Kenya’s wealth gap has widened to one of the most extreme levels on the continent, with a new Oxfam report showing that just 125 of the country’s richest individuals now control more wealth than 42.6 million people, roughly 77% of the population.
The Kenya’s Inequality Crisis: The Great Economic Divide report outlines how economic gains have increasingly concentrated at the top while poverty has intensified. Oxfam notes that if the collective fortunes of these 125 individuals were stacked in Sh100 notes, the pile would nearly cover all of Nairobi County, a stark illustration of the country’s growing imbalance.
Since 2015, the number of Kenyans surviving on less than KSh 130 per day has surged by 7 million, representing a 37% increase. Income disparities are also severe, with CEOs in leading companies earning 214 times more than secondary school teachers.
Women remain disproportionately affected. They earn KSh 65 for every KSh 100 earned by men, are five times more likely to carry unpaid care work, and continue to face systemic barriers to land ownership. Only 13% of women hold legal rights to agricultural land, a figure that falls to 4% among women in the poorest households.
Oxfam highlights that inequality is being worsened by underfunded public services and rising debt obligations. In 2024, Sh68 of every Sh100 collected in taxes went toward debt servicing, leaving limited fiscal space for social sectors. Children from the poorest households now receive an average of five fewer years of schooling than those from the wealthiest families.
The report concludes that without decisive reforms, Kenya’s economic divide will continue to widen, deepening vulnerabilities for women, low-income earners, and marginalised communities.
