The persistence of high fertility in Kenya

Like many underdeveloped countries, Kenya's demographic structure is in a state of flux. Its annual population growth rate is now about 4% and half of the population is under 15 years of age. This rapid growth has put additional pressure on regional development in a country which is struggling to transform its predominantly agrarian economy into a modern one. Rural poverty is a persistent problem, life expectancy is depressed, and malnutrition is endemic in many parts of the country. Despite a national fertility control programme, contraceptive use in Kenya is almost negligible. The current family planning programme emphasizing maternal and child health care will have little impact on family size in the long term. The programme's basically coital contraception aimed at women runs against the complex individual and societal norms which control fertility in African communities. The paper presents one view of fertility differentials in Kenya and its relationship with the incidence of poverty. It posits that in the absence of broad-based socio-economic changes current efforts at fertility control will have few short-term benefits and hold little long-term promise.