Study: Kenya fares badly in human development

Africa Development Bank Regional Director Gabriel Negatu, UNDP Resident-Representative Steven Ursino (right) and Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo when they launched the global Human Development Index report for 2013 at Pwani University, yesterday. [PHOTO: JOSEPH MASHA/STANDARD]

By JOSEPH MASHA

Kenya: Kenya has been ranked lowly in a UN global survey on well being and quality of life beyond annual economic growth rates.

The Human Development Index survey by the United Nations Development Programme ranked Kenya at 145th out of 187 nations.

The index is computed from a formula developed by the late Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and Indian economist Amartya Sen in 1990.

However, in the HDI report for 2013, Kenya performed better than her neighbours Uganda (position 161, Tanzania (152) and Ethiopia (173). Rwanda and Burundi are ranked 167 and 178.

The report titled The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World was unveiled in Swahili version at the Pwani University in Kilifi, yesterday.

It shows that between 1980 and 2012, Kenya’s HDI rose by 0.9 per cent annually from 0.424 to 0.519.

Though the report ranks Kenya low on human development, it adds that there are many lessons it can learn from countries in the global south including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey which have been noted to have made rapid advances in human development in recent decades.

The report further says HDI for the sub-Saharan Africa rose from 0.0366 in 1980 to the current 0.475 placing Kenya above the regional average.

While unveiling the report the regional director for African Development Bank Gabriel Negatu said despite the impressive economic advances shown in the report, inequalities remain in gender, location (rural versus urban areas) and wealth (the rich and poor).

He said the combined economic output of three leading developing countries Brazil, China and India will surpass the aggregate production of Canada, France, Italy, the UK and the US.

The director, who was flanked by UNDP resident representative Steven Ursino, said beyond the four focus areas in the report there is need to enhance equity across gender and class in the global south.