Inequalities within a single unit (whether it is county, constituency or ward) are extreme. In many cases, people have completely different lifestyles and access to services. 

Income/expenditure inequalities

• One way to look at income inequality is to compare the mean expenditure per adult across wards within a county. In 44 of the 47 counties, the mean expenditure in the poorest wards is less than 40 percent the mean expenditure in the wealthiest wards within the county. In both Kilifi and Kwale, the mean expenditure in the poorest wards (Garashi and Ndavaya, respectively) is less than 13 percent of expenditure in the wealthiest ward in the county.

• Of the five poorest counties in terms of mean expenditure, four are in the North (Mandera, Wajir, Turkana and Marsabit) and the last is in Coast (Tana River). However, of the five most unequal counties, only one (Marsabit County) is in the North (looking at ratio of mean expenditure in richest to poorest ward). The other four most unequal counties by this measure are: Kilifi, Kwale, Kajiado and Kitui.

• If we look at Gini coefficients for the whole county, the most unequal counties are also in Coast: Tana River (.631), Kwale (.604), and Kilifi (.570).

• The most equal counties by income measure (ratio of top decile to bottom) are: Narok, West Pokot, Bomet, Nandi and Nairobi. Using the ratio of average income in top to bottom ward, the five most equal counties are: Kirinyaga, Samburu, Siaya, Nyandarua, Narok. 

Access to Education

• Major urban areas in Kenya have high education levels but very large disparities. Mombasa, Nairobi and Kisumu all have gaps between highest and lowest wards of nearly 50 percentage points in share of residents with secondary school education or higher levels.

• In the 5 most rural counties (Baringo, Siaya, Pokot, Narok and Tharaka Nithi), education levels are lower but the gap, while still large, is somewhat lower than that espoused in urban areas. On average, the gap in these 5 counties between wards with highest share of residents with secondary school or higher and those with the lowest share is about 26 percentage points.

• The most extreme difference in secondary school education and above is in Kajiado County where the top ward (Ongata Rongai) has nearly 59 percent of the population with secondary education plus, while the bottom ward (Mosiro) has only 2 percent.

• One way to think about inequality in education is to compare the number of people with no education to those with some education. A more unequal county is one that has large numbers of both. Isiolo is the most unequal county in Kenya by this measure, with 51 percent of the population having no education, and 49 percent with some. This is followed by West Pokot at 55 percent with no education and 45 percent with some, and Tana River at 56 percent with no education and 44 with some. 

Access to Improved Sanitation

• Kajiado County has the highest gap between wards with access to improved sanitation. The best performing ward (Ongata Rongai) has 89 percent of residents with access to improved sanitation while the worst performing ward (Mosiro) has 2 percent of residents with access to improved sanitation, a gap of nearly 87 percentage points.

• There are 9 counties where the gap in access to improved sanitation between the best and worst performing wards is over 80 percentage points. These are Baringo, Garissa, Kajiado, Kericho, Kilifi, Machakos, Marsabit, Nyandarua and West Pokot. 

Access to Improved Sources of Water

• In all of the 47 counties, the highest gap in access to improved water sources between the wards with the best access to improved water sources and the least is over 45 percentage points. The most severe gaps are in Mandera, Garissa, Marsabit, (over 99 percentage points), Kilifi (over 98 percentage points) and Wajir (over 97 percentage points). 

Access to Improved Sources of Lighting

• The gaps within counties in access to electricity for lighting are also enormous. In most counties (29 out of 47), the gap between the ward with the most access to electricity and the least access is more than 40 percentage points. The most severe disparities between wards are in Mombasa (95 percentage point gap between highest and lowest ward), Garissa (92 percentage points), and Nakuru (89 percentage points). 

Access to Improved Housing

• The highest extreme in this variable is found in Baringo County where all residents in Silale ward live in grass huts while no one in Ravine ward in the same county lives in grass huts.