I heard on one of our own TV station on breakfast show that more than 50% of Kenyans live under a dollar per day...thats ok.And that was in April 2010.The dollar was then trading at around KES.75.

I heard the same story today on the same TV station that 50% of "us" live under a dollar a day.But the dollar today trade at KES.80.
I expected something like 48% of KEnyans live under a dollar now that the dollar have gained 5 bob in the past 5 months!




What a myth!
The same way they made us believe that 1 MIRRION people lived in Kibera, the census gave the verdict and we all know the right figure now.

Even if you were to put a margin of error of 30% to Kibera population it will not go beyond 0.5M.

Are you saying you believe what the census indicated?? I highly doubt those census results!!

@Impunity

No wonder we have to discuss this. When Mzungu comes here, tells us that you are living under a dollar a day, you believe that? When he comes and says nothing good can come out of Africa, you believe that and even actualize it? Men, the dollar story is a mirage, take that from me.

Sample this

A woman who grows her own food (my mother) has cows, goats, chickens etc and a shamba for feeding herself. Everytime I send her money, she says I should save it for her for a rainy day. Although she knows the concept of money, she uses less than 20 shillings a day. Is she living under the poverty line?

What do you measure to make it a dollar? The food you eat per day or the rent you pay? I used to visit a Kahotel near globe cinema round about at the beginning of kipande rd. My boss then used to like the taste of the tea there although he could afford to go to Grand Regency.

I used to pay 35 bob for a full lunch and 15 for quarter lunch. Going to work was a walking distance. I was earning 18k then and used to invest over 13k per month. Was I under the poverty line?

80% of Kenyans live in rural areas. You wake up, drink porridge for breakfast, eat ugali and sukuma or githeri for lunch, attack muthokoi with ishimondo in the evening and go to sleep a happy man without spending a coin. All these is grown in the farm or exchanged with a friend.

At the end of the day, a Mzungu comes with measures that apply in his village and attempts to do the same here and we buy the story hook and sinker? Shag me if you want.

For statistical and economic reasons, there has to be a measure of poverty or the so called poverty line. Ignore the fact that it could be 1 dollar or 10 dollars, and also ignore for a moment the method used to calculate income for the poor. I imagine planners use this measure to plan for the country, or to compare development across regions and countries. That is why we say places like central Kenya will or average be richer than say, north horr in the NEP. The proportion of people below the poverty line (whatever this may be) will therefore be higher in poorer areas that in more affluent places. I dont doubt that this is a useful measure for the folks at the ministry of planning and I am concious that it has its shortcomings.

@surecroc
When you talk about your mums goats and chickens, it just shows how much you do not understand this issue. The $1 is income, whether from employment or farming or whatever. It has nothing to do with what you spend. And BTW, I am sure you know what happens to the cows and the maize crops when the rains fail. There are a lot of people who do not make more than the official $1.25 a day once the annual income is averaged out. And no, it's not a mzungu issue.

So it's applicable only to africa?
I think we need not be too self-conscious.

By the way I heard it the other day the increase of Americans living under "poverty line". But in this case it seems to be measured on some "median line" of US income.