As you journey through Kenya’s diverse landscapes, you will encounter millions of hardworking families caught in a relentless struggle against extreme poverty. In places like Turkana County, eight out of every 10 people survive on less than Sh65 a day — here, poverty is not a statistic, but a daily reality.
Households are larger, averaging six members compared to the national average of four, placing even greater strain on limited resources.
Climate change has deepened this crisis by wiping out livestock, drying up water sources, reducing food production, and fuelling conflicts, leaving already vulnerable families struggling to survive.
In Turkana, as in many rural counties, poverty is more than the absence of income — it is a daily battle for basic needs such as healthcare, food, clean water, and sanitation, making it even harder for families to escape the poverty trap. For the rural poor, each sunrise brings another battle to survive, while holding onto the hope of a better future.
As of 2022, a third of Kenyans — about 15.9 million people — lived below the absolute poverty line, defined as Sh108 per day in rural areas and Sh200 in urban areas. These amounts are well below the global poverty line of Sh275 per day, classifying these individuals as ultra-poor.
Furthermore, the KNBS Poverty Report (2022) found that 7.1 percent of Kenyans — or 3.6 million people — live in hardcore poverty, unable to afford even their daily food needs.
Food poverty lines are set at Sh1,954 per month in rural areas and Sh2,551 per month in urban areas (equivalent to about Sh65 and Sh85 per day respectively). Many Kenyans cannot even afford a 1kg packet of unga (maize flour) to feed their families.
While government programmes like Inua Jamii — offering cash transfers to older persons, orphans, vulnerable children, persons with severe disabilities, and the Hunger Safety Net Programme — provide some relief, they have proven insufficient to deliver sustainable economic empowerment for the ultra-poor.
These initiatives offer short-term support, but long-term, sustainable solutions that tackle the root causes of poverty and build resilience through skills development and mentorship are urgently needed.
Recognising these limitations, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection piloted the Economic Inclusion Programme (EIP) under the Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Programme Implemented in collaboration with Village Enterprise and other partners.
The EIP uses an Ultra-Poor Graduation approach — combining cash transfers, direct grants, targeted training, and mentorship. It has demonstrated tangible impact in transforming rural livelihoods: participants reported increased household incomes, greater financial stability, improved food security, and stronger social cohesion.
An evaluation of the EIP found that participants increased their business assets, savings, and profits while improving their food security and social inclusion.
These encouraging results inspired the Directorate of Social Development, under the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs, to spearhead the development of a National Ultra-Poor Graduation Strategy. This strategy aims to scale the gains countrywide, offering a clear, proven, and tailored approach to lifting the ultra-poor sustainably, while aligning with Kenya’s national development priorities.
The Department has partnered with Village Enterprise and CHASP Advisory to develop the strategy, and is actively engaging stakeholders across the country. Strategic regional deliberations recently brought together representatives from the State Department for Social Protection, county governments, and various non-state actors, surfacing critical insights.
The poorest counties, according to the Kenya Poverty Report 2022, include Turkana (81.3 percent), Samburu (71.3 percent), Mandera (69.5 percent), Garissa (64.7 percent), and Tana River (61.7 percent) — all located in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
However, ultra-poor households are found even in Kenya’s wealthier counties. Every county must therefore prioritise and allocate sufficient resources to implement Ultra-Poor Graduation programmes that can sustainably lift households out of poverty.
Effective social protection requires a whole-of-society approach, involving diverse stakeholders. The Ultra-Poor Graduation model, with its focus on community involvement and collaboration between government and non-state actors, ensures better coordination and greater access to services.
Poverty is more than a lack of income; it is a complex web of deprivations in education, healthcare, infrastructure, power, and opportunity. Ultra-Poor Graduation programmes provide a proven pathway out of extreme poverty. However, real transformation demands broader investments — in markets, essential services, infrastructure, and secure land tenure.
Only through such a holistic approach can we break the cycle of poverty and create sustainable change.
Central to the Ultra-Poor Graduation model is ongoing training and mentorship to equip participants with entrepreneurship skills. Scaling it across all 47 counties could catalyse the creation of thousands of micro-enterprises, driving income growth, creating jobs, and boosting the wider economy.
The National Ultra-Poor Graduation Strategy offers county governments the opportunity to craft tailored policies to address ultra-poverty. Notably, Makueni, Taita Taveta, and West Pokot counties — in collaboration with Village Enterprise — have already developed and ratified Ultra-Poor Graduation policies and are developing corresponding legislation. Counties such as West Pokot have gone a step further, allocating budgets to Graduation programmes and beginning implementation, enabling their most vulnerable citizens to lift themselves out of poverty sustainably.
As we design national and county policies and budgets, addressing the needs of the ultra-poor must be at the forefront. A Kenya free from poverty is not only possible; it is within our grasp. We share a collective moral responsibility to ensure that no one is left behind.
Ms Odida is Acting Secretary at Directorate of Social Development and Ms Githinji is Global Director Policy Strategy and Advocacy at Village Enterprise
