Lamu, Isiolo, and Nyeri counties are the richest counties when measured according to the number of people living above the poverty line.
In a new study released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Isiolo, Lamu, and Nyeri counties together host only 0.9 percent of the most vulnerable.
The KNBS study revealed that Turkana, Kakamega, Kilifi, Mandera, and Kitui are the poorest with 752,359, 580,834, 513,2017, 473,738, and 459, 250 people living below the poverty line in those counties respectively.
“More than a quarter of the population that is monetary and multidimensionally poor (2.8% out of 11.8 million) resides in Turkana, Kakamega, Kilifi, Mandera and Kitui counties,” said the report.
Lamu emerged as the richest county with only 20,2018 people living below the poverty, meaning that only three out of 10 are extremely poor in the relatively small county.
Isiolo came in second in absolute numbers with just 46,965 people living below the poverty line, even though that is half the county’s population.
The third richest county in Kenya is Nyeri with only 63,005 poor people, a figure that translates to only 19 percent of its population.
According to the KNBS data, the other rich counties are Taita-Taveta with 70,891 people living below the poverty line, Tharaka-Nithi with 72,065, Kirinyaga with 77,850, and Nyandarua with 88,738.
Others are Embu (96,634), Elgeyo-Marakwet (119,826) and Mombasa (122,600).
The KNBS report is set to spark debate on where devolution funds should be invested based on where poor people reside in.
