Tough Economy Pushes More Kenyan Families onto the Streets and into Prison
Kenya is witnessing a sharp rise in homelessness and crime as economic hardships bite deeper across the nation. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that by the end of 2023, 25,000 families were homeless, up from 14,000 in 2014. Analysts predict that the number could soon surpass 200,000, reflecting the impact of joblessness and soaring living costs.
Stories from the streets paint a grim picture. Three-year-old children are forced to beg for food, while teenagers give birth in public due to extreme poverty. Many families, like that of Njeri Wamae in Ngara, survive daily on meager earnings, relying on informal jobs, collecting recyclables, or volunteering for food and shelter. For others, prison has become an alternative, offering basic needs in exchange for liberty.
Economists describe Kenya’s current state as a depressed economy marked by high unemployment and slow GDP growth, exacerbated by a high tax regime and global uncertainties. Policy analysts note this is part of a broader global trend, citing a comparable rise in homelessness in the United States, where over 653,000 people were homeless in 2023.
The rise in homelessness has also fueled crime. In 2023, 78,482 Kenyans entered prisons, with Nairobi recording the highest number of criminal cases, followed by Kiambu, Meru, and Nakuru. Reported crimes, including robbery and theft, increased by 13% nationwide, with Narok and Kakamega counties recording the largest spikes.
The convergence of poverty, unemployment, and housing insecurity underscores the urgent need for comprehensive social and economic interventions to protect vulnerable families and curb rising crime.