Food poverty

2.8 million Kenyans live in abject poverty and are “unable to afford the minimum required food consumption basket, even if they allocated all their expenditure on food alone” according to a recent report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

A total of 10.8 million people,  which translates to 32.2 percent of the country’s total populace, are below the food poverty line.

Kenyans living in rural Kenya are more affected at 40.7 percent compared to those in urban areas at 34.1 percent. Harcore poverty in rural areas is at 7.8 percent affecting (2.6 million residents while harcore poverty in urban areas is 1.5 percent.

The report by KNBS further records that the gap between the rich and the poor in Kenya continues to widen amidst the prevailing high cost of living,

Counties with the highest food poverty levels in Kenya

Turkana (38.2%)
Wajir (26.6%)
Samburu (25.9%)
Mandera (25.2%)
Marsabit (20.7 %)
Tana River (20.5%)

Inflation in Kenya

Inflation has been on the rise in the country. KNBS recorded an overall year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 8.0 percent, in May 2023, up from the 7.9 percent recorded last month.

“The increase in inflation was largely due to increase in prices of commodities under Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages (10.2%); and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and other fuels (9.7%); and Transport (10.1%) between May 2022 and May 2023,” KNBS.