Igenaitambe Village in Kenya

Background on Igenaitambe Village, Kenya

Nyamira District is an administrative district in the Nyanza Province of Kenya. It was formerly part of the Kisii District and is sometimes called as North Kisii District. The district has a population of 492,102 (1999 census). Its capital town is Nyamira, with an urban population of around 10.000.

The district is a rural area plagued by high unemployment rates, teen pregnancy, and high rates of HIV/AIDS. A family’s typical income is $75 per month, and many young people in this region must help to support their families. The recent post-election violence has made life even harder for their youth. With the ever increasing inflation and lack of resources, more young people are forced to drop out school and search for options that will enable them to support themselves and their families.

Igenaitambe Village is the largest in the district with a population of 29,080. More than 1/3 of the population is under 23, with over 60% of this population under 18. Igenaitambe Village has one of the district’s highest poverty rates. Over 2/3 of the population live below the poverty line. The poverty rate is 66.74% and food poverty is 58.81%. The monthly mean household income is Ksh 5593(US $79.90) and the poverty line is set at Ksh 10,000 (US $142.86).

The poverty cycle is reinforced by lack of education. Over 70% of the residents can only read and write with great difficulty. This is the result of a drop-out rate of nearly 60%. The unemployment rate is over 85%. Most of youth who are employed work in low wage manual labor jobs as housekeepers or guards. They are paid Ksh 50 (US$0.70) a day for 10 hours work. The wages are barely enough to buy food and they have neither the time to attend school nor the energy to study.

This cycle can be broken, but only if our youth are given access to education, and the business training they need to compete economically in the region.