About Kenya

Kenya is a country rich in culture, wildlife, stunning landscapes, and natural resource. There are around 42 tribal groups, with different traditions and cultural identities. It is also home to the ‘Big Five’ (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and the African buffalo) making it one of the most popular safari destinations. As well as this, the country is the world’s largest exporter of black tea and cut flowers.

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Despite the diverse richness of Kenya’s natural and human geography, the country faces many socioeconomic challenges that make our work vitally important. A third of Kenya’s population live below the poverty line, on less than US$1.90 a day. The most vulnerable are families and children living in the urban slums, in the arid lands of northern Kenya and in areas of the country worst affected by HIV. These are also the areas with high child mortality and low enrolment in school.

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Kenya is among the world’s 50 poorest countries, ranking 143 out of 189 countries on the 2020 Human Development Index. Inequalities are wide with the top 10 per cent of Kenyans earning 44 per cent of the national income, whilst the bottom 10 per cent earns less than one per cent. Kenya’s poorest regions, including the North-Eastern Province, have twice the relative poverty headcount of its least poor regions. Years of drought in this region have had a serious impact on the well-being of children, increasing malnutrition rates, morbidity, and mortality.