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Poverty in Kenya

Kenya

The Colonial History of Kenya

In 1885 the European nation divided Africa among themselves. In 1894, the British government declared the East African Protectorate over Kenya and Uganda and, in 1920, it became a colony. In 1944 Kenya formed a campaign group named Kenyan African Union (KAU) for independence followed by Jomo Kenyatta becoming the KAU leader in 1947. In 1947 the Mau Mau rebel movement was born and Mau Mau activities against the colonial government which causes Kenyatta, Achieng Aneko and others are arrested. Kenyatta is sentenced to seven years imprisonment on charges of leading the Mau Mau. Kenyatta is released from prison in 1959. The state of emergency ends. Britain begins preparing Kenya for majority African rule. James Gichuru, Oginga Odinga and others form Kenya African National Union (KANU) in 1960. By December 12, 1963 Kenya gains independence, and Jomo Kenyatta becomes Prime Minister.

On December 12, 1964, Kenya became a republic. Jomo Kenyatta was named Kenya's first president, with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga as his vice-president. Odinga later had ideological differences with Kenyatta and, in 1966, he left KANU and formed the opposition party - Kenya People's Union (KPU).

Kenyatta banned KPU and, in 1969, KANU became Kenya's only political party. Kenyatta remained president of Kenya until his death on August 22, 1978.

After a peaceful General Elections that took place in March 2013 and a landmark Supreme Court ruling that upheld Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential victory against his defeated rival Raila Odinga, Kenya has its first president elected under the new constitution, President Uhuru Kenyatta. He is mandated to rule Kenya for five years until the next election. President Uhuru Kenyatta is the son of founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

10 Facts about Kenya

1. People in rural areas suffer the greatest, since Kenya has limited access to few physicians and nurses and they are the poorest inhabitants. Those living in rural areas often go without healthcare, clean water and sanitation, as well as many other social services which primarily are located in the cities and business regions. Poverty in Kenya is a widespread problem but is concentrated in the rural areas;
2. School enrollment is quite high in Kenya at 90 percent;
3. Kenya has on of the highest rates of population growth. In the last 35 years it increased from 16.3 million (1980) to 47 million (present);
4. Physicians are scarce in Kenya. Studies by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that they are only one doctor and 12 nurses or midwives per 10,000 people in Kenya. The shortage of medical professionals is a severe problem for the nation;
5. Improvements in the Kenyan government has been made when realizing that they lack diversification. They have increased manufacturing as well as putting interest in urban businesses. Therefor, Kenya is on the path of economically growth;
6. Due to not being economically diverse in the nation it causes farmers to quit when disasters or droughts occur and work are based on the agricultural sector;
7. Kenya has one of the highest literacy rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. The youth literacy rate is 85 percent as of this year, which is greater its neighboring nations. Uganda's youth literacy rate is at 79 percent, in Sudan its 61 and 45 percent in Ethiopia;
8. Life expectancy is increasing. According to The World Bank, life expectancy was at 53 years old in 2000 but has increased every year since. Now, the life expectancy is at 62 and is predicted to continue to rise. The majority of these improvements are from public health initiatives, particularly surrounding HIV/AIDS prevention after the disease was officially declared a natural disaster by the government in 2001;
9. Children make up nearly half of the population. Of those living in Kenya, 42 percent are children under 15. This has major implications for the country’s infrastructure, and leaders are realizing it is past time to support these children; and
10. Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) is a school for girls in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa. Founded by Kennedy Odede, a native of Kibera, SHOFCO believes “the fight against urban poverty begins with a girl” and has enacted comprehensive education and healthcare systems to ensure free, quality primary education as well as free healthcare and social services for the girls. They are also the largest employer in Kibera, employing teachers as well as social services such as psychologists, doctors and even soccer coaches. Organizations such as SHOFCO exist throughout Kenya who are dedicated to promoting gender equality, education and basic human needs to a population that certainly needs it. With determined individuals such as those who work at SHOFCO, poverty in Kenya will decrease and put the country on a trajectory towards success.THERE IS STILL HOPE.

Poverty in Kenya

Poverty is, "the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions." [1] Poverty is one of the central problems of economics. Everyone is aware that there is a lot of poverty in the world, and that it is disproportionately concentrated in Asia and Africa.

Kenya is ranked sixth with large population living on extreme poverty index among ten countries . Studies by the Institute of Security Studies have shown that Kenya won't be able to decrease poverty until 2030 until measures are taken to rescue the 18 million people who live under the poverty line. Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Uganda, Mozambique, Malawi and Burundi are the other countries with the largest population of extremely poor people.

