According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the number of registered births by single mothers in Kenya has increased.
The survey, which provides information on birth registration based on the mother’s marital status, revealed an increase in the number of single mothers compared to married mothers between 2018 and 2022.
The proportion of registered births by married women fell to 85.6% in 2022 from 85.9% in 2021, while the proportion of registered births by single mothers increased slightly to 13.9% in 2022 from 13.5% in 2021.
Among the registered births, 0.1% were from divorced mothers, 0.1% from widowed mothers, and 0.3% from mothers who did not state their marital status.
According to the survey, the total number of registered births in Kenya increased by 1.8 percent from 1,138,654 in 2018 to 1,221,444 in 2022.
The findings of the KNBS also revealed that the number of women giving birth via Caesarean Section (CS) procedure has increased over time.
CS births increased by 4.8%, from 155,191 in 2018 to 211,227 in 2022.
While normal delivery was still the most common mode, breech deliveries came in second, followed by CS and Assisted Vaginal Delivery.
Between 2018 and 2022, the number of Assisted Vaginal Deliveries fell by 30.8 percent, while breech deliveries fell by 3.1%.
According to the survey, the number of teenage pregnancies in Bungoma has decreased by 18.0 percent.
The counties of Kakamega, Narok, Nairobi City, and Meru had the highest number of adolescent pregnancies.
Women aged 20-24 had the highest fertility rate, at 29.8 percent, followed by women aged 25-29 years, at 25.9 percent.
