This study investigated Kenya’s progress in the reduction of poverty in the context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The researchers, Dr Susan Kamundia and Prof. Murray Leibbrandt from ACEIR’s SA node at the University of Cape Town, utilised a set of indicators from the Alkire-Foster (AF) multidimensional framework that encompasses multiple facets of the SDGs. In assessing the reliability of the indicators using the item response theory and McDonald Omega statistic, they found the overall model was not reliable. The child mortality indicator, in particular, was found unreliable and was thus dropped from the analysis. They introduced indicators measuring children’s schooling gaps, household overcrowding, and financial inclusion in order to make the poverty measurement model reliable. They also extend the school attendance indicator to include children of secondary school age.

The authors assessed the validity of the AF framework using confirmatory factor analysis. They found that the model with equal non-normalised weighting of the indicators that excludes the child mortality indicator is the most valid model. This is in contrast to the AF framework, which uses equal weights per domain and equal weights for the dimensions within each domain. They thus estimate the multidimensional model AF framework with additional indicators, with equal weights and without the child mortality indicator.

Using a Poisson and negative binomial-based framework to empirically determine the optimal poverty line, they found that an individual is poor if they are deprived of seven or more out of twelve of the indicators. This is as opposed to the AF framework in which an individual is considered poor if they are deprived in a third or more of the weighted indicators.

Using their index, the researchers profile multidimensional poverty over the period 2014 to 2022. The results showed that Kenya has experienced remarkable improvements in the poverty situation as shown by the significant reduction in the poverty headcount and multidimensional poverty index (MPI) at the national, sub-group and spatial level between 2014 and 2022.

A decomposition of the MPI showed that the largest contributor to multidimensional poverty was the living standards dimension, while the education dimension has the least contribution. Low-cost housing was imperative since the lack of improved housing is the one of the largest contributors to the MPI. Reducing tariffs imposed on electricity and liquified petroleum gas would go a long way in improving access to clean energy sources. Social protection programmes targeted towards the poor and those vulnerable to climate shocks were especially effective and expansion of such programmes is useful in reducing poverty intensity.