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, fulltime student, incapacitated and  no work are tabulated and presented in the annex table 25.3 up to ward level.

  Table 25: Overall Employment by education Levels in Marsabit County

In Marsabit County 6% of the residents with no formal education are working for pay, 13% of those with a primary education and 32% of those with a secondary level of education or above. Work for pay is highest in Nairobi at 49% and this is 17 percentage points above the level in Marsabit 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. Marsabit County’s Gini index is 0.365 compared with Turkana County, which has the least inequality nationally (0.283).

Less than 1% of residents in Marsabit County use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and 1% use paraffin. 92% use firewood and 6% use charcoal. Firewood is the most common cooking fuel by gender; 91% in male headed households and 93% in female headed households.

North Horr constituency has the highest level of firewood use in Marsabit County at 98%. This is 15 percentage points above Saku constituency, which has the smallest share at 83%. North Horr constituency is 6 percentage points above the county average. Dukana ward has the highest level of firewood use in Marsabit County at 100%. This is four times Moyale Township ward, which has the lowest share at 25%. This is 8 percentage points above the county average.

Moyale constituency has the highest level of charcoal use in Marsabit County at 11%. This is 10 percentage points above North Horr constituency, which has the lowest share at 1%. Moyale constituency is about 5 percentage points above the county average. Moyale Township ward has the highest level of charcoal use in Marsabit County at 64%. This is 64 percentage points more than Dukana ward, which has the lowest share. Moyale Township ward is 58 percentage points above the county average.

Saku constituency has the highest level of use of paraffin in Marsabit County at 5%. This is 5 percentage points above Laisamis constituency which has the lowest share of paraffin use. Saku constituency is 4 percentage points higher than the county average. Marsabit Central ward has the highest level of use of paraffin in Marsabit County at 9%. This is 9% points above Loiyangalani that has no level of paraffin use. Marsabit Central Ward is 8% above the county average.

Only 8% of residents in Marsabit County use electricity as their main source of lighting. A further 23% use lanterns, and 12% use tin lamps. 47% use fuel wood. Electricity use is slightly common in male headed households at 8% as compared with female headed households at 7%.

 Saku constituency has the highest level of electricity use at 19%.This is 19 percentage points above Laisamis and North Horr constituencies, which have the lowest level of electricity use. Saku constituency is 11 percentage points above the county average. Moyale Township ward has the highest level of electricity use at 60%. This is 60% points above Turbi, Logologo and Laisamis ward that have no levels of electricity use. Moyale Township ward is 52 percentage points above the county average.

In Marsabit County, 17% of residents have homes with cement floors, while 82% have earth floors. Less than 1% has wood or tile floors. Moyale Constituency with the highest share of cement floors at 32%.That is 16 times North Horr constituency has the lowest share of cement floors. Moyale constituency is 15 percentage points above the county average. Moyale Township ward has the highest share of cement floors at 85%.That is 84 percentage points above Dukana ward, which has the lowest share of cement floors. Moyale Township ward is 68 percentage points above the county average.

In Marsabit County, less than 1% of residents have homes with concrete roofs, while 28% have corrugated iron roofs. Grass and makuti roofs constitute 35% of homes, and 1% has mud/dung roofs.

Saku constituency has the highest share of corrugated iron sheet roofs at 62%.That is almost nine times North Horr constituency, which has the lowest share of corrugated iron sheet roofs. Saku constituency is 34 percentage points above the county average. Two wards, Marsabit Central and Moyale Township, have the highest share of corrugated iron sheet roofs at 91% each. That is almost 23 times Korr/Ngurunit ward, which has the lowest share of corrugated iron sheet roofs. Marsabit Central and Moyale Township ward is 63 percentage points above the county average.

Moyale constituency has the highest share of grass/makuti roofs at 49%.That is three times North Horr constituency, which has the lowest share of grass/makuti roofs. Moyale constituency is 14 percentage points above the county average. Golbo ward, which has the highest share of grass/makuti roofs at 81%. This is 80 percentage points above Moyale Township ward that the lowest share. Golbo ward is 46 percentage points above the county average.

In Marsabit County, 7% of homes have either brick or stone walls. 42% of homes have mud/wood or mud/cement walls. 8% have wood walls. 1% has corrugated iron walls. 11% has grass/thatched walls. 32% have tin or other walls.

Moyale constituency, which has the highest share of brick/stone walls at 11%. That is almost six times North Horr constituency, which has the lowest share of brick/stone walls. Moyale constituency is 4 percentage points above the county average. Moyale Township ward has the highest share of brick/stone walls at 49%.That is 49 percentage points above Obbu ward, which has the lowest share of brick/stone walls. Moyale Township ward is 42 percentage points above the county average.

Saku constituency has the highest share of mud with wood/cement walls at 83%.That is almost eight times North Horr constituency, which has the lowest share of mud with wood/cement. Saku constituency is 41 percentage points above the county average. Two wards, Sololo and Karare, have the highest share of mud with wood/cement walls 90% each. That is almost 23 times Laisamis ward, which has the lowest share of mud with wood/cement walls. Sololo and Karare ward is 48 percentage points above the county average.

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

 In Marsabit County, 38% of residents use improved sources of water, with the rest relying on unimproved sources. Use of improved sources is higher in female headed households at 41% compared with male headed households at 36%.

Moyale constituency has the highest share of residents using improved sources of water at 45%. That is almost twice North Horr constituency, which has the lowest share using improved sources of water. Moyale constituency is 7 percentage points above the county average. Logologo ward has the highest share of residents using improved sources of water at 100%. That is 99 percentage points above Dukana ward, which has the lowest share using improved sources of water. Logologo ward is 62 percentage points above the county average.

A total of 27% of residents in Marsabit County use improved sanitation, while the rest use unimproved sanitation. There is no significant gender differential in use of improved sanitation, at 26% in male headed households and 29% in female headed households.

Saku constituency has the highest share of residents using improved sanitation at 48%.That is five times Laisamis constituency, which has the lowest share using improved sanitation. Saku constituency is 21 percentage points above the county average. Moyale Township ward has the highest share of residents using improved sanitation at 88%.That is almost 44 times Illeret ward, which has the lowest share using improved sanitation. Moyale Township is 61 percentage points above the county average.