Kenya: 1 in 4 Kenyans Lives in Multidimensional Poverty - UNDP

What the report says

Kenya has about one in four people living in multidimensional poverty, according to the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index cited in a Capital FM report distributed by AllAfrica. The country’s poverty rate is put at 25.4%, based on household survey data collected in 2022, which the report says translates to roughly 13.75 million people. The data come from the United Nations Development Programme and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.

The report adds that a further 26.4% of Kenyans, or about 14.33 million people in 2022, were considered vulnerable to multidimensional poverty. Another 7.5% were classified as living in severe multidimensional poverty. Unlike income-only measures, the MPI tracks overlapping shortages in health, education and living standards, including access to sanitation, drinking water, electricity and housing quality.

While Kenya is described as performing better than the Sub-Saharan African average, the figures indicate that deprivation remains widespread and that many households could fall deeper into poverty without continued progress. The article says the findings point to the need for sustained improvements in health, education and basic services. It also places Kenya’s situation in a broader regional context, noting that Sub-Saharan Africa carries the largest share of acute multidimensional poverty globally.

UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo said the increase in poverty should be a warning sign and that coordinated action can reduce deprivation over time. The report cites examples of countries that have cut multidimensional poverty sharply in recent years, showing that progress is possible with sustained policy efforts.