EAST AFRICA: In Kenya, formal banking inclusion is notably higher compared to Tanzania and Uganda, but financial inclusion in all three countries relies heavily on mobile money services. A recently updated report, A Compendium of Ten Years of Sauti za Wananchi, highlights that around 41-44% of Kenyan citizens have a bank account, significantly surpassing Tanzania (17-19%) and Uganda (8%). The report underscores the importance of mobile money in driving financial inclusion across the region, with men more likely than women to hold both bank and mobile money accounts.
The report also explores how citizens across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda respond to financial emergencies, with most turning to family and friends for assistance, particularly in Uganda (66%). Borrowing money is more common in Tanzania, while selling assets is less common in Kenya compared to the other two countries.
In terms of household assets, ownership is broadly similar across the three countries, though Ugandan households are slightly less likely to own radios or books. Kenyan households lead in owning electric or gas stoves, while Tanzanian households are more likely to own bicycles. Agricultural assets, such as poultry or livestock, are more commonly found in Kenyan households, while Uganda lags in owning productive land, likely due to higher population density.
The report also delves into public services, revealing that most citizens depend on government health facilities, though private and NGO facilities play a significant role in Kenya. The report notes that a significant minority of those entitled to free healthcare are not receiving it, particularly older people in Kenya.
Health insurance coverage is notably low in Uganda (2%) compared to Kenya (32%) and Tanzania (26%). Additionally, access to improved water sources is lower in rural areas of Tanzania than in Kenya or Uganda, with urban access figures from Sauti za Wananchi surveys suggesting lower access than official reports indicate.
Access to improved water sources remains a significant challenge in rural areas of Tanzania, where it lags behind neighboring Kenya and Uganda. According to the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) of UNICEF and the World Health Organization, which bases its findings on official surveys conducted by national statistical offices, the availability of improved water supplies in Tanzania’s rural regions is notably lower than in its East African counterparts. However, there is evidence that Tanzania is gradually catching up with Kenya in this regard.
The disparity in access to clean water between rural and urban areas is a persistent issue across the region. In both Kenya and Tanzania, rural access to improved water supply remains well below the average for Sub-Saharan Africa. This problem is compounded by the fact that in urban areas, access to improved water sources is not as widespread as official data suggests. Data from Sauti za Wananchi surveys reveals that access figures in urban areas are significantly lower than those reported by the JMP. In Tanzania, only 69-80% of urban residents have access to improved water sources, while in Kenya, the figure is slightly higher at 71-78%. Uganda, though faring better, still has a lower range of 87-89% compared to the official estimates of over 90%.
The time it takes for citizens to collect drinking water is another critical indicator of water access challenges in the region. On average, Tanzanians in rural areas spend 49 minutes collecting water, a figure significantly higher than the 44 minutes in Uganda and 37 minutes in Kenya. Urban residents in these countries also face long collection times, though they are shorter than in rural areas, ranging from 23 to 37 minutes.
Water treatment practices are common across all three countries, with a majority of citizens reporting that they treat their drinking water before consumption. Boiling is the most prevalent method, practiced by 47-59% of the population in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In Kenya, chemical treatments like WaterGuard are also widely used, though this method is less common in Tanzania and Uganda.
Despite these challenges, citizens in all three countries express strong national pride. However, fewer Kenyans (26%) identify primarily as citizens of their country compared to Ugandans (52%) and Tanzanians (63%). In Kenya, many citizens prefer to describe themselves based on personal characteristics or family roles. In contrast, Tanzanians and Ugandans emphasize peacefulness as a key national characteristic they are proud of and wish to protect. In Tanzania, peacefulness is followed by attributes such as friendliness, hospitality, and a shared language, while in Uganda, unity, respectfulness, and religiousness are also highly valued. In Kenya, the national identity card and the concept of peacefulness are seen as key symbols of national identity, alongside patriotism, love, and unity.
