Determinants Of Fertility In Westpokot County.

Abstract

The world’s population has continued to increase and it’s expected to reach 10.8 billion by 2015. Population growth has several negative consequences which include unemployment and food security problems. Kenya has been committed to reducing its population growth through various programs aimed at reducing fertility. This has borne fruits as Kenya’s total fertility has actually declined considerably from 8.2 in the 1970s to 3.9 in 2014. Westpokot County, though had same fertility rate as Kenya in 1970s has had its fertility rate increase considerably over the past decade making it the County with highest fertility rate in 2014. Kenya’s effort to manage population growth will be undermined if this county continues to record high and rising fertility rates. This study investigated the determinants of Westpokot’s fertility. A Poisson regression was estimated. The study found that education of a woman is a very significant determinant of fertility rate in Westpokot. Women with secondary and tertiary education are more likely to have fewer children than those with no formal education. This study recommends promotion of girl child education especially secondary and tertiary education as a way of reducing high fertility rate in this County.