Analysis of Multidimensional Nature of Poverty in Kitui County, Kenya

Abstract

The battle to end poverty in the world at large has continued since time immemorial. Despite stringent measures to overcome this global challenge, poverty levels remain high. Kenya has not been left behind in fighting this battle. The country has formulated various development plans and strategies to end this challenge. The fight towards ending poverty began when Kenya attained her independence in 1963 and continues up to date. To effectively reduce the levels of poverty in the country, there is a need to understand first the multidimensional nature since poverty differs in different areas. Then being fully equipped with this nature, one can understand the focal point to start developing the measures to curb this challenge. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the multidimensional nature of poverty in Kitui County, whose poverty level stands at 63.1 percent as of 2021, an increase from 47.5 percent in 2019 and above the country's poverty level of 41.9 percent. The study used secondary data from Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey collected in 2015/16 by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Analysis of data based on the Alkire and Foster procedure for analyzing the multidimensional nature of poverty was used in the study. The study found that the households in Kitui County are multidimensionally poor and are deprived more of living standard indicators than indicators in health and education. Based on the study's findings, the County Government of Kitui and other stakeholders should prioritize measures to improve living standards since many of the households in the county are mainly affected by economic shocks. Also, the government should ensure there is easy accessibility to credit. This will enable households to get resources that can be used to start economic activities, generate income and improve their welfare.