summary of
activities gathered here illustrates the many benefits the United Nations has brought to Kenya. It focuses
on the United Nations system as a whole, and on themes rather than projects, though the work of individual
United Nations entities is highlighted to illustrate specific issues and achievements. Further, the book
looks at the United Nations as a creator and nurturer of ideas that have influenced Kenya’s public policy
over the last four decades.
This is the first historical review of the activities of the United Nations in Kenya and its impact on
the country’s development. No other developing country has such a diverse United Nations presence.
Currently there are 25 United Nations agencies operating in the country, comprising a total of 75 semiautonomous
United Nations offices employing some 3,000 local and international staff. This includes
two United Nations Programmes—the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United
Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)—which have their global headquarters in Kenya
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