Topic: KENYA: Why is the most developed economy in East africa still grappling with extreme poverty?

Rural poverty in Kenya

Poverty seems a paradox in a country that has one of the best-developed economies in eastern Africa. Kenya has relatively advanced agricultural and industrial sectors and substantial foreign exchange earnings from agricultural exports and tourism. Yet it is a low-income country and ranks 128th among 169 countries in the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index, which measures development in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and standard of living.

About 79 per cent of Kenya’s population lives in rural areas and relies on agriculture for most of its income. Nearly half the country’s 40 million people are poor, or unable to meet their daily nutritional requirements. The vast majority of poor people live in rural areas. Although in some respects conditions have improved since the early 1980s, the poverty rate has remained steady at about 48 per cent.

The rural economy depends mainly on smallholder subsistence agriculture, which produces 75 per cent of total agricultural output. Most Kenyans live in areas that have good to high potential for agriculture, comprise about 18 per cent of the country’s territory and are located in the centre and west. However population density in high-potential areas is more than six times the country’s average of 55 people per km2 and constitutes an overwhelming pressure on resources. The poorest communities are found in the sparsely populated arid zones, mainly in the north. Kenya’s poor rural people include:

• smallholder farmers
• herders
• farm labourers
• unskilled and semi-skilled workers
• households headed by women
• people with disabilities
• AIDS orphans

Reasons for the persistence of poverty are various. Kenya has one of the world’s fastest population growth rates. Over the past 30 years, the population has more than tripled, greatly increasing pressure on the country’s resources. Together with a widening income gap, this has eroded gains in education, health, food security, employment and income.

There are strong linkages between poverty and environmental degradation, particularly poor water management, soil erosion, declining soil fertility and land degradation. In addition, the effects of climate change are undermining an already fragile resource base and have contributed to declining agricultural yields over the past decades. In recent years, drought has become a perennial problem in parts of Kenya. Episodes in 2009 and 2011 generated food emergencies, while flooding in 2010 affected parts of the country severely.

Tribal affinities are a source of considerable conflict within Kenya, with the diverse ethnic groups competing since independence for land, financial resources and political power.

HIV/AIDS is most prevalent among young and middle-aged Kenyans, the most productive segment of the population. The illness leaves orphans and households headed by women that are even more vulnerable to poverty. The burden of waterborne diseases, malaria and HIV/AIDS weighs heavily on both the country and Kenyan families, affecting income, food security and development potential. Life expectancy fell to 46 years in 2006, but has since risen to over 55.

Rural women are a particularly vulnerable category because they do not have equal access to social and economic assets. Subsistence farming is the primary – and often the only – source of livelihood for about 70 per cent of these women.

source: here

By Mwali

If we look at Kenyan policies, they are mostly WB inspired
and it is not a secret that their focus in on the macro economy
they are more concerned of the country treasure and GDP
they do not really care about households and individuals

Mwali, I think you have hit the nail on the head about kenya's 40% poor, but Fiscal policies are not centered on world bank macro policies. And in fact the world bank macro policies are what Tanzanians have been implementing.

By The Boss

developed?

this word must has so many definitions

The Word id so illusive, that you can grab the money in any way you wish and get Your account puffed up and you are developed!

You are developed even if you squeeze the life out of albino etc and all the immoral way to boost your account and this is development! Development through all kind of inhumanity, injustice to the poor and the marginalized in the community but ... its development because some kind of magical calculations has indicated it to be so ...!!

That funny Little calculation fails completely to detect and indicate the corruptions, inhumanity, exploitations and ...!!

Indeed the world must have so many definitions depending on where you are coming from, where you are going and who is behind the whole drama and blindly ... we adapt to the mantra we sing and chant!!!!!!

The fact is: Income inequality in Kenya is very high..that is the difereence between tho have and have not....with a very a high level of grand corruption.

By Galaticos

The fact is: Income inequality in Kenya is very high..that is the difereence between tho have and have not....with a very a high level of grand corruption.

