This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
Kenya is set to take a significant step towards eradicating poverty by consolidating three women and youth enterprise funds into a single state agency.
According to a Bill currently in Parliament, the Poverty Eradication Authority (PEA) will be tasked with managing all funds channelled to reduce poverty, including a kitty known as the Poverty Eradication Fund.
The initial capital of the fund will be the consolidated funds from Uwezo Fund, the Youth and Women enterprise funds, and will be a revolving fund replenished at the end of each financial year.
As of 2015/16, Kenya's second integrated household budget survey found that the extremely poor had declined significantly, from 19.5 per cent in 2005/06 to 8.6 per cent, with about 84 per cent of the total hard-core poor found in rural areas.
However, despite this progress, Kenya is still off target in its efforts to end extreme poverty by 2030, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
The PEA will be run by a board under a chairperson appointed by the President and will incorporate principal secretaries from the Devolution and Labour ministries, in addition to seven other members appointed by the Devolution CS.
The authority's chief executive will serve for a five-year term that is renewable once, according to the Bill.
