ACTION THIS DAY

Although one of the more progressive countries in Africa, Kenya’s development needs are still very high. According to the latest study by the United Nations Development Project, Kenya was in the lowest human development group, ranked no. 128 out of 169 countries.

Poverty

• At least 20% of Kenyans live on under USD 1.25 a day
  Reliable statistics are difficult to obtain, reflected by the fact that most poverty statistics used by the UN, World Bank and others about Kenya are from 2005. The latest statistics published by the UNDP (based on 2005 figures) suggest that around 20% of Kenyans live on under USD 1.25 a day.
• 60% of Kenyan youth live below the poverty line
  Some publications have noted that over 60% of Kenyan youth live below the poverty line, highlighting the huge challenges facing this young section of society.

Education

In 2003 the Kenyan Government launched a plan for universal free primary education for all Kenyan children. On the ground however, that promise appears more of a myth than an attainable prospect.

• Over 25% of children do not attend Primary School
  A recent official Kenyan study suggested that 94% of children attend primary school. However UNICEF estimated that school attendance between 2005 and 2009 was significantly lower at 73.5%, which means that ¼ of Kenyan children do not attend school. Even though public schools are for free, they are over-crowded and pass on significant costs to their students for school materials, uniforms etc. This means that the most disadvantaged children would not be able to afford the costs involved
• Over 60% of children do not attend secondary school
  Secondary school is even further out of reach for disadvantaged children. UNICEF estimates that only 41% of Kenyan children attended secondary school between 2005 and 2009. This is purely the attendance rate, the secondary school completion rate is lower. Although 60% of students in the final year of primary school at the Kookaburra Community School would qualify for secondary school based on their grades, none of them would be able to afford it.

Unemployment

• Overall unemployment rate of more than 40%
  Few official statistics exist but most organisations estimate an unemployment rate of more than 40% in Kenya.
• Youth unemployment constitutes up to 78% of the total unemployment
• 92% of unemployed Kenyans under the age of 30 have no vocational or professional skills
  According to the World Bank, 92% of unemployed Kenyans under the age of 30 have no vocational or professional skills. In effect, unemployment is not just due to a lack of jobs, but it is also due to the workforce lacking the skills needed to support a growing economy. This means that employment opportunities for disadvantaged children, who cannot afford proper education or training, will be extremely limited.