Circumcision Rates in Kenya – Traditional and Medical Circumcision by County

Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin from the penis in men.^[1] It is widely practiced across the world and is highly prevalent in Kenya.

Circumcision is different from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which entails the full or partial removal of female genitalia. This outdated practice is outlawed in Kenya but is still practiced in some regions.

In this article, we focus on male circumcision in Kenya, highlighting the proportion of men who reported undergoing traditional or medical circumcision.

Quick Facts

1. A majority of Kenyan men are circumcised, with 94.2% reporting either being traditionally or medically circumcised.
2. More than half of men in Kenya were medically circumcised (55.6%) compared to 32.9% of men who were traditionally circumcised.
3. The percentage of uncircumcised men aged 15 – 54 in Kenya was 5.8% in 2022.

A majority of Kenyan men are circumcised.

Kenya has a very high rate of circumcision, with 94.2% of all men aged 15 – 54 in 2022 reporting being circumcised.^[2]

The proportion of men aged 15 – 54 who reported being uncircumcised was 5.8%.

Additionally, of all men, 55.6% were medically circumcised, while 32.9% were traditionally circumcised. 5.3% of men reported being both medically and traditionally circumcised.

A majority of rural and urban males in Kenya are medically circumcised.

In urban areas, 57.8% of men were medically circumcised, similar levels to rural areas where 55.6% of the men were medically circumcised.

The proportion of traditional circumcisions among men in rural and urban areas was lower compared to medical circumcisions.

In urban areas, 30.7% of the men were traditionally circumcised, similar to rural areas where 32.9% of the men were traditionally circumcised. 

This is an interesting statistic, as many people in Kenya would expect that traditional circumcision would be more prevalent in rural areas. However, that is not the case.

Medical circumcision was highest among men of higher education attainment.

Among men aged 15 – 49 with more than a secondary education in Kenya, 62% were medically circumcised compared to 23.5% of men with no education.

Among men with no education, 61.9% were traditionally circumcised, compared to 26% of men with more than a secondary education. 

These data suggest that individuals with higher levels of education preferred medical circumcision to traditional circumcision.

We see an almost similar trend when we look at circumcision rates by wealth levels.

Medical circumcision was highest among men in the highest wealth level.

Among men aged 15 – 49 in the highest wealth level, 62% were medically circumcised, compared to 42.6% in the lowest wealth level.

However, among men in the lowest wealth level, 44.8% were traditionally circumcised compared to 24.2% of men in the highest wealth level.

The preference for medical circumcision over traditional circumcision increases as we move up the wealth ladder.

However, while the preference for medical circumcision increases with increasing education and wealth, these effects could be attributed to younger people (who are more likely to be educated than their counterparts) pursuing medical circumcision.

We see evidence of this trend in the chart below.

Medical circumcision was highest among younger generations of Kenyan men.

Among men aged 15 – 19, the medical circumcision rate was 66.7%, compared to 40.1% among men aged 45 – 49.

In contrast, traditional circumcision was lowest among younger men, with 20.7% of those aged 15 – 19 being medically circumcised.

In men aged 45 – 49, the percentage of men who were traditionally circumcised was significantly higher at 45.4%.

Considering the patterns of circumcision in Kenya, where a majority of men are circumcised between birth and early youth, the preference for medical circumcision among younger generations in Kenya may explain its correlation with additional education since younger generations are more likely to have higher levels of education attainment than their parents.

Traditional circumcision rates in Kenya by county

Counties in Kenya differ in their preference for medical or traditional circumcision. The top ten counties with the highest rates of traditional circumcision were:

1. Tana River 86.4%
2. Wajir 85.5%
3. Nandi 85.5%
4. Mandera 85.3%
5. Garissa 82.6%
6. Samburu 75.5%
7. Elgeyo Marakwet 75.5%
8. West Pokot 75.3%
9. Baringo 74.9%
10. Kwale 64.6%

Counties with the lowest rates of traditional circumcision in Kenya were:

1. Kirinyaga 1.6%
2. Murang’a 2.5%
3. Nyamira 2.6%
4. Homa Bay 2.7%
5. Taita Taveta 3%
6. Siaya 3.5%
7. Makueni 5.6%
8. Turkana 6.3%
9. Nyandarua 6.4%
10. Nyeri 7.3%

Medical circumcision rates in Kenya by county

Counties with very high rates of traditional circumcision had very low rates of medical circumcision. The map below shows rates of medical circumcision in Kenya by county:

The top ten highest counties by medical circumcision include:

1. Nyamira 97%
2. Taita Taveta 96.1%
3. Murang’a 95.2%
4. Kirinyaga 95.1%
5. Makueni 94%
6. Nyeri 89.6%
7. Kitui 87%
8. Laikipia 78.4%
9. Bomet 77.9%
10. Busia 76.5%

Counties with the lowest rates of medical circumcision include:

1. Baringo 4.7%
2. Nandi 8.4%
3. Elgeyo Marakwet 12.1%
4. Tana River 12.3%
5. Mandera 12.7%
6. Wajir 12.9%
7. Samburu 16.8%
8. Garissa 17.2%
9. West Pokot 23.2%
10. Uasin Gishu 26.7%

Percentage of Kenyan men who are not circumcised

Historically, inhabitants of some regions and counties in Kenya did not practice circumcision as part of their initiation rites, leading to low circumcision rates in those regions. Overall, 5.8% of Kenyan men aged 15 - 54 were uncircumcised in 2022. 

The chart below shows the percentage of men aged 15 – 49 in Kenya who reported being uncircumcised by county:

1. Turkana 43.3%
2. Siaya 31.2%
3. Homa Bay 30.6%
4. Kisumu 28.1%
5. Migori 22.5%
6. Baringo 20.2%
7. Elgeyo Marakwet 12.5%
8. Narok 9.4%
9. Nairobi 9.0%
10. Samburu 7.7%

Research suggests circumcision protects against HIV in Kenya

There is evidence that circumcision may protect against sexually transmitted infections such as HIV in Kenya.^[3]

As a result, there has been an increased call for males in Kenya to adopt the practice as part of the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) program. Between 2008 and 2011, research found that the government of Kenya had circumcised 290,000 men under this program, most of them from Nyanza.^[4]

In the 2023/2024 financial year, the Ministry of Health committed $601,988 to VMMC. However, an additional funding gap of $748,012 remained out of the required $1,350,000 for VMMC.^[5]

Due to these efforts, regions in Kenya that historically did not practice circumcision have adopted it, mostly for health reasons.

For instance, between 2014 and 2022, circumcision rates in Siaya rose from 56% to 69%. In Kisumu, they rose from 59% to 72%, while in Homa Bay, they rose from 56% to 69%.^[6]

In Migori, circumcision rates rose from 73% to 78%.

See Also

1. HIV Prevalence in Kenya – Number of People Living with HIV by County
2. Religion: Number of Christians and Muslims in Kenya

References