Video: Kenya’s richest and poorest counties named,Kajiado on top

Only 12 in every 100 people in Kajiado are classified as poor in a country where the average number of people considered not to be rich is 46 per cent of the total population.

Kajiado’s wealth status is radically different from the poorest county, Turkana, where 94 people in every 100 residents are considered poor. (IN PICTURES: Kajiado County)

The findings are contained in the first ever audit of wealth and poverty since the new Constitution was passed, with a key accent being the devolution of resources to the counties.

According to a new report released this week, more than half of the people in 23 counties are living below the poverty line underlining the serious differentials in livelihoods.

Only half of the country’s 47 counties have their residents listed as living above the national poverty averages. Countrywide, 46 per cent of the country’s population of 40 million live in poverty.

So uneven is the distribution of wealth that the document notes that many Kenyans will look to devolution to help even out the country’s richness.

“The data on education and health, water and sanitation, access to electricity and the road network tell the story of historical inequities and to some extent the failure of the State to equalise opportunities for Kenyans,” the report, dated December 2011, states.

“Kenyans have embraced devolution with such passion because they expect that it will help fill these service delivery gaps.”

The document suggests that positive developments in counties rated as rich should be borrowed to benefit those that fair poorly.

The commission challenges counties to focus on wealth creation so their achievements could spread out to other parts of the country to improve overall development.

According to the report, the distribution of poverty will have significant implications in the distribution of money to the counties.

This is because there is always a link between poverty and other social aspects such as access to health services and development.

Also to determine the distribution of cash to the counties will be the population of the regions. It is the first time that counties, created by the Constitution that came in force last year, have been listed based on their wealth status.
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