Kisii university campus
Biting poverty levels in Kenya
by Diana Magwari • 31 March 2022
This article is the first in a series of articles on poverty, focusing on the southern Nyanza region of Kenya. In this series, we seek to understand the causes of poverty, its effects on the spiritual lives of ordinary people, and solution ideas. The present article is based on an interview with a Kenyan poverty reseracher: Job Omosa has graduated in 2011 with a bachelor in statistics from Moi University. Later he pursued a masters degree in biostatistics from Kisii University. He has more than 5 years experience in poverty research. Currently he is based at Kisii University as a statistics lecturer and researcher.
Poverty in Africa is still high compared to other continents despite several measures being adopted to alleviate this scourge. As of 2020, for example in Kenya, 16% of the Kenyan population lived below the poverty line that is 1.9 dollars a day. In the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, the numbers have surged to a staggering 35% of Kenyans living below the poverty line. The situation does not get any better across Africa, which has faced the brutal economic effects of the pandemic. I recently interviewed Mr Job Omosa, a poverty researcher based at Kisii University. His research has focused on southern Nyanza; he has bagged several years in poverty focused in this region. He gave various insights on the causes of poverty and interventions that have been made and suggested what more can be done to curb this entranched problem.
According to Mr Omosa, the leading cause of poverty is low agricultural production and marketing. He notices that the majority of the population of southern Nyanza is rural and has practiced agriculture for the longest time, applying the same methods every season, which in turn have rendered the soil unfit for agriculture. He also says that the agricultural produce does not get proper marketing and in turn farmers watch their products bein sold for very low prices, so that their income is not sufficient for their needs. Mr Omosa suggests that farmers adopt new farming methods and crops to increase the yields and also form Saccos to help in marketing their products.
Another cause of poverty highlighted by Mr Job Omosa is heightened insecurity in the region. With insecurity on the rise in the region, it has become an impossible task for the region to attract new investors, with existing businesses on the verge of closing, and many have already closed their premises. He cites an incident a while back where bandits invaded a town centre and robbed the traders, killing ten people and leaving scores injured. He attributes those incidents as the stumbling blocks in the quest to eradicate poverty in the region. He suggests that the government should put up measures to strengthen the security in the area to make the area economically viable.
In his many years researching poverty in southern Nyanza, Mr Omosa has discovered that low wages and unemployment has a huge contribution to the high levels of poverty. He notices that the region being largely rural, most people lack formal employment or even lack employment at all. It is also important to note that the few that are employed only have low incomes. With a growing population, the little resources end up being strained to a point that affording basic needs like food, shelter and education has become a privilege. The researcher suggests for more devolved function from national government to spur economic growth in rural areas, thereby creating employment opportunities and better income for employees.
It is evident that poverty is still a major problem in Kenya and Africa at large. From the interview with Mr Omosa, there are measures that must be taken to prevent the situation from getting worse.
Is poverty a crisis without any measure?
Next in the series of articles on causes, effects and solution ideas for poverty in the southern Nyanza region of Kenya: Rising poverty levels? A pastor's perspective.
About the author:
Diana Magwari is a Kenya based journalist who comments on topical issues.
About the image:
Photo of Kisii university campus, taken 19 February 2022 by Diana Magwari.
Suggested citation:
Diana Magwari: Biting poverty levels in Kenya. MissionField News (ISSN 2813-2270)
https://missionfield.news/2022/1_Biting_poverty_levels_in_Kenya
2022-03-31.