In 2021, the World Bank reclassified Kenya as a lower-middle-income country, reflecting decades of economic growth. Nairobi had grown into one of Africa's most dynamic cities. The tech ecosystem, the financial sector, the agricultural export industry and the service economy had all expanded significantly.
But the reclassification masked what many Kenyans knew from their daily lives: growth had not been equally shared. Millions still lived below the poverty line. Youth unemployment was high.
The inequality between urban elites and rural communities, between the coast and the highlands, between north and south, remained stark.