On the occasion of the 59th Madaraka Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi on Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta highlighted the growing issue of single-parent households in Kenya.
According to the president, the percentage of single-parent households in the country has risen from 25 per cent in 2009 to 38 per cent.
“Families headed by single parents rose from 25 per cent in 2009 to 38 per cent. If unchecked, this trend shall destroy the fundamental character of Kenya and reap untold harm onto our most vulnerable and precious members: our children,” President Kenyatta said.
Kenya has one of the highest numbers of children born out of wedlock on the continent, with a 2012 Pan-African study finding that every Kenyan woman has a 59.5 per cent chance of being a single mother by the age of 45 years.
A 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey reported a national teenage pregnancy rate of 18 per cent, with about 15 per cent of all adolescent women having given birth.
Furthermore, a 2015/16 Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey found that 32.4 per cent of households in the country are headed by females, indicating a significant number of women raising blended families.
