-Central leads Kenya in single mothers, new study shows
A new study by the University of Nairobi reveals that Central Kenya has the highest rate of never-married women who have children. The data indicates a significant national trend of rising nonmarital fertility over the past 14 years.
Why it matters
Understanding demographic shifts in family structure is essential for policymakers addressing social welfare, education, and family planning needs.
Teenage pregnancies are also rising in Kenya.
Central Kenya has country’s highest rate of never-married women who have children, a study shows.
The new analysis by a University of Nairobi population expert also suggests that Nairobi has recorded the fastest growth in the trend over the past 14 years.
Prof Lawrence Ikamari found that nearly 45 per cent of women in Central who had never married had given birth by 2022, the highest level in Kenya.
Nairobi, however, experienced the sharpest increase, with the proportion of never-married women with children nearly doubling from 22.5 per cent in 2008 to 43.1 per cent of all unmarried women in 2022.
Prof Ikamari, who heads UoN’s Population Studies and Research Institute, analysed data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys of 2008-09, 2014 and 2022, involving more than 26,000 women aged 15 to 49 who had never married.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in