The study, Reasonable Goals for Reducing Poverty in Africa - Targets For Post 2015 MDGs And Agenda 2063, says failure to reduce poverty is threatening Kenya’s economic success.The study further reveals that although Kenya have experienced exponential economic growth, they have failed to translate this growth into poverty reduction. Authors Jakkie Cilliers, Sarah Turner and Barry Hughes said although Kenya and many other African countries hoped to end extreme poverty by 2030, many would miss the target. Speaking on Wednesday after the launch of the report in Nairobi, Mr Cilliers said, ' because Kenya was relatively unequal, with growth restricted to urban areas, the country still had a long way to end poverty. A high population increase, mismanagement of resources and setting of short term goals by politicians to win elections were also contributing to the slow elimination of poverty. Poverty will come down at a relatively brisk rate but the country will not reach the goal of alleviating poverty by 2030.”

Kenya needs to invest more in basic education, infrastructure and in finding a way to get to the poor. He said, "though devolution hoped to improve life, a lot of money was being sucked up by county governments through mismanagement." But all is not lost. Mr Cilliers said Kenya could put more effort into increasing government spending on welfare, tax redistribution and ending corruption. “With pro-poor policies that try to provide social assistance and other support to rural and poor people, Kenya can fairly quickly enjoy a massive reduction of poverty while growing its economy and reducing inequality,” said Mr Cilliers.

Poverty in Kenya is fueled by a diversity of factors, such as unemployment, child labor, epidemic, and education system (failure). But nevertheless despite all of that and being that its population is 39 million Kenya has been one of the few in Africa to do well in the 1970's - 1980's for covering basic needs thanks to its smallholder agriculture and useful policies put in place.

The stereotype still remains that Africa as a whole is vastly impoverished and desolate. While certainly some pockets of the continent continue to suffer, poverty in Kenya is showing great improvement.

Causes of Poverty in Kenya

Wasted opportunities

Kenya has even become a major trading hub in the region, despite up-and-down growth rates since its independence in 1963. The country boasts a young and vibrant population, with 40% underage and a big share of it below 15. This would be a tremendous opportunity for consumption if only the average income hadn't been plummeting in the past few years threatening more and more families of destitution. As of 2008 unemployment was running wild - at a good 40% - thereby also marginalizing as much as 40% of the population. Moreover, in 2004 Kenya's income poverty rate was up to 57% of the population. If you're wondering what is the poverty line in Kenya, it is set at $1.46 per day in urban areas and $0.68 in rural ones.

Economic outlook

Since liberalization measures and anti-corruption policies have been implemented by the current government, Kenya has won back the international aid it had lost under the precedent regime in the 1990s. A better macroeconomic management and strong political will have helped further develop the infrastructure and the construction sector. On top of that, tourism came back on track with the (slow) end of the economic crisis. All this has contributed to reduce poverty in Kenya.

Government Corruption

According to Transparency International, Kenya is one of the most corrupt nations in the world. It is difficult for the majority of the population to escape the poverty in Kenya, when government money is used improperly.

Bribes, fraud and tribal favoritism are common within the all levels of government, which hampers any attempt to improve conditions across the country. In the early 2000s, the Kenyan government began taking steps to reduce the rampant corruption. These reforms have inspired some confidence, and brought additional foreign investment back to Kenya, but at the core of the system corruption remains.

Unfair Tariff Walls By Rich Countries

Protection of their own economies through tariff walls poses another problem. An increase of international trade has proven beneficial for many developing countries – look at China, India and countries in South America. But often, it’s useless for developing countries to export to rich countries because the latter have installed tariff walls. This way, products from developing countries are artificially made expensive for Western buyers. Rich countries (actually their governments) want to protect their own industries against competition this way. For example, Kenya has a blossoming flower industry that’s exporting to Europe, but recently a number of European countries have installed high new tariffs. It’s obvious that they want to protect their own industries. Their citizens pay the price. Often, progressive groups don’t mention this as a cause of Kenyan poverty, because they are ideologically opposed to free trade and free markets.

Limited Economic Diversity

Around three quarters of Kenya's population is dependent on the agriculture industry, but with its erratic weather patterns and vast regions of arid desert, it is a very unstable sector. Periods of drought can be crippling, not only in terms of food supply, but in jobs as well.

Even when crops have been sufficient, poor government policies and international trade terms hampered agricultural growth, leading to further declines in the industry through the 70s and 80s. Starting in 1991, further serious problems in the country's GDP became evident, leading to extended government action which has not proven to be successful at stemming the tide of poverty in Kenya.