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The birth rate in Kenya is steadily declining. It dropped from 32.67 births per 1,000 people in 2010 to 26.79 births per 1,000 in 2025. The trend is clear: Kenya’s population growth is slowing. The demographic chill long associated with Western nations appears to be catching up with us, but without the economic prosperity that accompanied it in those countries. Why, then, are Kenyan women having fewer children?
The idea of black tax led me to this question. I was reflecting on when, or whether, this culture of supporting extended family will ever end. Ironically, I realised that urban, formally employed individuals tend to have only the number of children they can reasonably support, particularly where government services such as education and healthcare exist. Meanwhile, many rural households continue to have larger families despite limited financial capacity.
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