Nyanza and NEP poorest zones: UN study

• Kenya is ranked 16 in Africa and 76 worldwide in standards of living

North Eastern and Nyanza provinces are the poorest in Kenya while Nairobi and Central are ranked the richest, according to a new study by a UN agency.

The study found that the richest people in Kenya are among the Embu ; the second-highest number are found among the Kikuyu.

The Maasai, Turkana and Somali are the worse off, deprived of education, health and with poor standards of living compared to other tribes in Kenya.

The results of the study on poverty levels released this month in London will feature in the 20th anniversary edition of the UNDP’s Human Development Report due out late in October.

Issues considered

The researchers examined issues like health, education, standards of living and whether people have access to clean water, toilets, clean floors and electricity.

The study ranks Kenya 16th in Africa and 76th worldwide in standard of living, with GDP per capita average growth at 2.94 per cent.

With a population of 37.8 million in 2007, almost 23 million Kenyans live in poverty. Approximately 7.5 million spend less than $1.25 a day, and another 15 million spend less that $2 a day.

Nairobi Province has the highest standard of living in Kenya, followed by Central, Eastern, Western, Coast, Rift Valley, Nyanza and then North Eastern provinces.

When researchers broke the data down along ethnic lines the Embu emerged as the richest Kenyans, followed by the Kikuyu, Taita/Taveta, Meru, Luhya, Kamba, Kisii, Luo, Kalenjin, Mijikenda/Swahili, Kuria, Somali, Maasai and then the Turkana in 15th place.

Among the Embu, they found that 29 per cent are poor compared to 96 per cent among the Turkana.

“Our measure identifies the most vulnerable households and groups and enables us to understand exactly which deprivations afflict their lives,” said Dr Sabin Alkire of Oxford University who was one of the two lead researchers.

According to Tiberius Barasa, a research consultant in public policy at the African Public Policy Research Institute, the study is able to show that even among communities ranked as rich, there are poor families.

“It gives a better picture,” Mr Barasa said.

Nairobi and Central have the most children in school, followed by Nyanza, Coast, Western, Rift Valley, Eastern and North Eastern provinces.