Kenya’s Street Population Drops 60% in Eight Years, but Challenges Remain

By Robai Ludenyi

The number of people living on Kenya’s streets has plummeted by more than 60 percent over the past eight years, fresh government data shows a significant milestone in the country’s decades-long effort to rehabilitate and reintegrate its most vulnerable citizens.

The 2025 National Census for Street Families report reveals that the street-connected population has nosedived from over 46,000 in 2018 to 18,049 in 2025, marking one of the sharpest declines recorded since rehabilitation efforts began in 2003. Despite the progress, Nairobi, Nakuru and Mombasa counties continue to bear the heaviest burden.

Nairobi alone accounts for 4,690 street persons, with Nakuru following at 1,546, Mombasa at 1,428 and Kiambu at 1,370. Nyandarua, Lamu and Tana River registered the lowest figures nationally. Of the 18,049 counted, 78.6 percent are male and 21.4 percent female.

Gender, Culture and Children Services Cabinet Secretary Hanna Wendot, speaking at the report’s launch at Avian Courts in Naivasha, said the government was doubling down on rehabilitation and reintegration programs, with Sh40 million set aside for skills training, capacity building and support for vulnerable persons. She added that a majority of those currently on the streets had expressed readiness to leave if presented with viable alternatives.

She said rising poverty, economic hardships, drug and substance abuse, and social and family instability are the major factors driving most people to the streets.

The CS launched the Street Families Information Management System a digital platform that will provide real time data to sharpen government interventions and ensure resources reach those who need them most.

Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund Board Chair Mary Wambui flagged the need for more funding to expand rescue centres and equip beneficiaries with life skills. She pointed to corporal punishment, food deprivation and parental alcoholism as key triggers pushing children onto the streets.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Director General Macdonald Obudho credited targeted interventions and stronger family support structures for the dramatic turnaround, and confirmed that refugees and asylum seekers would be included in the next national census slated for 2028/29.

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