Women head a third of Kenyan households - KNBS

A third of households in Kenya are headed by women, a new survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows.

The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) indicates that in rural areas, 36 per cent of households are headed by women compared to 31 per cent in urban areas.

KNBS defines a household as “a person or group of related or unrelated persons who live together in the same dwelling unit(s), who acknowledge one adult male or female as the head of the household, who share the same housekeeping arrangements, and who are considered a single unit.”

In Kenya overall, the mean household size is four persons. Rural households have a mean household size of about four compared to urban households with about three members.

In terms of household wealth, the most commonly found item in Kenyan households is a mobile phone (94 per cent), followed by a bed (93 per cent).

“Possession of household ownership of mobile phones increased from 86% in 2014 to 94% in 2022,” KNBS said.

At the same time, more Kenyan households own a radio than a television.

“Nationally, 66% of the households own a radio with 71% in urban areas and 62% in rural areas. Half of the households own a television, with 68% in urban areas and 38% in rural areas,” says the report.

Eleven per cent of the households meanwhile own a computer, with a wide variation between urban (21%) and rural (4%).

“Seventy-one per cent of rural households own agricultural land as compared to 33% of urban households. In addition, 78% of rural households own farm animals as compared to 41% of urban households,” added the report.