The situation of poverty in Kenya The situation of poverty in Kenya
The number of poor Kenyans has increased substantially since independence. Poverty profiling in Kenya can be traced back to the year 1992, where the number of poor people in Kenya was estimated at 11.3 million (44.8% of the total population). It rose to 13.4 million (52.3%) in 1997 and further to 17 million in 2000 (56% of the population) before declining slightly to 46% in 2005/2006.
This however still translated to nearly 17 million Kenyans living in poverty. Frequent droughts that hit the country affect food production in many parts of the country leading to poverty levels remaining high.
Studies show that most poor people in Kenya live in rural areas. In 2001, of the 17.2 million poor Kenyans, 14 million (82%) were in rural areas and 3 million (18%) in urban slums.
Message from the Secretary
Tuesday, 27 March 2012 04:41
The fight against poverty requires concerted effort by all stakeholders. This however, calls for the need to coordinate our activities so as to reduce duplication, overlaps and waste of resources. In the current issue, we highlight the various efforts by the government to address poverty and unemployment among the Kenyans. |
The Poverty Eradication Commission is committed to sharing ideas and information in the fight against poverty with various poverty stakeholders. This newsletter provides a platform where various poverty stakeholders can inform the populace on their activities and also where stakeholders can exchange ideas. All are therefore welcome to share their experiences in poverty reduction with us in the next issue. We also want ideas on how to improve on this newsletter.