Statistics: Women not that more than men

By Lucianne Limo and Grace Wekesa

The national census has rebutted the myth that women’s population exceeds that of men by a huge margin. The National Population and Housing Census released by Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya shows there are 38 million Kenyans thereby balancing the ratio of men to women at 19 million.

The gender population indicates there are 19,192,458 male and 19,417,639 females showing women are slightly more than men by 225,181.

This revelation, therefore, dispels the popular myth that there are five women to every man.

The statistics indicate that there are more men in urban areas at 6,278,811 compared to their female counterparts who are 6,208,564.

In rural areas, women are more (13,209,075) while the male population stands at 12,913,647.

In Nairobi, women can rest assured that men are more at 1,605,230 while they are 1,533,139.

In provinces

In Central Province, women are more at 2,230,760 than men who are 2,152,983. Coast Province males are 1,656,679 and females 1,668,628.

In Eastern Province, women are 2,884,776 and men 2,783,347, while in North Eastern males are more than females at 1,258,648 and 1,052,109 respectively.

Women are more in Nyanza Province (2,824,997) as compared to males (2,617,734).

In Rift Valley, there are 5,026,462 males compared to 4,980,343 females, while in Western, men are 2,091,375 and women are 2,242,907.

Children aged between zero and four are 5,939,306 in population. Of these, male children are 3,000,439 while females are 2,938,867.

The statistics show more boys than girls are born, indicating that there is a high mortality rate of boys as women outnumber men when they grow up.

There are 1,529,116 males aged between 25-29 compared to 1,672,110 females, while for those aged between 30 and 34, men are 1,257,035 and women 1,262,471.

The statistics show the country’s huge population consists of young people aged between zero and 39.

Disabled women are 682,623 while the disabled men are 647,689.

There are 62 women in Migingo Island compared to 69 men.

Meanwhile, Maendeleo ya Wanawake Chairperson Rukia Subow has condemned the census results, saying the tribal factor will drag Kenya behind in its development plans.

Subow said with the promulgation of the new Constitution, that was a wrong starting point.

She said the five tribes given the much publicity would make other tribes feel insignificant.

"The issue of giving tribal numbers was in bad taste, and it will divide us as a nation as we had hoped with the new dispensation tribalism will be a thing of the past," she said.

She addressed the Press in Nairobi, yesterday.