This archive report was first published on 12 July 2021.
Published on July 12, 2021, the Inequality Trends and Diagnostics in Kenya, 2020 Report paints a grim picture of the country's inequality landscape.
According to the report, Kenya is one of the countries in Africa with high inequality levels, with most households owning less than half of the 17 selected assets, including mobile phones, television sets, radios, mattresses, electricity, piped water, and toilet facilities.
Notably, land – a key asset and a major driver of inequality – was missing from the 17 assets, with the report stating that land inequality had worsened over time in the past 18 years.
"The analysis reveals high inequalities in land distribution in Kenya. It shows that the levels of land inequality are high and indeed much higher than the measured inequality using real per capita consumption expenditure and asset index," the report said.
Real earnings have also fallen over time in the Kenyan labour market, with the share of earnings going to the richest 10% increasing from 36% of total real earnings in the financial year 1998/99 to 58% in the financial year 2005/2006 before falling to 46% in the year 2015/16.
"The poorest 10% of the population received less than one percent of the total real earnings over the period," the report noted.
Gender gaps also exist in certain occupations and industries, mostly in the transport sector, where men continue to receive higher earnings than women over 18 years.
"Inequality between men and women seems to be widespread in Kenya. Inequality in real per capita expenditure is high among households headed by women than men," the report said.
"In the labour markets, male participation rates are higher than for women," it added.
Despite recent declines in inequality, wide differences persist between rural and urban areas and across the 47 counties in the country.
The report calls for deliberate government interventions to fight inequalities in all areas, including eliminating all forms of gender inequality in the labour market, education, and access to basic services.
