Muranga and Narok counties have the highest number of people with two or more sexual partners according to the recent Kenya Demographic and Health Survey(KDHS) report.
The report which was launched by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics(KNBS) on Monday, July 3, 2023, stated that Muranga has the highest number of women having two or more partners, while Narok leads in the number of men with more than two sexual partners.
Mandera, Tana River and Kwale counties have the lowest cases of people with more than one sexual partner.
“Murang’a County has the highest percentage (11%) of women aged 15-49 who had two or more sexual
partners in the last 12 months, while counties with the lowest percentage are Mandera, Tana River and
Kwale counties (less than 1% each),” the report read in part.
The KDHS report also reveals that Kirinyaga, Kericho and Garissa counties have the lowest number of people with more than one sexual partner.
“Narok County has the highest percentages (43%) of men age 15-49 who had two or more sexual partners in the last 12 months, while Kirinyaga, Kericho and Garissa counties have the lowest percentage (2% each), ” the survey report read.
The report also revealed that the number of women having sex with neither their husbands nor the people they live with is lower than the number of men having sex with neither their wives nor the person they live with.
Education and number of sexual partners
The number of men in the said bracket increases with education, with those who have acquired secondary education and a higher level having more sexual partners than those with no education.
“The percentage of women aged 15-49 who had intercourse in the last 12 months with a person who was.
neither their husband nor lived with increases with the level of education from 7% among those with no
education to 27% among those with secondary and above education,” the report added.
“Similarly, the percentage of men aged 15-49 who had intercourse in the last 12 months with a person who was neither their wife nor lived with increases with the level of education from 20% among those with no education to 43% among those with secondary and above education.”
As opposed to men, the number of women who had sex with partners who are neither their husband nor boyfriend increases with wealth.
Women who are wealthy are thus having sex outside their marriages or with people they do not even live with.
“The percentage of women aged 1549 who had intercourse in the last 12 months with a person who was
neither their husband nor lived with them increases with wealth quintile, from 14% among those in the
the lowest quintile to 22% among those in the highest quintile,” the report read.
The report also mentions that the number of women having more than one sexual partner is lower in comparison to that of men.
“Four per cent of women aged 15-49 had two or more sexual partners in the partners, last 12 months,” the report says.
It also reveals that about a quarter of the said women used protection during their sexual intercourse.
“Fifteen per cent of men aged 15-49 have had more than two sexual partners in the last 12 months.
“Among men with two or more sexual partners, 45% reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse. Sixty-eight of men who had intercourse in the last 12 months with a person who neither was their wife nor lived with them used a condom during the last sexual intercourse with such a partner,” the report reveals.
The report however does not explain the reason Narok and Murang’a are topping when it comes to the number of men and women with more than two sexual partners respectively.
