Food Poverty Rate in Kenya - Number of People who Cannot Afford Food

The food poverty rate is the percentage of individuals whose monthly food consumption expenditure is lower than the food poverty line. It highlights individuals and households that cannot afford or access healthy food for daily sustenance. 

Food poverty has been associated with undernutrition and wasting among Kenyan children.

In 2022, the Kenya Continuous and Household Survey updated Kenya's food poverty line to be Ksh 2,668 in rural areas and Ksh 3,521 in urban areas.^[1] The food poverty line is determined from a basket of foods and staples eaten in Kenya and a caloric requirement of 2,250 Kcal.  

Quick Facts

• Kenya’s food poverty rate in 2022 was 31.7%.
• The number of people living in food poverty in 2022 was 16.1 million.
• The percentage of households living in poverty was 26.5%, representing 3.4 million households.

Poverty increased in rural and urban areas

Kenya’s food poverty rate increased from 30.5% in 2021 to 31.7% in 2022.

• In urban areas, food poverty increased from 26.8% in 2021 to 28.6% in 2022.
• The food poverty rate in rural areas increased from 32.2% in 2021 to 33.2% in 2022. 

The chart below shows food poverty rates from 2015/2016 to 2022.

In 2022, 4.6 million people in urban areas lived in food poverty, compared to 11.5 million people in rural areas living in food poverty.  

Food poverty rates in Kenya by county

Food poverty in Kenya varies by county and region, with some counties having higher rates than others. In 2022, Turkana County had the highest rate of 64.3%, followed by Mandera, which had a rate of 60.4%.

The top 10 Counties with the highest food poverty include:

1. Turkana 64.3%
2. Mandera 60.4%
3. Samburu 56.7%
4. Marsabit 54.4%
5. Garissa 51.2%
6. West Pokot 49.3%
7. Kilifi 46.3%
8. Tana River 46.3%
9. Wajir 45.6%
10. Busia 45.1%

Counties with the lowest food poverty in Kenya include:

1. Nairobi 15.8%
2. Nyeri 18.2%
3. Kiambu 18.2%
4. Kirinyaga 20.3%
5. Meru 21.1%
6. Embu 23.7%
7. Siaya 24.6%
8. Mombasa 25.9%
9. Murang’a 26.3%
10. Nakuru 26.5%

Number of people in each county who cannot afford a healthy meal  

The county with the highest number of people living in food poverty in 2022 was Nairobi, where 733,000 people could not afford a healthy meal. In Kilifi County, 717,000 people were living in food poverty.

Others include:

1. Turkana 636,000
2. Bungoma 625,000
3. Nakuru 605,000
4. Kakamega 597,000
5. Mandera 558,000
6. Machakos 482,000

Counties with the lowest number of people living in food poverty include:

1. Lamu 45,000
2. Isiolo 101,000
3. Taita Taveta 124,000
4. Kirinyaga 132,000
5. Tharaka Nithi 136,000
6. Nyeri 147,000
7. Embu 154,000
8. Tana River 156,000
9. Laikipia 168,000
10. Elgeyo Marakwet 180,000

See Also

1. How we measure poverty in Kenya
2. Overall (absolute) poverty rates in Kenya by county
3. Hardcore poverty rates
4. Poverty in Kenya by Constituency

References