The rich are buying influence while the poor cannot buy bread. That is the brutal summary of Oxfam’s latest inequality report, which reveals that Kenya’s super-rich have grown their wealth by 81% since 2020, while millions slide deeper into poverty.

The report, released ahead of the Davos summit, paints a picture of a "brazen" marriage between money and politics. In Kenya, this inequality is visceral. Activist Wanjira Wanjiru highlights the grotesque contrast in Nairobi: the lush, sprinkler-fed fairways of the Muthaiga Golf Club sit just meters away from the Mathare slums, where residents queue for hours for a jerrycan of water.

Austerity for the Poor, Tax Breaks for the Rich

"Governments are making a choice," says the report. In Kenya, that choice looks like austerity measures that slash funding for healthcare and education, while simultaneously offering generous tax holidays to foreign investors and well-connected local tycoons. The result is a hollowed-out public sector that fails the majority.

• The Numbers: Globally, billionaires are $8.2 trillion richer than they were three years ago. In Kenya, the top 0.1% own more wealth than the bottom 99.9% combined.
• The Backlash: The report warns of rising social unrest. The Gen Z protests of 2024 were a preview of the anger bubbling under the surface. Unless this gap is bridged, stability is a mirage.

The Davos Disconnect

As Kenya’s elite jet off to Switzerland to discuss "equitable growth" over champagne, the reality back home is a powder keg. Oxfam’s message is clear: trickle-down economics is a lie. Without radical redistribution—taxing wealth, not just consumption—Kenya is drifting towards a social apartheid.