Fewer women getting married as divorce rate rises to 9.3% – Report

The number of married women in the country is falling, while divorce and separation are on the rise. 

This is according to the Kenya Vital Statistics Report 2024, released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on Wednesday.

“Most of the children born each year are born to married women, thus underscoring the role of marriage in population increase. However, some marriages end up in separation and/or divorce,” the report states. 

According to the report, in 1989, about 63.1 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 were married. 

By 2022, this number had dropped to 48.1 per cent. 

The report shows a steady decline in marriage rates over the years.

At the same time, the number of divorced or separated women has doubled. 

In 1989, 4.6 per cent of women in this age group were divorced or separated. 

By 2022, the figure had risen to 9.3 per cent.

The report shows the gradual increase of divorces/separations from 4.6 percent in 1989, to 5.3 per cent in 1993.

In 1998, the trend dropped to 4.9 per cent, but rose again to 5.9 per cent in 2003.

In 2008/09, divorces/separations rose to 6.1 per cent, in 2014 to 7.7 per cent and to 9.3 per cent in 2022.

At the same time, marriages dropped from 63.1 per cent in 1989 to 58.3 in 1993.

The rates rose to 58.8 per cent in 1998 but dropped again to 54.5 per cent in 2003.

In 2008/09, marriages dropped to 54.2 percent, before taking a turn in 2014, with 54.6 percent. In 2022, the percentage dived to 48.1 per cent.

The report notes that marriage plays a key role in population growth, as most children are born to married women. 

It highlights the importance of family formation through marriage in supporting population increase.

The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) also looked at marriage registration. 

It found that only 19.3 per cent of married women aged 15 to 49 had registered their current marriage with civil authorities. 

Even fewer, just 15.6 per cent, had a marriage certificate for their current union.

The report explains that once a marriage is solemnised, a marriage certificate is issued, and a copy is filed with the Registrar of Marriages within fourteen days.

The Registrar enters the data into a register and records it in an Excel sheet with a scanned copy attached.

For divorces, one must file a case at the Resident Magistrate’s Court, KVRS says.

If the court finds that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, it issues a Divorce Decree Nisi and Absolute.

A certified copy is sent to the Registrar of Marriages, who records it in the divorce register.