Abstract
The 2015/16 Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey (KIHBS) was conducted over a 12-month period to obtain up-to-date data on a range of socioeconomic indicators used to monitor the implementation of development initiatives. The Survey collected data on household characteristics, housing conditions, education, general health characteristics, nutrition, household income and credit, household transfers, information communication technology, domestic tourism, shocks to household welfare and access to justice. The findings are presented at national, county, rural and urban domains.
Household Characteristics
The findings of the 2015/16 KIHBS basic characteristics of the population show that the sex ratio is 97.5. About 70 per cent of households were headed by males and the reported average household size was 4 members. The age dependency ratio declined to 81.6 per cent in 2015/16 KIHBS as compared to 84.0 per cent recorded in 2005/06 KIHBS. Majority (54.4%) of the population aged 18 years and above are in monogamous unions. At the national level, 8.4 per cent of children were orphans.
Housing Conditions and amenities
Information regarding housing conditions and ownership, access to water, energy, sanitation and waste disposal was collected in the 2015/16 KIHBS. Bungalow was the most common dwelling type of housing occupied by 55.4 per cent of the households. About 60 per cent of households reported that they owned the dwellings that they resided in. The findings show that 72.6 per cent of households use improved drinking water sources. The statistics show that six out ten households had access to improved human waste disposal methods. Overall, 41.4 per cent of households were connected to electricity from the main grid.
Education
Findings on education are presented for; pre-primary, primary, secondary, middle level college and university levels; and informal education, Madrassa/Duksi. Nationally, 89.4 per cent of the population aged three years and above had ever attended school. The overall Gross Attendance (GAR) for pre-primary, primary and secondary levels was 94.4 per cent, 107.2 per cent and 66.2 per cent, respectively. The population aged 3 years and above that did not have any educational qualification was 49.7 per cent. Most of the population aged 3 years and above that had not attended school cited not being allowed to attend by parent(s) as the reason for non-attendance. The proportion of the population aged 15-24 years that was literate, based on respondents' self -assessment, was 88.3 per cent.
General Health Characteristics
General health characteristics discussed in the report comprise: morbidity by sex, health seeking behaviour, utilization of health care services and facilities, disability and engagement in economic activities and health insurance coverage. Information on child survival such as place of delivery, assistance during delivery, immunization and incidences of diarrhoea is also presented. The results show that two out of ten individuals reported a sickness or injury over the four weeks preceding the survey. Majority of the individuals (55.5 %) with a sickness or injury visited a health worker at a health facility for diagnosis. Disabilities were reported by 2.8 per cent of the population. Slightly more than a third of persons with disabilities reported having
difficulty in engaging in economic activities. moderately stunted. A higher proportion (32.4%) of children in the rural areas were moderately stunted compared to those in urban areas (24.5%). Overall, 13.0 per cent of children were moderately wasted while 6.7 per cent were moderately underweight. The statistics further indicate that 98.8 per cent of children aged 0-59 months were ever breast fed. The mean length of breastfeeding nationally stood at 16.8 months. Porridge was the most common type of first supplement given to majority (35.9%) of children aged 0-23 months. The survey findings show that eight out of ten children participated in community-based nutritional programmes.
Household Income and Credit
Household income is the aggregate earnings of all household members. It includes all forms of income arising from employment, household enterprises, agricultural produce, rent, pension and financial investment. The discussion in this report focuses on income from rent, pension, financial investment and other related incomes. Information is also provided on access and sources of credit. At national level, 7.2 per cent of households reported having received income from rent, pension, financial investment and other related incomes within the 12 months preceding the survey. A third of the households sought credit and over 90 per cent successfully acquired credit.
Household Transfers
Transfers constitute income, in cash or in kind, that the household receives without working for it and it augments household income by improving its welfare. Three out of ten households reported having received cash transfers within the 12 months preceding the survey period. The average amount received per household from cash transfers was KSh. 27,097. Majority of households received cash transfers through a family member. Money transfer agents were the preferred mode of transmitting money for most beneficiaries of transfers received from outside Kenya. Over half of the households gave out transfers in kind.
Information and Communication Technology
The 2015/16 KIHBS collected information on ICT equipment use and ownership. Findings show that three in every four individuals aged 18 years and above owned a mobile phone with an average number of 1.3 SIM cards per person. The most commonly used ICT equipment is the radio and mobile phone, reported by 79.3 per cent and 68.5 per cent of individuals aged 3 years and above, respectively. The highest proportion (50.3%) of those that did not own a mobile phone cited its high cost as the reason. Urban areas had the highest proportion of population with ownership of a mobile phone. Nairobi City County had the highest proportion of population with a mobile phone while Turkana County had the lowest. The population aged 3 years and above that reported using internet over the last three months preceding the survey was 16.6 per cent. Three in every ten households had internet connectivity and use of internet in mobility was reported as the most common place of use of internet. The internet was used mainly for social networking. No need to use the internet was the most predominant reason for not using the internet reported by 30.1 per cent of those who did not use it.
Domestic Tourism
Domestic tourism comprises activities of residents travelling to and staying at least over a night in places outside their usual environment within the country, for not more than 12 months, for leisure, business or other purposes. At national level, 13.4 per cent of individuals reported that they travelled within Kenya in the 3 months preceding the survey. Visiting friends and relatives was reported by the highest proportion (71.1%) of individuals taking trips. Majority of those who took a trip (66.4%) reported that they sponsored themselves. Transport costs accounted for the largest share (38.4%) of expenditure on domestic tourism. Majority of those who did not take a trip reported high cost as a reason.
Shocks to Household Welfare
A shock is an event that may trigger a decline in the well-being of an individual, a community, a region, or even a nation. The report presents information on shocks which occurred during the five-year period preceding the survey and had a negative impact on households' economic status or welfare. Three in every five households reported having experienced at least one shock within the five years preceding the survey. A large rise infood prices was reported by the highest proportion (30.1 per cent) of households as a first severe shock. Most households reported that they spent their savings to cope with the shock(s).
Justice
The survey sought information from household members on their experiences regarding grievances/disputes, resolution mechanisms, status of grievance/dispute resolution and costs incurred. Majority of households (26.2%) experienced grievances related to succession and inheritance. Approximately seven out of ten households that experienced grievances reported that they were resolved by parties from whom they sought interventions. Lawyers on average received the highest amount of money (KSh 59,849) paid to a primary organization for grievance resolution through a formal channel. Courts accounted for the highest informal costs averaging KSh 6,260 in grievance resolution.