Aston Lukoye
- Bungoma ranks second, followed by Nairobi, Kakamega, and Kilifi Respectively.
- Countries in Central Kenya have the lowest poverty rates
A new report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has revealed that more than a fifth of Kenya’s poor live in five counties.
The report, which was released on Tuesday, shows that 3.92 million out of the 19.1 million poor Kenyans dwell in Nakuru, Bungoma, Nairobi, Kakamega, and Kilifi counties.
Nakuru had the highest number of poor people, with 893,000 people living below the poverty line. Bungoma was second with 775,000 poor people, followed by Nairobi with 759,000 poor people. Kakamega and Kilifi had 576,000 and 523,000 poor people, respectively.
The report defines poverty as having a monthly expenditure of less than 3,947 Kenyan shillings (US$35) in rural areas and 7,193 Kenyan shillings (US$65) in urban areas.
The report also found that the proportion of poor people in the country dropped by 4.3 percentage points in 2021 from 42.9% in 2020 to 38.6%.
This was attributed to the government’s social protection programs, which provided cash transfers and food aid to millions of Kenyans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the report also found that there are still wide regional disparities in poverty levels. The arid and semi-arid counties of Turkana, Mandera, and Garissa had the highest incidence of poverty, with 77.7%, 71.9%, and 68.3% of their populations living below the poverty line, respectively.
On the other hand, the central Kenya counties of Nyeri, Kiambu, and Kirinyaga had some of the lowest rates of poverty, with 17.5%, 18.7%, and 18.9% of their populations living below the poverty line, respectively.
The report’s findings highlight the need for the government to focus on reducing poverty in the country’s poorest counties.
This could be done through a combination of social protection programs, economic development initiatives, and investment in education and healthcare.
The report also calls for increased investment in rural areas, where the majority of the poor people in Kenya live. This could help to create jobs and boost economic growth in these areas.
Overall, the report’s findings show that Kenya has made some progress in reducing poverty in recent years. However, there is still much work to be done to ensure that all Kenyans have access to a decent standard of living.
