The number of registered births by single mothers in Kenya has increased, an economic survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has shown.
The survey, which gives details of birth registration by marital status of the mother showed an increase in the number of single mothers, compared to the married ones from 2018 to 2022.
The proportion of registered births by married women decreased to 85.6 per cent in 2022 from 85.9 per cent in 2021, while the proportion of registered births by single mothers increased slightly to 13.9 per cent in 2022 from 13.5 per cent in 2021.
Among the registered births, 0.1 per cent were from divorced mothers, another 0.1 per cent from the widowed, while 0.3 per cent of the mothers did not state their marital status.
The survey also showed that the total number of registered births in Kenya also recorded a 1.8 percent increase from 1,138,654 in 2018 to 1,221,444 in 2022.
Cesarean delivery
KNBS findings also showed that the number of women giving birth through Cesarean Section (CS) procedure have increased over time.
There was a 4.8 per cent rise in CS births, from 155,191 in 2018 to 211,227 in 2022.
While normal delivery remained the most common mode, breech deliveries were second most common, followed by CS and Assisted Vaginal Delivery.
From 2018 to 2022, the number of Assisted Vaginal Deliveries decreased by 30.8 per cent while breech deliveries declined by 3.1 per cent.
Teenage pregnancies
The survey found that the number of teenage pregnancies declined by 18.0 per cent where Bungoma,
Kakamega, Narok, Nairobi City and Meru counties recorded the highest number of pregnancies among adolescents.
Women aged 20-24 registered the highest level of fertility at 29.8 per cent, followed by women aged 25-29 years at 25.9 per cent.
