The Kenya COVID-19 Economic Tracker is a unique “one stop shop” for real-time data on the spread of COVID-19 and its economic fallout in Kenya. Our goal is to help policy makers in Kenya craft both public health and economic responses to the crisis. We will continue adding data as it becomes available.

Weekly Stats

Explore our data in real time by selecting one of the survey activities on the right

Household Survey - Siaya County

Time series on the economic well-being of households in Siaya County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kenya Life Panel Survey

Time series on the economic well-being of KLPS respondents in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enterprise Survey - Siaya County

Time series showing enterprises outcomes in Siaya County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rapid Response Phone Surveys - National Sample

Descriptive statistics for households, microenterprises and formal firms.

Household Survey - Kakamega and Bungoma Counties

Descriptive statistics for rural households in Kakamega and Bungoma counties.

Price Survey - National Sample

Quick-response online survey tracking prices of essential consumer products across Kenya.

Health and economic effects of COVID-19 in Meru County

Population phone survey with 2,001 residents of Meru county, such as business owners, vulnerable households, and community health workers.

Traders Survey - Border Counties

Descriptive statistics for border trading in Busia, Bungoma, and Kakamega Counties.

Timeline

Evolution of events in Kenya and government measures to contain the spread of COVID-19

First case of coronavirus in Kenya confirmed.

March 13 – March 13

After confirmation of 3rd case, President Uhuru Kenyatta directs several measures to curb COVID-19 to be implemented.

March 15 – Present

These measures included:

Only Kenyan Citizens, and foreigners with valid residence permits allowed to come into the country provided they proceed on self quarantine or to a government designated quarantine facility.
Government and businesses people start working from home; except essential services.
No congressional meetings – weddings, malls, night clubs, churches, limitation of visits to hospitals.
Hospitals and Shopping malls to give soap and water/hand sanitizers, and regular cleaning of facilities.
Cargo vessels, aircraft or ships to come into the country provided they are disinfected at point of departure and the crew quarantined on arrival.
A toll-free number set up to report suspected coronavirus cases.

Closing of all schools and higher learning institutions.

March 20 – Present

All national and international flights banned.

March 25 – Present

National flights to resume July 15th, and international flights to resume August 1st.

National dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed.

March 27 – Present

This curfew took place from 7pm-5am until June 07, when the schedule changed to 9pm-4am. It is still in place.

Kenya Red Cross reports that ongoing heavy rains in western Kenya have affected over 20 villages in Busia, Siaya, Migori, Homa Bay and Kisumu.

March 28 – March 28

Cessation of movement in and out of The Nairobi Metropolitan Area.

April 6 – July 7

Cessation of movement in and out of Mombasa county.

April 8 – July 7

Cessation of movement in and out of Kilifi and Kwale counties.

April 8 – June 7

Cessation of movement in and out of Mandera county.

April 22 – July 7

Kenya Red Cross reports that around 30,000 people have been displaced by flooding across the country since the long rains began in March.

April 26 – April 26

Those displaced were either integrated in neighbouring communities or living in temporary shelters. KRCS said “Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic response, these displacements pose a challenge to maintaining physical distancing and could make victims vulnerable to infection.”

Partial reopening of eateries and restaurants.

April 27 – Present

Cessation of movement in and out of Eastleigh in Nairobi, and Old Town area in Mombasa.

May 6 – June 6

Closure of markets, restaurants and eateries within those areas.

Cost of targeted testing and quarantine facilities to be met by the Government.

May 6 – Present

The government of Kenya announces at least 194 people have died in flooding in the last 3 weeks, while over 100,000 have been displaced.

May 6 – May 6

Flooding had affected 29 of the country’s 47 counties. Wide areas of land are under water in Busia and Siaya counties, western Kenya, after the Nzoia river overflowed.

Government Minister Eugene L. Wamalwa, reports that 237 lives have been lost due to flooding. A total of 161,000 households (over 800,000 people) have been affected across the country.

May 13 – May 13

The Minister added: “The floods and rising water levels in all our lakes and rivers is unprecedented and the devastation overwhelming. Lake Victoria last reached these levels in the 1950s and Lake Naivasha last reached these levels in 1961.”

Banning of people movement in and out of Kenya through the Tanzania and Somalia borders.

May 16 – Present

Only cargo vehicles are exempted.

President Uhuru Kenyatta announced Sh53.7 billion stimulus packages to help businesses and Kenyans get through the economic upheaval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

May 23 – Present

Among the sectors to be targeted in the incentives is infrastructure, tourism and SMEs.

Our methodology

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Kenya creating an even more urgent need for timely data and evidence to help monitoring and mitigating the impact of the crisis.

We are generating descriptive statistics on COVID-19, behavioral adaptations, and local economic activity. We are collecting information at the household, formal firm and microenterprise level on a wide range of indicators: impact on employment, access to services, travel and recent contacts, knowledge of COVID-19 mitigation measures, mental well-being and food security. As the epidemic unfolds, news consumption, trust in government and authorities, and social cohesion may also be affected. All of these data are being collected through phone surveys in representative samples of different study areas, and we will be posting weekly updates to disseminate our findings in real time. The preliminary data will be shown in graphs in the links above.

The World Bank, in collaboration with KNBS and UNHCR, is collecting household data targeting both Kenyan and refugee adults through phone surveys. It is also collecting data at the microenterprise level targeting both micro business owners or job seekers between 18 and 35 years old. In addition, it is collecting data at the firm level in collaboration with KNBS.

A joint research team at Berkeley and Busara is analyzing phone survey data from Siaya County, measuring outcomes for households and enterprises targeted in Egger et al (2019), and bringing in an additional sample based on a recent census activity to ensure the sample is representative for the entire study area.

Collaborators on this project are:
Blastus Bwire - Vyxer REMIT Kenya;
Dennis Egger - University of California, Berkeley;
Tilman Graff - Busara Center, Nairobi;
Johannes Haushofer - Princeton University;
George Kinyanjui - University of Cape Town;
Magdalena Larreboure - Busara Center, Nairobi;
Layna Lowe - University of California, Berkeley;
Anya Marchenko - University of California, Berkeley;
Edward Miguel - University of California, Berkeley;
Carolyne Nekesa - Vyxer REMIT Kenya;
Cecilia Nekesa - Vyxer REMIT Kenya;
Samuel Oonge - Vyxer REMIT Kenya;
Eric Owino - Vyxer REMIT Kenya;
Utz Johann Pape - The World Bank;
Carlos Paramo - University of California, Berkeley;
Amy J. Pickering - Tufts University;
Julie E. Powers - Tufts University;
Andrew Wabwire - Vyxer REMIT Kenya;
Michael Walker - University of California, Berkeley;
Verena Wiedemann - University of Oxford;
Eleanor Wiseman - University of California, Berkeley.

Other Resources

FloodList

In the last month floods in Kenya have caused more than 200 deads and the displacement of thousands of households.

Last updated on May 20, 2020

Tracking the coronavirus

Documenting the spread of Covid-19 in Eastern Africa. By Odipo Dev and #NationNewsplex

Last updated on May 17, 2020