Caption: The spatial distribution of poverty rates varies markedly across Kenya. Mapping poverty incidence at the local level reveals variation that is masked by maps based on average values across entire Provinces and Districts. Less poor Districts, such as those to the north and east of Mount Kenya, tend to be more spatially heterogeneous with respect to local poverty rates; here, pockets of relatively high poverty rates frequently adjoin more prosperous administrative areas. Two thirds of the 69 Districts shown contain at least one administrative area with poverty rates in excess of 65 percent.

Note: This map shows poverty rates for the smallest administrative areas available, combining estimates at three different scales: 2,056 rural Locations (covering most of Kenya), 80 urban Sub-locations (Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Eldoret), and 14 Constituencies (covering the northeastern part of the country). The urban estimates are based on a poverty line of Kshs 2,648 per month while the rest of the country is based on the rural poverty line of Kshs 1,239 per month. The poverty estimates for the 14 Constituencies are generally associated with a higher standard error than the other administrative units, a result of the statistical estimation technique (CBS 2005). Poverty rate also known as Poverty Metrics is the head count index, which reflects how widespread poverty is in a given area (it is typically shown as the percentage of people falling below the poverty line). This measure captures changes in poverty as soon as a family moves above or below the poverty line. However, it does not reflect any changes in household expenditures or incomes that those who remain below the poverty line may make. That is, it does not probe the depth of poverty.

Summing Up: Official Kenyan poverty statistics are based on detailed information about household expenditures. They use a rural poverty line of Ksh 1,239 per month (about US$ 0.59 per day) and an urban poverty line of Ksh 2,648 per month (about US$ 1.26 per day). Given these poverty lines, about 53 percent of rural and 50 percent of urban Kenyans were poor in 1997.