KENYA has one of the worst human rights records in Africa in recent decades and has been the subject of several adverse reports by monitoring groups.

It also has a difficult relationship with international donor countries and aid organisations for its failure to curb human rights abuses and corruption and to implement economic reform.

The east African country gained independence from Britain in 1963 after a long struggle led by its first president, Jomo Kenyatta, and his party, KANU - the Kenya African National Union.

The current president, Daniel arap Moi, also of KANU, took office in 1978. In 1982, he amended the constitution to create a one-party state - a move he was forced to reverse in 1992 in the face of sustained international pressure, including the threatened withdrawal of foreign aid.

Moi and KANU have remained in power since because, it is said, the 1992 elections were rigged.

Last year, Amnesty International produced a report claiming Kenyan government authorities systematically subjected political opponents and others to arbitrary arrest and torture.

It accused the police, security forces and members of the KANU youth wing of inflicting electric shock torture on opponents, sexually abusing and molesting them, beating prisoners, keeping them in solitary confinement in the dark and sometimes putting detainees in a small hole and gradually filling it with water.

In one incident cited by Amnesty, the founder of a new opposition party, Richard Leakey, and a number of lawyers and journalists were assaulted by a gang of around SO men with whips and clubs.

The men were later identified by eyewitnesses as members of the Special Branch and the KANU youth wing. The incident took place in Nakuru - the provincial town near where Brother Larry Timmons was killed.

Amnesty's findings, which related to events throughout 1995, were based on allegations by opposition politicians, lawyers, doctors, journalists, religious and human rights groups within Kenya. It also had two meetings with government members and the attorney general. The government rejected the findings.

In its report, Amnesty found that over 100 government critics were subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention in 1995. More than 530 people were under sentence of death.

Last month Amnesty said the government of Kenya had taken no steps to change matters.