Mothers and their new-borns in hospital. Life expectancy in some Kenyan counties has declined. FILE
Kenya’s lowest life expectancy is not to be found in remote, arid and food-insecure places such as Turkana, Mandera or Marsabit: It is in three counties on the shores of Lake Victoria, where rainfall is abundant, food is relatively plentiful and the nearest health centre is often just a short bicycle ride away.
A new report by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy and Research (Kippra) shows that children in Homa Bay, Kisumu and Siaya can expect to live a mere 40 years under today’s social, economic and health conditions, a staggering 16 years shorter than Kenya’s average of 56.6 years, and more than a quarter century shorter than those in longest-living Bomet County, who can expect to live to 66.
