Just 125 of Kenya's wealthiest individuals own more wealth than 42.6 million of their fellow citizens combined, a shocking new report has revealed. The analysis paints a grim picture of a nation where the economic gap is widening into a chasm, leaving millions struggling to afford basic necessities.

The report, titled "Kenya’s Inequality Crisis: The Great Economic Divide" by Oxfam, exposes how the benefits of Kenya's consistent economic growth have been captured by a select few, deepening poverty for the majority. Since 2015, an additional seven million Kenyans have fallen into extreme poverty, now surviving on less than KES 130 per day.

A Tale of Two Kenyas

The scale of the wealth concentration is staggering. If the fortune of the 125 richest Kenyans were converted into KES 100 notes, it would be enough to almost completely cover Nairobi County. This vast accumulation of wealth stands in stark contrast to the daily reality for most families facing a severe cost of living crisis.

The economic disparity is further highlighted by massive income gaps across professions. A CEO in one of Kenya's top companies, for instance, earns on average 214 times more than a teacher. This trend of soaring executive pay while wages for essential workers stagnate is fueling the country's social and economic fractures.

Public Debt Squeezes Essential Services

Kenya's ability to fund services that could bridge this gap is being crippled by mounting public debt. In 2024, a staggering KES 68 out of every KES 100 collected in taxes was used to repay debt. This figure, confirmed by multiple analyses, is double the national education budget and nearly 15 times the health budget.

The consequences for ordinary Kenyans are severe and tangible:

• Education Crisis: Children from the poorest 20% of households now receive almost five fewer years of schooling than those from the wealthiest 20%. Government spending per primary school pupil is now just 18% of what it was in 2003.
• Healthcare Underfunded: With debt servicing consuming the lion's share of revenue, public health facilities that serve the majority of Kenyans are left under-resourced.
• Food Insecurity: The number of Kenyans facing moderate to severe food insecurity rose by 17 million between 2014 and 2024, as food costs surged by 50% since 2020.

Analysts note that while Kenya's economy has expanded by an average of 5% per year over the past decade, this growth has not translated into shared prosperity. "The wealth generated is flowing to the richest, and the gap between the richest and the rest has widened," noted Beverly Musili, an advisor at Oxfam Kenya.

"Inequality is not inevitable; it is a choice," stated Mwongera Mutiga, Oxfam Kenya's Executive Director, emphasizing that the crisis is a result of "unjust policies and political inaction." The report calls for urgent, bold reforms, including progressive taxation and increased investment in public services, to build a more equal and fair society for all Kenyans.