Colonial history: Modern Kenya was first colonized by the Imperial British East Africa Company as the British East Africa Protectorate on 1 July 1895. Under British rule, Kenya was subject to harsh social, economic and political conditions. Racial discrimination protected by law was also widespread. Large amounts of land were set aside only for white Europeans, and blacks were forced to work for minimum wages on poor farms. However, these conditions strengthened Kenyans' desire for independence, so the British colonial government presented constitutional proposals to allow Africans to directly elect their representatives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the 1957 elections, the first elections under this new constitution, eight prominent African leaders (including future president Daniel Moi) were elected. They then formed an organization to fight for independence, called the Kenya African National Union (KANU). Eventually, due to pressure from KANU, the British granted Kenya its independence on December 12, 1963. Political Organization: Kenya is a representative democracy and a presidential republic. The nation has a multi-party political system under a Parliament, a President (Uhuru Kenyatta), a Vice President (William Ruto) and a Cabinet appointed by the President. The Parliament of Kenya, which constitutes the legislative branch of the country, is composed of the National Assembly and the Senate. The National Assembly is made up of 349 members plus the President and each member is elected by registered voters in single-member constituencies. Forty-seven women in the counties are also elected and twelve members are appointed to represent disabled people, young people and workers. The Senate is made up of sixty-seven members plus the President. The Senate is made up of forty-seven members each elected by county voters, sixteen members appointed by political parties, two members representing young people, and two members representing disabled people. Both Assembly deputies and senators serve five-year terms. Shape and borders: Kenya has a total of 3,457 kilometers of land borders plus a 536 kilometer long border with the Indian Ocean. It borders a total of five countries: Ethiopia (867 km), Somalia (684 km), South Sudan (317 km), Tanzania (775 km) and Uganda (814 km). Kenya's national borders were mostly drawn arbitrarily by British colonialists. However, in some places, the boundary is defined by natural topography. For example, the border follows the Dawa River along Ethiopia for a few hundred kilometers. Furthermore, the border between Tanzania and Kenya is also defined by a piece of topography, Mount Kilimanjaro (the highest peak in Africa), whose border it crosses. Kenya is divided into 47 semi-autonomous counties headed by governors. These 47 counties form the first-order divisions of the country. Constituencies are an electoral subdivision and the current second order division in Kenya. There are a total of 349 Assembly constituencies and 67 Senate constituencies. Kenyan local authorities in most cases do not follow common division boundaries. They are classified as cities, municipalities or towns. Some local authorities further divide their area into neighbourhoods. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay International Trade: Kenya is the 107th largest export economy in the world according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). The top exports of Kenya are Tea ($1.15B), Flowers).