One of the problems of debating on this forum is the fact that people like you keep saying "the fact is..." without actually producing any facts while conveniently ignoring the post which actually produce these facts and backs them up with evidence.

Anyway, that doesn't mean that I disagree with you. Yes, to a certain extent, Kenya is an unequal society but, as the report I linked to above suggests, that has began to change and the wealth is spreading about a bit more...a lot of people said that Kibaki's trickle down economics would not work but the trend clearly shows tht, while it didn't work in one fell swoop, it is introducing changes incrementally. More Kenyans now have an opportunity to engage in the nation's economic life and more and more people are being pulled out of poverty. People should understand that it was never going to be easy to undo the rot of the Moi years and our fault was maybe setting our expectations too high (and to be fair, Kibaki's government did fan these expectation in pursuit of votes).

Msitukane wakunga na uzazi ungalipo! Kenya number one source FDI(foreign direct invesment) Tanzania.

By simplemind

Msitukane wakunga na uzazi ungalipo! Kenya number one source FDI(foreign direct invesment) Tanzania.

Hapa hukueleweka mkuu. You mean Tanzania is the number one destination for foreign direct investors?

By Kabaridi

Hapa hukueleweka mkuu. You mean Tanzania is the number one destination for foreign direct investors?

No. The number one country for investing in Tanzania is KENYA.

...Kenya to be out of LDC's list in African countries it does n't mean that is rich(full of wealth) but some how is better comparing with those in LDC's list.

PrN-kazi,

I have a big problem because Tanzania's economic growth/backbone thrives well on paper in relation to Kenya's economic growth matrix. Kenya is not a heavily indebted poor country (HIPC), although low-per-capita-income is seemingly, what hampers kenya from recieving grants from WB and IMF.

Making comparisons from 1999 upto now.

1. The nationally defined poverty line per adult and per day in Kenya is USD 0.57
(rural areas) or USD 1.20 (urban areas). By this standard, in 1997 53 percent
of the rural and 50 percent of the urban population were living below the
poverty line.

2. There has been initiative at an unprecedented pace to revitalize the economy,
restore Kenya’s attraction for foreign investments
and bring to an end the extensive donor boycott. Among the principal
social achievements of the new government, which otherwise is seen
primarily as business-oriented, was the elimination of all school fees for
basic education as promised in the party’s electoral platform. Among its
more important projects are the removal of corrupt officials from the civil
service and the overall reduction of the endemic corruption, the privatizing
of numerous public enterprises and the preparation of a new constitution,
which can be expected to increase substantially the role played by local
institutions.

Apart from the usual type of crowing from western type NGO interventionists and arm-chair journalists, overall addressing of social issues like subsidizing of primary education have been made. That has set a platform for many regional countries to adopt this type of strategy. Free education is free for all whether poor or not, which has not been applied anywhere else. Here, as opposed to loan-grants from Breton-woods to structure and run unfeasible poverty reduction strategies, provision of quality education is precisely used to tackle long-term poverty.

The county government structure is set to reverse such "perceived" poverty

Counties in Kenya are:

1 Mombasa County
2 Kwale County
3 Kilifi County
4 Tana River County
5 Lamu County
6 Taita/Taveta County
7 Garissa County
8 Wajir County
9 Mandera County
10 Marsabit County
11 Isiolo County
12 Meru County
13 Tharaka-Nithi County
14 Embu County
15 Kitui County
16 Machakos County
17 Makueni County
18 Nyandarua County
19 Nyeri County
20 Kirinyaga County
21 Murang’a County
22 Kiambu County
23 Turkana County
24 West Pokot County
25 Samburu County
26 Trans Nzoia County
27 Uasin Gishu County
28 Elgeyo Marakwet County
29 Nandi County
30 Baringo County
31 Laikipia County
32 Nakuru County
33 Narok County
34 Kajiado County
35 Kericho County
36 Bomet County
37 Kakamega County
38 Vihiga County
39 Bungoma County
40 Busia County
41 Siaya County
42 Kisumu County
43 Homa Bay County
44 Migori County
45 Kisii County
46 Nyamira County
47 Nairobi County

I have a big problem because Tanzania's economic growth/backbone thrives well on paper in relation to Kenya's economic growth matrix. Kenya is not a heavily indebted poor country (HIPC), although low-per-capita-income is seemingly, what hampers kenya from recieving grants from WB and IMF.

