Poverty level in dry lands

By James Owek

Kyuso  is a district located in Mwingi North constituency  in Kitui county. Poverty has stood out to be one of the major factors that have inhibited meaningful development in the area. Many families still live below the standard dollar a day. Some cannot afford basic needs. A visit to the interior parts of Kyuso reveals situations full of horror.

Families still live in conditions of squalor at this period of the century.Lack of access to formal education has made a big number of people in Kyuso District to be poor. Knowledge is power and without this empowerment, situations like this could not be avoided. Although basic education in Kenya is free, and there is free tuition in secondary schools, education is not free! Payment is made albeit under different vote heads. This has limited access to free education by children from poor households. 

A poverty-stricken homestead in Kyuso(Photo:James Owek/KCV)

For those who are lucky to go to school, unemployment has been a tall order for them. Even while armed with their colorful academic documents, they are not able to secure places of work. They end up returning to their old villages and continue with poor lifestyle.

Kyuso has minerals. These minerals have not been fully exploited to the benefit of residents. The land that these minerals lie on is not arable. It would only be prudent they are explored and revenue generated ploughed back to the community. 

Access to health services has aggravated poverty in Kyuso. Residents have to trek for long distances to access the facilities. The only major facility around is Kyuso District hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital lacks a mortuary facility. This forces residents to transport their dead to Mwingi.

Government needs to step up measures to curb rise of poverty levels in Kyuso. Without attention being given to this semi-arid region, the country will find itself stagnating in economic progress since they  the people will be forever supplied with relief food.