The first of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations (UN) is ‘No poverty’, aiming to eradicate poverty in all its forms by 2030. However, in Kenya’s rural areas, poverty persists, with a significant increase in recent years.
Poverty manifests in various dimensions including economic, nutritional, cultural, and multidimensional aspects, disproportionately affecting rural communities compared to urban areas. Recent statistics indicate that over 7.8 million people live in extreme poverty in Kenya, with a majority residing in rural regions.
The rapid population growth exacerbates this issue, leading to reduced per capita income, heightened demand for essential services such as health and education, as well as challenges in securing food, water, and housing. Moreover, the surge in population has contributed to increased job competition, further compromising living standards.
Currently, Kilifi is among the Kenyan Counties grappling with poverty estimating to 71.7% with a widespread of food insecurity affecting about 67% of the households. This makes it the first county with high poverty rate amongst the coastal counties as it has the highest population of 1,453,787.
While some may argue that a large population can stimulate labor expansion and national growth, it also poses risks such as ecological degradation, conflicts, and disasters, particularly in the context of Kenya where the economic balance is precarious.
The substantial population growth undermines efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in combating poverty, hunger, and diseases in developing countries. Despite governmental and private sector initiatives to improve reproductive health and access to contraception, there remains a gap between current rates and MDG targets.
The Principal Secretary of the National Treasury and Economic Planning, James Muhati, projects Kenya’s population to reach 63.9 million by 2030, driven by fertility levels averaging three children per woman and a 35% growth in the population aged 15 to 34 years.
Family planning emerges as a crucial strategy for managing population growth, especially in rural areas with high fertility rates. While efforts have been made to enhance reproductive health services, there is still much to be done, particularly in addressing unmet family planning needs.
Universal access to reproductive health, including family planning and contraceptive use (SDG Target 3.7), is imperative to curbing population growth, and directly increasing household income thus reducing poverty rates and fostering national development.
According to the Kenya’s population policy, reducing population growth rate will harmonize with the economic and social growth.
Written by; Mapenzi Kitsao.
