In Mbooni, Makueni County, the scenic hills conceal a difficult reality. Nearly four in 10 residents live in poverty, while about a third experience food poverty.
A few years ago, Mercy was among the 85,000 people in the county living in extreme poverty, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) 2022 Poverty Report. Today, she is a budding entrepreneur, demonstrating how enterprise can help families escape poverty.
Mercy’s journey began after she lost her job at a textile factory in Nairobi due to a serious health condition. Returning to her home in Mbooni, she found her husband was the family’s sole breadwinner, earning barely enough to survive.
The family often skipped meals and struggled to pay school fees for their children. Determined to improve their situation, Mercy took on casual jobs. At one point, she earned just Sh88 (US$0.67) a day crushing stones and making gravel.
Her fortunes changed when she joined the Kenya Social Economic Inclusion Programme (KSIEP), implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection in partnership with Village Enterprise.
Through the programme, she received a grant, business training, mentoring, coaching and access to a Business Savings Group. Equipped with new skills and support, Mercy established a printing business that produces customised designs and official logos on uniforms and clothing for schools, businesses and NGOs.
Today, the enterprise is thriving. As the only printer in her locality, she has built a loyal customer base and created jobs for two people whom she is mentoring in the trade.
Mercy’s story illustrates the potential of graduation programmes to help extremely poor households build sustainable livelihoods and move out of poverty.
Over the years, the Government of Kenya, development partners and NGOs have implemented initiatives such as cash transfers, food aid and grants to address extreme poverty. While these interventions have improved livelihoods, 7.1 per cent of Kenyans still live in hardcore poverty and nearly four in 10 remain below the poverty line.
To address this challenge, Kenya has adopted a National Graduation Strategy that promotes a holistic approach to poverty reduction through sequenced support tailored to vulnerable households. The strategy aims to foster enterprise development, reduce dependence on aid and create pathways to self-reliance.
Drawing on global and local evidence, including BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation model, the strategy provides a standard framework for implementing graduation programmes across the country.