The rift between Kenya's rich and the poor has continued to grow in a period riddled with tough economic situations.

This is according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) report that was revealed to the public Thursday.

The report reveals that the overall poverty incidences are more prevalent in rural areas accounting to 40.7 percent as compared to urban areas which have 34.1 percent.

Hardcore poverty incidence remains high in rural areas, where 7.8 per cent of residents (2.6 million individuals) were hardcore 34 poor as compared to urban areas where 1.5 percent of the residents were hardcore poor, "read the report, further indicating that 4.9 per cent of households were hardcore poor according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics latest report.

According to the report, 4.4 million households nationally live in overall poverty. The six counties with the highest poverty gap include Turkana (38.2%), Wajir (26.6%), Samburu (25.9%), Mandera (25.2%), Marsabit (20.7 %) and Tana River (20.5%).

The report subsequently observes that hardcore poverty headcount rate for individuals at the national level was 5.8 per cent, implying that 2.8 million people lived in conditions of abject poverty and were unable to afford the minimum required food consumption basket, even if they allocated all their expenditure on food alone.

The report has also exposed the sorry state of the food situation in the county observing that 10.8 million individuals are below the food poverty line.

This translates to a whopping 32.2 percent of the country's total populace.

"The results show that the overall poverty headcount rate for individuals at the national level was 38.6 per cent in 2021, implying that 19.1 million individuals lived in overall poverty, "added the statement.

The six counties with the highest severity poverty index include Turkana (22.6%), Wajir (13.8%), Samburu (13.0%), Mandera (11.3%), Marsabit (8.8 %) and West Pokot (8.0%).