Homa Bay has the highest number of children without both parents, KNBS survey shows

Homa Bay County has the highest number of children whose both parents are dead, the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) has shown.

The report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) states that nine per cent of Kenyan children under age 18 are orphans.

Homa Bay County has the highest proportion of children who are double orphans at three per cent, followed by Turkana at two point three per cent.

“Vihiga County has the highest percentage of children (27%) not living with a biological parent, while Kiambu County has the least (5%),” the report said.

The survey, which defines a child as a person under the age of 18 and an orphan as a child with one or both parents who are dead, found out that nationally, 53 per cent of children under the age of 18 live with both parents.

And in cases where both parents are still alive, 11 per cent of children do not live with any of their parents, while 23 per cent live with their mothers as their fathers live elsewhere.

“Fifty-nine per cent of children living in urban areas live with both their parents compared with 50% in rural areas,” said the report.

At the same time, nationally, only 1 per cent of households with children under age 18 have both parents who are dead, while eight per cent of all households with children under age 18 are single orphans.

“Rural areas have a greater proportion (10%) of households with a single orphan than urban areas (4%). In rural areas, 26% of households with children under age 18 have orphans and/or children who are not living with their biological parents compared to 10% in urban areas,” KNBS added.