Exploring the Rural Poverty Prevalence and Eradication Strategies for Rural Development: the Case of Kenya

Abstract

The World Bank estimates that about 689 million people live on less than $1.90 a day globally. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia collectively account for 85% of this number. In Kenya, 36.1% of the total population live below poverty line, 40.1% in rural and 29.4% in urban areas. This study seeks to determine the contributing factors to rural poverty in Kenya, identify the eradication strategies, and reveal the gaps in the strategies. The study relies on secondary sources of data, including government reports, research articles, theses, international organizations’ reports etc. It applies correlation and regression methods of data analysis to test the hypotheses. The study established that the lack of, and inaccessibility of water and food are aggravating factors of rural poverty, while poverty levels do not drop with an increase in the household land size. It also revealed that increasing the income levels of individuals in rural areas reduces poverty. Finally, the study identifies inadequate community participation, political interference, embezzlement of funds, underfunding, resistance to devolution, less transparency and accountability, and duplication of roles as gaps in the strategies. The study proposes sealing the gaps to strengthen the strategies and inform future policies formulation efforts for successful poverty eradication.