The number of Birth certificate registrations in Kenya has dropped drastically raising concerns among the authorities and health professionals.
New data indicates that Kenya recorded approximately 600,000 less birth certificates in the year 2024 than in 2023
The number of registered births decreased by nearly 80,000 or 1.19 million in 2023 to 1.11 million in 2024.
This drastic change indicates decreasing fertility rate of Kenya which has declined steadily since 1989 when it was 6.7 children per woman to 3.4 in 2022, the lowest in decades.
The number of children that women in the city have now is an average of 2.8 children per woman.
Analysts caution that this trend poses a danger to the health and education service planning.
Coverage of registration also deteriorated, with approximately 70.3 percent of births registered in 2024, as compared to 76.6 percent in the prior year.
The fall is associated with increased education, family planning and urban lifestyles.
Nevertheless, the rural regions are yet to catch up, as they experience gaps in access and awareness.
The governments now encourage more outreach and online solutions to bridge the gaps in registrations.
The Birth certificate drop in Kenya is an indication of underlying demographic shift and a call to action to change policy to preserve the legal identity of children and social services.
