Main Causes of Poverty in Kenya

Introduction

Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Many states all

over the world undergo the state of poverty especially the African countries Kenya being among

the list. A majority of Kenyan population is living below the poverty margin which is below one

dollar a day. According to various statistics especially the central bank of Kenya states that the

number of Kenyans living hand to mouth has majorly increased from about 30 per cent to about

50 per cent. Besides, a large number of Kenyans are extremely poor having their income being

too little to maintain their lives since with it they mainly manage to put food on the table but not

improve their lives. Lack of jobs, bad leadership and unequal distribution of resources are some

major causes of poverty in Kenya today.

Lack of Jobs or Livelihood

Kenyans especially the youths are in a position where they do not have jobs despites the

fact that many have gone to school and even graduated. As a result, Kenyans end up being

frustrated mainly due to the little income they get at times or having no jobs at all. Being in the

state of unemployment promotes poverty because there is no money to promote the living

standards and as a result there are many social immoralities like stealing and usage of drugs

which encourages the state of poverty. On various occasions, the people of Kenya get to do odd

jobs that enables then to get little income but at the end of the day it is only enough for feeding

not improving their state.

 Bad Governance and Leadership

Bad governance and leadership has seen a lot of wastage of public resources in Kenya

today. As a result of this, the level of corruption has gone extremely high which has led to the

embezzlement of public resources which could go a long way in eradicating poverty in neediest

areas of the country. The poor leaders in office do not bother to fight off the corruption in the

system considering they are involved in it. As a result, they work hand in hand and help each

other to embezzle the public funds at the cost of Kenyans especially those without a voice hence

promoting the state of poverty in Kenya.

Unequal Distribution of Resources

Unequal distribution of resources simply means that the resources meant to be shared by

all persons is not distributed fairly among the people of Kenya. For instances, centralized

counties such as Nairobi and Kiambu normally tends to get the largest share of the governments

resources at the cost of other less centralized counties such as Turukana county. Due to this

action, people from the less centralized counties remain poor because fundamental resources

such as health care and education do not arrive to them as required and as a result poverty in

Kenya is promoted at a high rate.

Conclusion

From the discussion above, poverty is really not a new phenomenon in the world today

especially in Kenya. As a result, Kenyan government ought to work hard to eradicate poverty by

taking major considerations especially in areas like employment where there should be more job

opportunities. Moreover, resources should be shared equally among the people of Kenya.