Download Many Kenyans unable to put meal on table, says report

The People ­ Wednesday
Date: 15.03.2017
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Many Kenyans unable to put meal on table, says report
by Wangui Githugo
Eight out of 10 Kenyans report that
their income is insufficient to meet
their households' basic needs, states a
report released yesterday.
The findings, released byTwaweza
East Africa in a research brief dubbed
"Household Economics in Kenya", in­
dicate that 81 per cent of Kenyans find
their income insufficient to meet their
needs while 49 per cent of those affect­
ed tighten their expenditure to survive.
Addressing the media yesterday,
East African Institute Director Dr Alex
to withdrawtheir children from school
decision making based on a careful
Awiti said that most of the respon­
dents named the high cost of living as
the main problem facing their house­
in the past six months because they
could not pay the fees or buy school
review of evidences available," said
Rateng. When facing cash constraints,
supplies.
Twaweza Senior Program Officer
Victor Rateng cited that those slightly
better off live at the mercy of price
half of all households respond by cut­
ting spending.
Smaller numbers try to get through
the tough times by calling on loans,
shocks.
21 per cent by obtaining supplies on
holds.
Measuring poverty
"Measuring poverty and its relation­
ship to our ever­rising GDP may be a
contested area but the reality of pov­
erty presented in this data cannot be
ignored. Most Kenyans make difficult
choices everyday between basic needs
despite the credit our economy gets for
strong growth," said Awiti.
who have gone a whole
day without a meal
According to the report, almost half
of Kenyans (43 per cent) have gone to
bed hungry due to a lack of resources
and 65 per cent have skipped a meal in
the past three months.
Further, 44 per cent of households
with school­going children have had
Financial pressure
"Few households are untouched by
financial pressures. Even the wealthi­
est, fifth of the population, struggles to
make ends meet and addressing this
precariousness requires thoughtful
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya
credit and 14 per cent by borrowing
money.
Kenya has experienced a reason­
able rate of economic growth in the
past few years, typically at about five
to seven per cent, but poverty still persi
sts.