The 2009 population and housing census covered in brief the labour status as tabulated below. The main variable of interest for inequality discussed in the text is work for pay by level of education. The other variables, notably family business, family agricultural holdings, intern/volunteer, retired/homemaker, full time student, incapacitated and  no work are tabulated and presented in the annex table 1.3 up to ward level.  

Table 1: Overall Employment by Education Levels in Baringo County

In Baringo County, 5% with no formal education, 14% with primary education and 26% with a secondary level of education or above are working for pay. Work for pay is highest in Nairobi at 49%, which is almost twice the level of work for pay in Baringo for those with a secondary level of education or above.

In this report, the Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of consumption expenditure among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index of '0' represents perfect equality, while an index of '1' implies perfect inequality. Baringo County’s Gini index is 0.356 compared with Turkana County, which has the least inequality nationally (0.283).

Only 1%of residents in Baringo County use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and another 1% use paraffin. A full 87% of the residents use firewood and 11% use charcoal. Firewood is the most common cooking fuel by either gender; with 86% of male headed households and 88% of female headed households using the resource.

Tiaty constituency has the highest level of firewood use in Baringo County at 97%.This is 21 percentage points above Eldama Ravine, which has the lowest level of firewood use at 76%. Tiaty constituency is 10 percentage points above the county average of firewood use. Tirioko and Silale wards have the highest levels of firewood use in Baringo County at 99% each. This is 56 percentage points above the level of Ravine ward, which has the lowest share of firewood usage. Tirioko and Silale wards are 12 percentage points above the county average of firewood use. Eldama Ravine constituency has the highest level of charcoal use in Baringo County at 21%. This is 11 times the level of Tiaty constituency, which has the lowest share.

Eldama Ravine constituency is 10 percentage points above the county average. Ravine ward has the highest level of charcoal use in Baringo County at 49%. This is 49 percentage points more than the level in Silale ward, which has the lowest share. Ravine ward is 38 percentage points above the county average.

Only 9% of residents in Baringo County use electricity as their main source of lighting.   A further 39% use lanterns, and 20% use tin lamps, while 28% use fuel wood. In terms of gender, electricity use is almost equal with 10% of male headed households using it as compared with 9% of female headed households.

Baringo Central constituency has the highest level of electricity use at 24%.This is 23 percentage points above Tiaty constituency, which has the  lowest level of electricity use. Baringo central constituency is 15 percentage points above the county average. Kapropita ward has the highest level of electricity use at 42%. Kapropita is therefore 42 percentage points above Silale, Tangulbei/Korossi and Churo/Amaya wards that have the lowest levels of electricity use. Kapropita ward is 33 percentage points above the county average.

 In Baringo County, 25% of the residents have homes with cement floors, while 73% have earth floors. Less than 1% has tile floors and 2% have wood floors. Baringo Central constituency has the highest share of cement floors at 46%.This is 42 percentage points above Tiaty constituency, which has the lowest share of cement floors. Baringo Central constituency is 21 percentage points above the county average of people with cement floors. Kapropita ward has the highest share of cement floors at 63%.This is 63 percentage points above Silale ward, which has the lowest share of cement floors. Kapropita ward is 38 percentage points above the county average of homes with cement floors.

 Baringo County has less than 1% of its residents homes constructed with concrete roofs, while 58% have corrugated iron sheet roofing. Grass thatch and makuti roofs constitute 39% of homes, and less than 1% of roofs are constructed using mud/dung.

Eldama Ravine constituency has the highest share of corrugated iron sheet roofing at 83%.This is 10 times Tiaty constituency, which has the lowest share of corrugated iron sheet roofs. Eldama Ravine constituency is 25 percentage points above the county average of homes with corrugated iron sheet roofs. Ravine ward has the highest share of corrugated iron sheet roofs at 92%. It is thus 92 percentage points above Silale ward, which has the lowest share of corrugated iron sheet roofs. Ravine ward is 34 percentage points above the county average of homes with corrugated iron sheets roofs.

Tiaty constituency has the highest share of grass/makuti roofs at 92%. This is eight times the share of Eldama Ravine constituency, which has the lowest share of grass/makuti roofs. Tiaty constituency is 53 percentage points above the county average of grass/makuti roofing. All the roofing in Silale ward is of grass/makuti roofs, a share of 100%. This is 99 percentage points above Ravine ward, which has the lowest share. Silale ward is 60 percentage points above the county average of grass/makuti roofing.

 County Baringo County has 9% of its homes built of either brick or stone walls. Some 57% of homes in the county have mud/wood or mud/cement walls. Walls made of wood comprise 26% of structures and corrugated iron sheet walls are 7%, grass/thatched walls are at 2% while 1% are made of tin or other materials.

Baringo Central and Eldama Ravine constituencies are equal in having the highest share of brick/stone walls at 15% each. This is five times Tiaty constituency, which has the lowest share of brick/stone walls. Baringo Central and Eldama Ravine constituencies are 6 percentage points above the county average of housing constructed with brick/stone walls. Lembus/Perkerra ward has the highest share of brick/stone walls at 30%. This puts it 29 percentage points above Silale ward, which has the lowest share of brick/stone walls. Lembus/Perkerra ward is 21 percentage points above the county average of housing constructed with brick/stone walls.

Mogotio constituency has the highest share of mud with wood/cement walls at 77%. That puts it 35 percentage points above Eldama Ravine constituency, which has the lowest share of mud with wood/cement. Mogotio constituency is 20 percentage points above the county average of housing having mud with wood/cement walls. Churo/Amaya ward has the highest share of mud with wood/cement walls at 97%. This is almost four times the share of Mumberes/Maji Mazuri ward, which has the lowest share of mud with wood/cement walls. Churo/Amaya ward is 40 percentage points above the county average of housing having mud with wood/cement walls.

Improved sources of water comprise protected spring, protected well, borehole, piped into dwelling, piped and rainwater collection while unimproved sources include pond, dam, lake, stream/river, unprotected spring, unprotected well, jabia, water vendor and others.

In Baringo County, 24% of residents use improved sources of water, while the rest rely on unimproved sources. There is no significant gender differential as 24% of male headed households and 23% of female headed households use improved sources.

Eldama Ravine constituency has the highest share of residents using improved sources of water at 46%. This is four times Tiaty constituency, which has the lowest share of improved water source usage.Eldama Ravine constituency is 22 percentage points above the county average of residents using improved sources of water. Ravine ward has the highest share of residents using improved sources of water at 84%. This is 83 percentage points more than Silale ward, which has the lowest share of households using improved sources of water, and 60 percentage points above the county average of residents using improved sources of water. 

In Baringo County, 39% of residents use improved sanitation facilities, while the rest use unimproved sanitation facilities. The use of improved sanitation is slightly higher in male headed households at 40% compared with female headed households at 38%.

Baringo Central constituency has the highest share of residents using improved sanitation facilities at 69%. This is 17 times higher than Tiaty constituency, which has the lowest share of households using improved sanitation. Baringo Central constituency is 30 percentage points above the county average of households using improved sanitation facilities. Ravine ward has the highest share of residents using improved sanitation at 84%. This is 83 percentage points above Silale ward, which has the lowest share of households using improved sanitation. Ravine ward is 45 percentage points above the county average of households using improved sanitation facilities.