Since independence nearly forty years ago, the Government of Kenya has endeavoured to reduce levels of poverty and vulnerability among its people, as reflected in its development policies and plans. In August 2010, the people of Kenya adopted a new Constitution, which contains the Government’s commitments to provide for vulnerable populations that are unable to meet their basic needs, including women, children, older persons and the youth. Similarly, the country’s main development strategy, Kenya Vision 2030, contends that no society can gain social cohesion if significant sections of the population live in abject poverty. Reducing vulnerability and poverty is a key element of many social policies across government ministries in Kenya.
