Discourses of poverty and development by the rural poor in Kenya

Despite the acknowledgment that participatory approaches in development can help in the understanding and designing of development programmes and policies, discourses about poverty and development especially among the rural poor continue to be dominated by those who are considered to be non-rural and non-poor. Using qualitative data collected from residents of Makueni district of Eastern Kenya, this paper seeks to reverse this approach by discussing the community’s perceptions of poverty and development in their context. This data, collected through household interviews, focus group discussions with community members and key informant interviews with community leaders reveals the meanings, indicators and categorizations of poverty and development as well as the best possible approaches to adopt for poverty alleviation and development programmes in this community. This study finds that definitions of poverty and development go beyond the monetary measures and vary according to context. In Makueni, water is considered the biggest priority. Respondents also highlight the pathway to development given adequate water supply. Findings of this study emphasize the need to approach development in different contexts as separate entities, involve the beneficiaries in identifying their most felt needs and involving them in development.