A new Oxfam report has exposed the extent of economic inequality in Kenya, showing that 125 of the country’s wealthiest individuals hold more wealth than the bottom 43 million people combined.
The report highlights a widening divide that has grown despite steady economic expansion. Kenya has averaged five per cent growth since 2010, yet extreme poverty has risen by 37 per cent since 2015.
Almost 46 percent of the population now lives in extreme deprivation, one of the highest rates globally.
The top one percent captured 40 percent of all new wealth created between 2019 and 2023. Over the same period, the poorest half saw their share fall by four percent and now hold less than four percent of national wealth.
The effects are visible in urban slums such as Kibera, where families face rising costs for basic goods. Food insecurity has increased by 71 percent in a decade, bringing 17 million more people into vulnerability. Inflation has hit low income households significantly harder than wealthier Kenyans.
Oxfam attributes the inequality to colonial era land patterns, the dominance of informal labour where 85 percent of Kenyans work, and a tax regime that relies on consumption while easing pressure on wealth and capital gains. The trend echoes frustrations that fuelled youth protests against the 2024 finance bill.
Individual accounts underline the situation. In Mathare, vegetable vendor Mary Wanjiku says her income is often insufficient to feed her children more than once a day.
The report renews calls for a wealth tax that could raise revenue equivalent to three percent of GDP. Kenya, it warns, faces a critical decision on whether to introduce reforms to narrow the divide or risk deepening social instability.
