The five counties- Migori, Siaya, Homa Bay, Kisumu and Busia-
bordering Lake Victoria have the highest number of young orphans
nationwide, a new survey showed-- an indication of the socio-economic
burden facing guardians in the region.
The Kenya
National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said most orphans aged 0-14 years
were reported in Migori (18.7 per cent), Siaya (12.7 per cent), Homa Bay
(12.5 per cent) and Kisumu (12.1 per cent).
This trend
is replicated even within a wider national category of orphans aged up
to 17 years. Counties with high number were Migori (21.4 per cent),
Siaya (16 per cent), Homa Bay (15 per cent) and Turkana (12.6 per cent)
while Bomet had the lowest proportion at 4.6 per cent.
Nationally,
the survey shows that 8.4 per cent of children were orphans. The
findings show that there were more orphans in rural areas (8.7 per cent)
than in urban areas (7.7 per cent).
Overall, 6.8 per cent of children below 15 years were orphans.
The proportion of orphans aged 0-14 years was higher in rural areas than
in urban areas as well.
The young orphanhood in Migori, Siaya, Homa Bay and Busia also comes with high levels of child dependency ratios.
Child
dependency ratio is the number of children aged below 15 years relative
to the total number of persons aged 15-64 years. A higher age
dependency ratio implies a greater burden, especially in counties with a
very young or aging population.
Data
by the KNBS recorded relatively high child dependency rations in Migori
(93.8 per cent), Siaya (86.5 per cent), Homa Bay (105.3 per cent) and
Busia (93.1 per cent).
The child dependency ratios in the four counties outpace the national average of 74.7 per cent.
Rural areas recorded a higher dependency ratio of 87.4 per cent compared to that of 56.2 per cent for urban.
Away
from orphanhood, KNBS analysis by living arrangement shows that more
than half (60 per cent) of the children aged below 15 years in Kenya
resided with both parents.
The proportion of children
living with both parents was higher among urban residents (65.6 per
cent) compared to that among rural dwellers (57.5 per cent). The
proportion of those living with mothers, but fathers are alive was 21.6
per cent.
Further, the proportion of children living
with neither of the parents, suggesting that they live with a “guardian”
or on their own was 8.6 per cent.
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