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Sharon Ikimat in Turkana, one of the regions of Kenya worst affected by climate change.
Kenya is very badly affected by climate change and regularly experiences droughts and flash floods. Nearly half of all Kenyans, approximately 21 million people, live below the poverty line. People regularly lack the basics we take for granted such as clean water, food and medicine. This is over four times the population of the whole of Ireland for whom a shortage of food can be an everyday reality.
Thanks to your support, Trócaire’s work in Kenya helps communities and families so that they do not go hungry. We also support women and adolescent girls who are survivors of violence. We help to prevent more violence against their friends, sisters, cousins and mothers. We promote human rights, democracy and peace in all of our work. We also help communities prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
KenyaHuman Development Index:
147th out of 189 countries
Life expectancy:
66 years
Gross National Income:
$3,089 per person
Kenya is among the poorest 25% of countries in the world. Nearly half of Kenyans continue to live below the national poverty line.
Despite achieving lower middle income status in 2014 from the World Bank, poverty and inequality remain high in Kenya.
A research report in March 2020 suggests that poverty levels are on the rise again. It is estimated that a group of 8,300 ‘super-rich’ (out of a population of 47.6 million) control almost two thirds of the entire Kenyan economy. Meanwhile millions of ordinary people are reliant on subsistence farming to feed themselves.
Corruption is deeply embedded within Kenyan society. In 2015, the Chief Justice of Kenya declared that the country is a “bandit economy”, controlled by mafia-style cartels. Governance remains weak, and decades of civic and political struggle preceded the passing of the Constitution of Kenya on 27th August 2010.
The 2010 constitution was expected to guarantee human rights to all, freedom from discrimination and change the governance system for the better. Ten years on there are serious implementation gaps and key obstacles blocking the protection and promotion of human rights for all.
A changing climate is hitting Kenya hard. The failure of two seasons of rains put between one and two million people in need of assistance over the dry summer months of 2019. 80% of the country is either arid or semi-arid. In these regions over 60% of people live on less than $1 a day.
Women in Kenya do the vast majority of agricultural work. Yet they earn only a fraction of the income generated. Only 29% of those earning a formal wage in the country are women.
Beliefs, norms and social institutions legitimise violence against women and girls. 39% of women have reported physical or sexual abuse by their husbands or partners.
Trócaire has been working in partnership with local organisations in Kenya for over 47 years and has built up very strong, deep and positive connections with communities and partners during that time. We established our Nairobi office in 1994.
Trócaire currently works with over 20 local partner organisations across all levels of Kenyan society. Our work continues to address not only the symptoms of poverty and marginalisation but also the underlying causes of such poverty.
| Title | Resource Type | Year | ||
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Trocaire Capacity Statement – Responding to Covid 19 |
Policy and Programmes | 14 Aug 2020 | Download |
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Partnership in Practice |
Policy and Programmes | 14 Aug 2020 | Download |
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