Kenya Launches Nationwide KIHBS 2025/26 Survey to Shape Development Planning
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has officially launched the 2025/26 Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey (KIHBS) — a year-long, nationwide door-to-door data collection exercise designed to provide critical information for national planning and policy development.
The exercise began on July 16, 2025, and will run for 12 months across all 47 counties, covering both rural and urban households.
What is KIHBS?
The Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey (KIHBS) is a comprehensive statistical undertaking conducted every ten years. It serves as a primary tool for collecting household-level data that informs government budgeting, policy formulation, and evaluation of socio-economic progress.
According to KNBS, the KIHBS 2025/26 survey will collect a wide range of demographic and economic data, offering detailed insights into:
- Household consumption and expenditure patterns
- Employment and income sources
- Education levels and school attendance
- Health status and access to healthcare
- Fertility and mortality rates
- Child nutrition indicators
- Housing conditions and access to basic utilities
- Energy usage, water access, and sanitation
The survey’s goal is to generate data that accurately reflects living standards, poverty levels, and income distribution across different regions and social groups.
Scope and Sample Size
The 2025/26 KIHBS will cover a scientifically selected sample of 24,480 households from across the country. In addition, 960 households in refugee camps will be included to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive national sample.
KNBS officials have assured the public that the sampling method is designed to represent the entire population, accounting for geographical, economic, and social diversity.
“This exercise is crucial for collecting the data we need to understand how Kenyans live, work, and access services. It directly impacts government decisions and resource allocation,” the KNBS said in a statement.
Enumerators Go Door-to-Door with Digital Tools
To carry out the survey, KNBS has trained enumerators who will visit selected households in person. These enumerators will conduct face-to-face interviews using tablet computers for digital data entry, ensuring real-time validation and efficiency.
Enumerators will be easily identifiable, wearing:
- Official identification badges with QR codes
- Branded attire issued by KNBS
- Introduction letters for verification
Residents are encouraged to verify the authenticity of the enumerators before engaging with them and to cooperate fully by answering the questions honestly.
Confidentiality Assured
KNBS has emphasized that all collected data will be treated with utmost confidentiality and used solely for statistical purposes.
“We urge the public to support the success of this national exercise by responding to the survey with openness. No personal information will be disclosed or used to identify individuals,” the bureau affirmed.
Why the Survey Matters
The KIHBS data plays a central role in influencing Kenya’s development agenda, including:
- Formulation of national and county budgets
- Design and implementation of poverty reduction strategies
- Monitoring progress toward Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Planning for education, health, housing, and infrastructure projects
Public participation in the KIHBS is vital, as the findings directly shape government development programs, social protection initiatives, and economic policies for the next decade.
Informal Sector Dominates Job Creation in Kenya
While the KIHBS 2025/26 is just beginning, insights from KNBS’s most recent economic survey, released on May 6, 2025, highlight trends that underscore the importance of household-level data.
In 2024, the Kenyan economy created 782,300 new jobs, a significant number — but 7.8% lower than the jobs created in 2023.
Informal Sector Drives Employment
The majority of new jobs—over 90%—were generated in the informal sector, which includes:
- Small and micro enterprises (SMEs)
- Self-employment and family-owned businesses
- Casual labor and non-contractual work
The informal sector expanded by 4.2%, reaching a total of 17.4 million workers. This growth, however, was slower compared to the previous year, indicating a gradual deceleration in informal sector momentum.
Formal Sector Still Lagging
The formal sector, comprising government jobs and private sector employment with regular wages and contracts, added only 78,600 new jobs in 2024.
Despite this modest growth, formal wage employment rose by 2.4%, bringing the total number of formally employed Kenyans to approximately 3.2 million.
Additionally, self-employed individuals and unpaid family workers in the formal sector saw a slight uptick, contributing to the overall employment landscape.
Key Takeaways from Kenya’s Labor Trends
These labor statistics reveal several critical challenges and trends in the Kenyan economy:
- Youth and informal employment dominate the labor market.
- Wage employment is growing, but not fast enough to absorb the rising number of job seekers.
- The informal sector remains the backbone of employment, but often lacks job security, social protection, and steady incomes.
- Policy development must be grounded in household realities, making KIHBS a timely and necessary tool.
KIHBS and the Future of Kenya’s Planning
As Kenya prepares to implement new fiscal policies, climate-resilient development strategies, and social protection reforms, data from KIHBS 2025/26 will be indispensable.
Whether it’s determining how to subsidize healthcare, expand access to electricity, or improve education outcomes, KIHBS offers the empirical foundation for equitable and evidence-based decision-making.
KNBS is calling on all selected households to view the exercise as a civic duty, contributing to the nation’s progress by providing truthful and complete information.