Migration and child-bearing in Kenya.

Abstract

Kenya has undergone significant rural to urban and rural to rural mi grations as younger people have moved to take advantage of job opportuni ties in the cities and in the commercial farming regions of the Rift Valley. Little work has been done on the effect of these migrations on fertility. What little data are available show that fertility is highest in Nyanza Provice and lowest in the urban areas of Nairobi and Mombasa and in a number of districts in the Rift Valley. Analysis of mean number of children ever born to African women by age group in various parts of Kenya shows generally high fertility. The highest fertility is in 2 separate areas: 1) the peri-urban areas of Nairobi, and the settled districts of Nanyuki, Nakuru, and Uasin Gishu. Low child-woman ratios are found in Baringo, Elgeyo-Marakwet, and West Pokot in the Rift Valley, in Central Nyanza, and in several districts in the Southern Province and the Coast. A constrast between the supplying and receiving districts is marked in children 0-4 years. In Nairobi City 61.53% of these children were born in other districts. In Mombasa 42.36% were born elsewhere. In Central Province less than 10% were born elsewhere but in Nanyuki 44.23% were born elsewhere. Outmigration districts generally reported 90% of their children born within the district. High fertility still predominates because the country is in a transition period; the factors that necessitated high fertility have ceased but the tradition of a large family remains. There is a high proportion of females in the reproductive age groups and early marriage is still the norm. Planners will have to take account of the fact that large natural increase is likely for years to come.