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DFID Kenya
British High Commission, Upper Hill Road, P.O. Box 30465, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254 20 2873290 | Fax: 254 20 2873102
Map courtesy of the FCO
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Kenya
Background
 Kenya is one of the poorest countries in Africa.
Despite national absolute poverty declining from 52.3% in 1997 to 45.9% in
2005/2006, inequality remains high. One in five Kenyans has consumption levels that
are inadequate to meet basic food needs.
The hopes of Kenyans were lifted by the landslide victory of the present
Government in 2002's free and fair elections. Since then, however, H.E. Mwai
Kibaki's administration has faced major political and economic challenges, including
ethnic divisions, weak and corrupt institutions and a run-down infrastructure.
A new constitution, which was finally rejected by Kenyans in a referendum of November 2005, had been the battleground for divisions in the
National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government, and its defeat led to a reshuffle
in November 2005.
However, there has been some progress. Education reforms have translated into
more children in school, with a good balance between girls and boys. The fight
against HIV and AIDS has seen prevalence fall from over 11% to 6.1% during the
last five years. Access to better water and sanitation is improving. And Kenya
has recorded three years of positive growth (4.3% in 2004 and 5.8% in 2005 and
6.0% in 2006).
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But,
despite this growth, Kenya slipped 20 places in the  2005
Human Development Report to 154 out of 177 countries (based on 2003 data), and even higher growth rates are going to be needed
if Kenya is to make any significant progress in reducing poverty.
The Government of Kenya’s Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and
Employment Creation (ERS) reform programme is being slowly implemented. Its key
points are:
- Sustainable economic growth;
- Strengthening governance institutions;
- Improving the physical infrastructure;
- Investing in human development.
Priorities include:
- Creation of 500,000 jobs a year;
- 7-8% annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate;
- A participatory budget process.
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DFID in Kenya
 Our aim is to support Kenya's own plans for economic growth, job creation and
poverty reduction. We work with partners in government, in civil society, in the
private sector, and in the international community to help strengthen the
economy, promote growth, improve governance institutions, end corruption and
help the Government to deliver essential services to it citizens.
The prospect for achievement of the MDGs in Kenya will depend very largely on
the policy and actions of the Government in implementing its Economic Recovery
Strategy (ERS). DFID is working closely with the Government of Kenya to help it
implement the ERS, including policies to stamp out corruption, revitalise the
economy and deliver essential services to the poor.
Since 2001/02, DFID has spent over £170 million in Kenya, making us the
second largest bilateral donor. In the financial year 2007/08, DFID will provide a
further £50 million in aid. Of our total assistance to Kenya, 80% goes towards health,
education, humanitarian assistance and social protection. The remaining 20%
supports improved governance, private sector development and investment climate,
financial sector reform, land and agricultural reform, and improved statistics.
We provide no Poverty Budget Support at present.
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Maisha Yetu (Our Lives)
Maisha Yetu (Our Lives) is a film portraying DFID's work in Kenya, providing
clear examples of where progress has been made towards the Millennium
Development Goals and intermediate goals such as policy and institutional
reform.
Maisha Yetu:
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Kenya and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Kenya's progress towards meeting the MDGs has been patchy. There is
progress in some areas:
Goal 2 - Achieve Universal Primary Education
- Since the introduction of free primary education, an extra 1.8
million children are now accessing primary education. Current
enrolment of children in primary schools stands at 86% (compared to 63% in 1992).
- Transition to secondary education has risen from 27% in 1999 to
30% in 2004, with a 2008 target of 70%.
Goal 3 - Promote gender equality and empower women
- Equal opportunities for boys and girls have been achieved by
free universal primary education, and the primary gender parity index
is 0.94, with girls’ survival to grade five at 83%. However, at
higher levels the gender parity index is lower, at 0.86 for secondary
and 0.58 at university.
- However, there has been little real progress in ensuring equal
opportunities for women in the labour market or in their
representation in Parliament.
Goal 6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- The Government launched a national HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan
2000-2005 in December 2000. The national HIV prevalence is now
estimated at 6.1%, down from around 12% in 2000.
- On September 05 2007 Kenya became one of seven "first wave" countries to join
the International Health Partnership
(IHP). The IHP aims to improve the way that international agencies, donors and
poor countries work together to develop and implement health plans, creating and
improving health services for poor people and ultimately saving more lives.
However, progress on other MDGs has been disappointing, is seriously off
track in some areas and even deteriorating in others (child and maternal
mortality). Kenya remains a highly unequal society and large swaths of the
population are subject to chronic hunger, with 3.5 million Kenyans in
need of food assistance.
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News and events
 On
27 December 2007, millions of Kenyans queued for hours, peacefully and with
dignity, to cast their votes for parliamentary and presidential candidates in
one of the most hotly contested polls the country has ever seen. Since the
announcement of the election results, which saw victory awarded to the incumbent
President Mwai Kibaki, Kenya has experienced political instability and violence.
Many Kenyans - led by the challenger, Raila Odinga - are contesting the validity
of the poll.
Since 31 December it is believed that more than 1,000 people have lost their lives,
and it has been estimated that 304,000 have been displaced by electoral
violence (Source: Kenya Red Cross). DFID is monitoring the situation closely and has had a team on the
ground in Western Kenya. The UK is
providing £2 million from the UK’s aid programme to the Red Cross to help
relieve the most urgent humanitarian needs of those affected by the
post-election violence. The UK will also give £226,000 to Medecins Sans
Frontieres Belgium. This money will be used to buy and deliver
food, and provide shelter, clean water and emergency healthcare for up to
500,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of the unrest. We
stand ready to provide more assistance if it is needed.
KJAS
The Kenya Joint Assistance Strategy (KJAS) was launched recently in Nairobi. The
KJAS was produced by 17 donors and its objective is to support the Government's
efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the targets that
the Government has set for itself in its national and sector development
strategies. For more information visit the
Harmonisation
and Coordination website.
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Links
Last updated: 7 May 2008
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