Context
Trans Nzoia District is one of the 21 districts that constitute the Rift Valley Province of Kenya and has Kitale as it's administrative capital. Uganda and the volcano Mount Elgon border the district to the west, Bungoma and Kakamega to the south, Maraquet and Uasin Gishu to the east and West Pokot to the north. The population is about 600,000 of whom roughly 54% are under 25 years of age. Kalenjin, Luhya and Kikuyu form the major tribal groups while other large groupings include Turkana, Kisii, Luo and Kamba.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s the whole region was plunged into a period of unprecedented, politically instigated violence. Tribe was pitched against tribe in some of the most horrific 'ethnic' clashes that left many thousands dead and whole communities displaced to refugee and IDP camps. Though the camps are no longer there, many people are still unable to return to their homelands and contribute a large proportion of the squatters and street children in and around Kitale municipality and many other settlements throughout Trans Nzoia.
The main source of income for the district is agriculture followed by the civil service, though the informal ('juakali') sector does significantly contribute to the economy. The harvest however is unevenly distributed with the squatter families, who represent almost half of the population, and reap none of the produce or wealth.The inequality in the district is clearly visible with the squatter community scraping a meagre livelyhood from casual labour, scavenging, begging and in some cases theft.
UNICEF Statistics, Kenya:
Gross National Product per capita; $250
Below Poverty Line; Urban 10%, Rural 75%
Earning below US$1 per day; 23%
Under 5 Mortality Rate; 122/1000 (12.2%)
Life Expectancy; 45 years
Life Expectancy for street children; 16 years*
Source = "the state of the worlds children, 2004".
*Source = "Nation Newspapers".
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