Making comparisons from 1999 upto now.

1. The nationally defined poverty line per adult and per day in Kenya is USD 0.57
(rural areas) or USD 1.20 (urban areas). By this standard, in 1997 53 percent
of the rural and 50 percent of the urban population were living below the
poverty line.

2. There has been initiative at an unprecedented pace to revitalize the economy,
restore Kenya’s attraction for foreign investments
and bring to an end the extensive donor boycott. Among the principal
social achievements of the new government was the elimination of all school fees for
basic education as promised in the party’s electoral platform. Among its
more important projects are the removal of corrupt officials from the civil
service and the overall reduction of the endemic corruption, the privatizing
of numerous public enterprises and the preparation of a new constitution,
which can be expected to increase substantially the role played by local
institutions.

Apart from the the usual type of crowing from western type NGO interventionists and arm-chair journalists, overall addressing of social issues like subsidizing of primary education have been made. That has set a platform for many regional countries to adopt this type of strategy. Free education is free for all whether poor or not, which has not been applied anywhere else. Here, as opposed to loan-grants from Breton-woods to structure and run unfeasible poverty reduction strategies, provision of quality education is precisely used to tackle long-term poverty.

The county government structure is set to reverse such "perceived" poverty

Counties in Kenya are:

1 Mombasa County
2 Kwale County
3 Kilifi County
4 Tana River County
5 Lamu County
6 Taita/Taveta County
7 Garissa County
8 Wajir County
9 Mandera County
10 Marsabit County
11 Isiolo County
12 Meru County
13 Tharaka-Nithi County
14 Embu County
15 Kitui County
16 Machakos County
17 Makueni County
18 Nyandarua County
19 Nyeri County
20 Kirinyaga County
21 Murang’a County
22 Kiambu County
23 Turkana County
24 West Pokot County
25 Samburu County
26 Trans Nzoia County
27 Uasin Gishu County
28 Elgeyo Marakwet County
29 Nandi County
30 Baringo County
31 Laikipia County
32 Nakuru County
33 Narok County
34 Kajiado County
35 Kericho County
36 Bomet County
37 Kakamega County
38 Vihiga County
39 Bungoma County
40 Busia County
41 Siaya County
42 Kisumu County
43 Homa Bay County
44 Migori County
45 Kisii County
46 Nyamira County
47 Nairobi County

Kenya iliendelezwa (ktk sector zote, e.g., elimu, miundombinu, afya etc.) na waingereza kwa kutumia rasilimali za TZ & UG (rejeeni historia ya utawala & sera/interest za mkoloni mwingereza EA). Vinginevyo ingekuwa worse than Somalia.

My friend Cynic, I can see that your nerves are excruciating. Calm down your nerves and head and give us any credible sources with regards to your comments.

By Mekatilili

It is obvious you know very little about your country!

I won't be surprised if this is just another 'cooked research' done by a certain NGO/donor agency to get more funds...Researches done in a closed room intended to confuse the donors to release more funds for the NGOs and their sycophantic Donor agencies.Only the stupidiest of all will believe this nonsense.How can one of the most sparsely populated country in Africa have the largest slums population?Geographically,slum s are mainly associated with high densely populated areas.Tanzania is not that urbanized and a a simple survey in our towns will prove this,we might not have very sound sanitation facilities but for sure there are no slums in such degrees as those found in Kenya...my friend Mekatilili,before you post some stuff better check them...