In the fight against global poverty, there is a lot of talk about problems and less about progress and good news. Kenya is one nation that has been making progress in improving the health and well-being of its society, something in which it takes great pride. One can attribute the progress on poverty reduction in Kenya to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. The work towards achieving the goals of this agenda, combined with other strategies, has resulted in a significant decrease in poverty.

What is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an initiative that began in 2015 and was agreed upon by all member states that make up the United Nations. The project serves as a roadmap of what needs to be accomplished in order for all people to have the opportunity for peace and prosperity in the future. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), representing challenges and opportunities for all member states of the U.N. to act on, including issues that cause poverty, food insecurity and low wages. The goal is to recognize that economic growth goes hand-in-hand with reducing poverty, hunger and income inequality.

What Steps Has Kenya Made Towards Achieving Progress?

Kenya has made huge strides in improving the health and well-being of its citizens on multiple fronts. Several accomplishments were made between January 2016 and January 2017 that helped to reduce hunger and poverty. According to InDepthNews, poverty levels decreased from 46.8% in 2007 to 45.2%. The Kenyan government also instituted the Equalization Fund, which provides funding that has resulted in free primary and secondary schooling. In addition, the fund expanded technical and vocational educational training institutions at the grassroots level. The fund also includes provisions that help women, young people and people with disabilities procure preferences and reservations through an affirmative action policy. All these things together serve to help the most vulnerable of society while simultaneously achieving progress on poverty reduction in Kenya and promoting equity.

Further Accomplishments and Progress Made

The Kenyan government has been committed to improving the lives and conditions of its people, as well as promoting economic growth, and there are milestones to show for that effort. According to the 17th edition of the Kenya Economic Update, in 2005 and 2006, the proportion of Kenyans who were living below the international poverty line was 46.8%. Fast forward to 2015/2016, and that number decreased to 36.1%. The economic update also shows that Kenya is performing better than most sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries when it comes to both monetary and non-monetary poverty indicators. If one were to step back and look at the overall picture involving the poverty rate and income levels, one would see that human development indicators for Kenya are high. This means that Kenya performs highly compared to other SSA countries when it comes to the non-monetary aspects of poverty.

Kenya’s Strategies

The Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS) is a Kenyan government program with a number of medium-term objectives. One is strengthening the macroeconomic framework, as well as fully embracing both private sector participation and investment. According to imf.org, in terms of improving equity and poverty reduction, the program seeks to focus on some very specific issues: “…universal primary education, improved access to basic health, expanded productive capacity in agriculture and upgrading the living conditions for urban dwellers that have suffered from poor urban infrastructure and social services mainly due to high urbanization rates.” Also, part of the program involves the Kenyan government working towards meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 

Conclusion

Kenya has made tremendous progress on poverty reduction in Kenya while working to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Millenium Development Goals. The commitment to working to improve the well-being of citizens while promoting economic growth has produced a number of milestones that fight food insecurity and increase sanitation services and access to education, all of which play a role in reducing poverty. However, this is only the beginning. Kenya still lags behind other lower-middle-income countries. 

The progress made so far is vulnerable to climate disasters such as droughts, which can drive poverty back up. Additionally, though Kenya has made tremendous strides in poverty reduction, it is not on track to eliminate poverty by 2030. To achieve that goal, they will have to accelerate the pace of poverty reduction. This is just a further reminder that the effort and progress towards fighting poverty, hunger and food insecurity in Kenya and around the world is a steady and ongoing process that will not be achieved overnight. It takes constant effort, work and attention.

– Gary Williams
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