NAIROBI, Kenya July 16 – Kisii men have emerged as the most desired partners for marriage, with a significant number of women choosing to relocate to the region for matrimonial purposes, according to a recent survey.
The 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) revealed that 6 out of every 10 women aged between 15 and 49 have moved to Kisii for marriage purposes.
The findings released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) focused on the characteristics of the survey respondents, particularly their reasons for migration.
“The two most common reasons for migration among women are employment and marriage,” read in part findings of the survey.
In the survey, 7 out of 10 women from households in the lowest wealth quintile migrated primarily for the purpose of marriage, whereas 5 out of 10 women belonging to the highest wealth quintile migrated due to employment opportunities.
5 out of 10 women aged 15 and 49 are in a marriage union according to the survey hence indicative of the respondents’ characteristics on the migration aspect.
Kericho emerged as the second top destination for women seeking desirable partners, with a percentage of 62.
Bomet followed in third place with 60.3 percent, while Migori and Siaya secured the fourth and fifth spots with percentages of 60.1 and 59.5 respectively.
Interestingly, women have a lower preference for marriage with men from Kajiado and Nairobi, as only 9.9 percent and 10.8 percent respectively of women choose to migrate to these regions for marriage.
On the other hand, these two regions were among the top choices for women seeking employment opportunities, with a majority of them preferring to migrate there.
According to the survey, 5 out of 10 women surveyed were willing to migrate to either Kajiado or Nairobi in search of work.
– Methodology –
The implementation of the 2022 KDHS which is the seventh since 1989 involved KNBS, the Ministry of Health (MoH), and other stakeholders.
The data collection for the survey occurred between February 17, 2022, and July.
A sample size of 42,300 households was computed, with 25 households selected per cluster.
This led to a total of 1,692 clusters across the country, including 1,026 clusters in rural areas and 666 clusters in urban areas.
