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A Situational Analysis of Poverty in Kenya

About: The article was published on 2002-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 71 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Poverty.
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examined the reasons behind household movements into and out of poverty across Kenya, and how they differ by livelihood zones, and provided an example of how regionally differentiated anti-poverty policies can be investigated and designed.
Abstract: Combining qualitative–quantitative approaches, we examined the reasons behind household movements into and out of poverty across Kenya, and how they differ by livelihood zones. Among the 4773 households studied, 42 per cent were poor 15 years ago and 50 per cent are poor at the present time. Over the same period, 12 per cent of the households escaped poverty, while another 20 per cent fell into poverty. While some national trends were evident – such as the role of health problems in driving people into poverty and the importance of off-farm income in getting them out – many reasons differ across livelihood zones, thus this paper provides an example of how regionally differentiated anti-poverty policies can be investigated and designed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

131 citations


Cites background from "A Situational Analysis of Poverty i..."

  • ...Kenya’s development efforts since independence have emphasized poverty reduction through economic growth, employment creation and the provision of basic social services (Kimalu et al., 2002)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A framework indicating the complex links between malaria, poverty and vulnerability at the household level is developed and applied using data from rural Kenya, finding that wealthier households were better able to cope with the impacts of malaria.
Abstract: Malaria imposes significant costs on households and the poor are disproportionately affected. However, cost data are often from quantitative surveys with a fixed recall period. They do not capture costs that unfold slowly over time, or seasonal variations. Few studies investigate the different pathways through which malaria contributes towards poverty. In this paper, a framework indicating the complex links between malaria, poverty and vulnerability at the household level is developed and applied using data from rural Kenya. Cross-sectional surveys in a wet and dry season provide data on treatment-seeking, cost-burdens and coping strategies (n = 294 and n = 285 households respectively). 15 case study households purposively selected from the survey and followed for one year provide in-depth qualitative information on the links between malaria, vulnerability and poverty. Mean direct cost burdens were 7.1% and 5.9% of total household expenditure in the wet and dry seasons respectively. Case study data revealed no clear relationship between cost burdens and vulnerability status at the end of the year. Most important was household vulnerability status at the outset. Households reporting major malaria episodes and other shocks prior to the study descended further into poverty over the year. Wealthier households were better able to cope. The impacts of malaria on household economic status unfold slowly over time. Coping strategies adopted can have negative implications, influencing household ability to withstand malaria and other contingencies in future. To protect the poor and vulnerable, malaria control policies need to be integrated into development and poverty reduction programmes.

127 citations

ReportDOI
TL;DR: In the first decade of the twenty-first century, countries within Sub-Saharan Africa reached milestones that seemed impossible only ten years ago: macroeconomic stability, sustained economic growth, and improved governance as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In the first decade of the twenty-first century, countries within Sub-Saharan Africa reached milestones that seemed impossible only ten years ago: macroeconomic stability, sustained economic growth, and improved governance. Continuing this pattern of success will require enhancing the region’s agricultural sector, in which a large proportion of poor people make a living. The authors of Strategies and Priorities for African Agriculture: Economywide Perspectives from Country Studies argue that, although the diversity of the region makes generalization difficult, increasing staple-crop production is more likely to reduce poverty than increasing export-crop production. This conclusion is based on case studies of ten low-income African countries that reflect varying levels of resource endowments and development stages. The authors also recommend increased, more efficient public investment in agriculture and agricultural markets and propose new directions for future research. The last ten years have been an encouraging time for one of the world’s poorest regions; this book offers an analysis of how recent, promising trends can be sustained into the future.

108 citations

Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: For example, the authors showed that approximately 10 million infants and children under five years of age die each year, with large variations in under-five mortality rates across regions and countries.
Abstract: Child mortality is perhaps one of the most crucial and avoidable global health concerns. The issue is commonly on the agenda of public health and international development agencies and has received renewed attention as a part of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Approximately 10 million infants and children under five years of age die each year, with large variations in under-five mortality rates across regions and countries (WHO 2004). In many low-income countries, 10–20 per cent of children die before reaching five years (Moser et al. 2005).

90 citations

Posted Content
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of HIV/AIDS on economic growth in a low-income country like Kenya has been analyzed by means of simulations using a macroeconomic model for the Kenyan economy and the key channels explored are the impact on productivity and labour force supply; asset accumulation of human, physical and social capital; and the gender channel.
Abstract: HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa has been closely associated with adverse economic effects, and could thwart the success of poverty reduction initiatives. HIV/AIDS is fast eroding the health benefits, which Kenya gained in the first two decades of independence. The paper explores the different channels through which HIV/AIDS affects economic growth in a low income country like Kenya. Within this framework, the paper attempts to analyse the impact of HIV/AIDS on Kenya's economic growth by way of simulations using a macroeconomic model for the Kenyan economy. Some of the key channels explored are the impact of HIV/AIDS on productivity and labour force supply; asset accumulation of human, physical and social capital; and the gender channel.

71 citations