The current fertility rate is 4.6 children per woman which translates to about 5 children per woman, a number that is not really manageable even at the family level. Managing 5 kids and meeting their basic needs is quite a challenge even for a couple with significant resources. The target is 3.5 children per woman by 2015, 2.6 children by 2030 and replacement level of 2.1 children by 2050.
We are therefore working very closely with the Ministry of Health in planning in an effort to raise awareness and advocacy on the same. We have put in place national as well as county consultative forums.
We also work with other government bodies such as the Ministry of Education, Gender Directorate, Anti FGM Board among others; especially in advocating the girl child to get good and quality education, which keeps them in school and empowers them to make informed choices in the future.
We also collaborate with NGOs and other partners in population working in Kenya. The world is a global village and we in Kenya are thus implementing the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD-PoA), which is an international commitment that was signed by most countries in 1994, to ensure that population issues are incorporated into the lives and well-being of people, and that the people’s quality of life is improved.
