Poverty statistics in Kenya are sobering. We focus on the repercussions of “multidimensional poverty”, which illustrates how poverty affects individuals and communities in interconnected ways. This goes beyond having insufficient income to meet basic needs, but also dimensions such as lack of access to decent health care and education, marginalization and a lack of social inclusion, access to essential services and exposure to environmental and man-made hazards.
In this environment, human flourishing and developing imagination for what could be are severely challenged.
Recent statistics highlighting child poverty in Kenya also serve as an indicative example for much of Africa, and has been exacerbated by the pandemic:
1 million or 52% of children under 18 in Kenya are multidimensionally poor, deprived of their fulfillment of between 3 and 7 basic needs and rights.
7 million or 42% of children in Africa under 18 live in monetarily poor households.
Children comprise more than half of the monetarily poor population (55%) and nearly half (48%) of the multidimensionally poor population.
Nearly 1 in 3 children live in households lacking the minimum of nationally agreed financial resources and are deprived of a minimum of 3 or more basic needs and services.
These dimensions illustrate how poverty affects individuals and communities in various interconnected ways, highlighting the need for diverse and comprehensive strategies to address it.
