Residents in Samburu, Turkana, Mandera, Garissa, Busia and West Pokot starve and languish in poverty as the regions top the list of the poorest counties in the country.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics current data, residents in these counties live on less than 3,252 shillings a month. This translates to about 100 shillings every day, which means they can hardly pay for basic food commodities.
The report posits an overall reduced poverty rate by 10 percent in the 10-year period covered. The drop is attributed to improved investments in various industries including the maternal and child healthcare sector, as well as the improved living standards and increased enrolments in schools.
The improvement, however, is no indication that the economic conditions of all the citizens have improved. The burden of the poor is still substantial.
The Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey report for the year 2015/16, that was released on March 23, shows that one in three persons in Kenya is unable to consume the daily minimum number of calories of 2,250 Kcal as per their expenditure.
The number of poor children in the country is higher than that of adults with rural areas registering more numbers than the urban areas. This is an apparent indication of how poverty is predominant in rural areas.
The above-named counties, for instance, has more than one-third of the total population languishing in abject poverty meaning they cannot afford to have recommended daily meals.
There are also concentrations in Kajiado, Kitui and Uasin Gishu.
According to Zachary Mwangi, the director general of the bureau, Turkana County led with 52.7 percent, followed by Samburu, 42.2 percent, Mandera 38.9 percent, Busia 26.8 percent, West Pokot 26.3 percent, and Marsabit at 23.8 percent.
Putting numbers into perspective, the percentages translate to about 16.4 million people who are living in poverty across the country.
The figures also show that poverty in rural areas is still leading with 11.4 poor people compared to those in peri-urban and core-urban regions, which are represented by 900,000 and 3.8 million people respectively.
The condition has been further worsened by the increase in the prices of basic commodities like sugar, rice, maize, bread, wheat flour and dry beans, which have doubled, and in some instances tripled because of prolonged droughts and increase in fuel prices.
Devolution was hailed as the biggest contributor to the country’s growth as it opened the once marginalized parts of the country as well as improved health care system and agricultural services, both of which are devolved.
However, there is need to address the gaps and inequalities existing in the counties. The report suggested a shift in the distribution of incomes that favor poorer people, strengthening of labor markets and increased access to healthcare, education, water, and sanitation.