NAIROBI, Kenya – In a recent report released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Kirinyaga County was ranked as the 3rd lowest county in poverty rates with 23.1%.
It was closely followed by Embu and Kiambu counties, which ranked as the 2nd and 4th lowest counties with poverty rates of 24.3% and 19.9%, respectively.
Nairobi County, Kenya’s capital city and commercial hub, was ranked the lowest with a 16.5% poverty rate.
Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru was impressed that her county was ranked among those counties with low poverty rates, which she attributed to better leadership.
“Kirinyaga ranks 3rd lowest in poverty rates nationally, a testament to programs like Wezesha Kirinyaga, investments in healthcare, infrastructure, and agriculture; support for local SACCOs through training and financial aid; and boosting trade with 18 modern markets and aggregation centers,” she wrote on her X account.
Kirinyaga ranks 3rd lowest in poverty rates nationally, a testament to programs like Wezesha Kirinyaga, investments in healthcare, infrastructure, and agriculture, support for local SACCOs through training and financial aid, and boosting trade with 18 modern markets and…
Turkana, Mandera, and Samburu were ranked among the top counties with the highest poverty rates, with 82.7%, 72.9%, and 71.9%, respectively.
The report comes at a time when some political leaders are calling for a new revenue-sharing formula that, according to them, will help each county have an equal share of resources.
The KNBS report focuses on various dimensions of poverty and not only people’s income.