Kenya in numbers: New survey shows inequalities in counties

A child born in Garissa is likely to grow up facing greater challenges than one born in Kiambu or Nairobi, as disparities in education, access to basic services and household wealth continue to divide the country.

The differences are laid bare in the 2025–26 Kenya Mini Demographic and Health Survey, which examines school attendance, birth registration, access to electricity, health insurance coverage and other indicators of household well-being.

Garissa has the highest proportion of women aged six and above with no education, at 61.6 per cent, followed by Mandera at 59.8 per cent, Turkana at 59.6 per cent and Wajir at 59.3 per cent.

The situation is similarly concerning among men. The survey shows that 52.4 per cent of men in Garissa have no education, followed by 43.8 per cent in Wajir and 42.9 per cent in Mandera.

On the other hand, Kiambu has the lowest proportion of women with no education, at just 4.4 per cent. It is followed by Uasin Gishu and Nandi, both at 4.9 per cent, Machakos at 5.3 per cent and Murang’a at 5.6 per cent.

The education gap is also reflected in the number of years people spend in school, with Mandera recording the lowest average for women.

According to the survey, women in Mandera have spent an average of four years in school, compared with eight years in Kiambu.

The average number of years of schooling is highest in Kiambu County, at eight years for women and 8.9 years for men. In Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Turkana, West Pokot and Samburu counties, the median number of years of schooling is 5.5 or less for women and between 5.2 and 6.2 for men.

Nationally, 12 per cent of women and eight per cent of men aged six and above have no education.

The survey, however, records progress over time, with the proportion of women with no education declining from 23 per cent in 2003 to 12 per cent in 2025–26. Among men, the proportion dropped from 16 per cent to eight per cent over the same period.

The urban-rural divide is also evident in educational attainment. The median number of years of schooling for women is 7.7 in urban areas, compared with seven in rural areas. For men, the figure is 8.1 years in urban areas and 7.1 years in rural areas.

Further, the proportion of the population with more than a secondary education increases with household wealth, from less than one per cent of both women and men in the poorest households to 15 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in the wealthiest households.

The disparities extend to children’s legal identity, with birth registration remaining a challenge in some counties.

Although 77 per cent of children under five nationally have their births registered with the civil registration authority, the figure ranges from 96 per cent in Embu to just 44 per cent in Mandera.

This makes Embu the county with the highest proportion of registered births among children under five, while Mandera has the lowest.

According to the survey, children in urban areas are more likely to have their births registered than those in rural areas, at 83 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively.

The difference is even wider when it comes to possession of birth certificates. Only 50 per cent of registered children in urban areas have birth certificates, compared with 30 per cent in rural areas.

West Pokot and Samburu have the lowest proportions of children whose births are registered with a birth certificate, at 12 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, while Lamu has the highest, at 60 per cent.

The likelihood of registration also rises with household wealth, from 62 per cent among children in the poorest households to 89 per cent among those in the wealthiest.

“The percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered with the civil registration authority has increased steadily from 60 percent in the 2008–09 to 77 percent in the 2025–26. The percentage has increased more rapidly in rural areas, from 57 percent in 2008–09 to 74percent in 2025–26,” reads the survey.

“All births in Kenya are required to be officially registered by the Directorate of Civil Registration Services. The registration of births establishes legal identity of children, thereby facilitating the protection of their rights and access to government services,” the report reads.

Access to electricity presents another contrast. Nationally, seven in every 10 households have electricity, but the proportion rises to 94 per cent in urban areas and falls to 50 per cent in rural areas.

While 37 per cent of households nationally use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, the proportion is 70 per cent in urban areas and just nine per cent in rural areas.

Firewood remains the dominant cooking fuel in rural households, used by 79 per cent, while charcoal is more common in urban areas, at 17 per cent.

On the transition to cleaner energy, Nairobi leads, with 81 per cent of its population relying primarily on clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting. It is followed by Kiambu at 75 per cent and Kajiado at 52 per cent.

At the other end of the scale, Wajir records just one per cent, while West Pokot, Turkana, Mandera and Samburu each record about two per cent.

On access to health insurance, the survey indicates that 40 per cent of the population nationally has some form of health insurance.

Coverage is higher in urban areas, at 44 per cent, compared with 38 per cent in rural areas. It also rises with wealth, from 24 per cent among people in the poorest households to 52 per cent among those in the wealthiest.

Nyeri records the highest county coverage, particularly in registration with the Social Health Authority, at 67 per cent, while Tana River has the lowest, at 14 per cent. Garissa and Mandera are also among the counties with low coverage, at 23 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively.

The findings suggest that access to healthcare is also shaped by economic circumstances, with a large proportion of people in poorer households remaining without health insurance.

The economic differences are also reflected in people’s homes. Nationally, 48 per cent of households use cement as their main flooring material, while 21 per cent have ceramic tiles. However, 17 per cent have earth or sand floors and 12 per cent use dung.

In rural areas, 28 per cent of households have earth or sand floors and 21 per cent use dung, compared with four per cent and less than one per cent, respectively, in urban areas.

Nearly half of households nationally have one sleeping room, with urban areas recording a higher proportion at 66 per cent, compared with 35 per cent in rural areas.

The report indicates that rural households are more likely to have three or more sleeping rooms, at 25 per cent, compared with 10 per cent in urban areas.

Although 95 per cent of households own a mobile phone, only nine per cent have a computer. Computer ownership stands at 17 per cent in urban areas and three per cent in rural areas. Refrigerators are found in 19 per cent of urban households, compared with just three per cent of rural households.

Kenya’s household structure is also changing, with the average household comprising three people.

Urban households are smaller, averaging three people, compared with four in rural areas.

One-person households account for 23 per cent nationally, but the report indicates that they are more common in urban areas, at 29 per cent, compared with 18 per cent in rural areas.

Kenya’s population remains young, with children under 15 accounting for 37 per cent of household members.

Rural households have a higher proportion of children under 15, at 39 per cent, compared with 34 per cent in urban areas.

People aged 65 and above account for five per cent of the population nationally, but the proportion is higher in rural areas, at seven per cent, than in urban areas, at two per cent.

On business registration, the survey shows that 65.6 per cent of household businesses are not registered or licensed by county governments, while seven per cent are registered with the Business Registration Service (BRS).

Turkana has the highest proportion of unregistered businesses, at 91 per cent, followed by Kilifi at 90.1 per cent and Trans Nzoia at 90.3 per cent.

Other counties with high proportions of unregistered businesses include Nyamira, Samburu, Garissa and Narok.

On the other hand, Mandera records the highest proportion of businesses registered by county governments, at 76 per cent, followed by Nyandarua at 67.6 per cent, Laikipia at 58.6 per cent, Murang’a at 58 per cent and Makueni at 55.3 per cent.