Monogamy in Kenya by County

Monogamy is a relationship or marriage in which two individuals exclusively commit to one another. Couples enter one relationship at a time, either for life or for a period, culminating in the termination of the relationship.

Monogamy is different from polygamy, where an individual enters a sexual relationship with multiple partners. In polygynous marriages, a man marries multiple wives, while in polyandry, a woman marries multiple husbands.

Kenya allows both monogamous and polygamous marriages

Even though monogamous marriages are common in Kenya, polygynous unions are also legal. The Marriage Act 2014 outlines the legal procedures for monogamous and polygynous marriages in Kenya.

Overall, in 2019, Kenya's marriage rate was 51.1% among women and 48.8% among men, including individuals in both monogamous and polygynous unions.^[1]

Recent estimates from the DHS found that 55.4% of women aged 15 – 49 in 2022 were married compared to 45.8% of men in the same age group.^[2]

Both the 2019 census and the 2022 DHS agree that marriage is universal in Kenya and that the prevalence of divorce, separation, and widowhood is lower. 

A large share of the adult population in Kenya is monogamous

The percentage distribution of women aged 12 and above in Kenya who were in monogamous marriages was 48.1% in 2019. This was higher than the total share of women who were never-married in that year at 39.2%.^[3]

Polygyny was less common in the country, with only 3% of women aged 12 and above in 2019 saying they were in polygamous marriages.

Among men aged 12 and above, 2.8% were in polygynous unions compared to 45.6% who were married monogamous. The share of the never married among men was higher at 48.2%.

Monogamous unions are the most common among the married

DHS data shows that monogamous marriages are more common than other forms of unions after excluding the never-married population.

In 2022, the percentage of currently married women aged 15 – 49 in Kenya who did not have co-wives – i.e. were monogamous, was 87%. In contrast, the percentage of women with one or more co-wives was 9.2%.

Among married men aged 15 – 49 in 2022, the DHS found that 95.5% had one wife compared to only 4.5% who had more than two wives.^[4]

Monogamy is common among younger men and women.

Among married women in 2022, monogamy was highest among the youth, with 96.3% of those aged 15 – 19 having no co-wives. Moreover, 92.2% of those aged 20 – 24 did not have co-wives.

In contrast, despite monogamous unions being predominant among the older age groups, the percentage of married women without co-wives was lower. For instance, 81.6% of those aged 45 – 49 had no co-wives, slightly lower than among the youth. Subsequently, 85% of married women aged 40 – 44 did not have co-wives, lower than observed among younger demographics.

We see the same trend in married men, whereby 99.1% of those aged 20 – 24 had one wife, compared to 91.8% among those aged 45 – 49.^[5]

Monogamy is more prevalent in urban areas.

There is a rural-urban divide in the prevalence of monogamous and polygynous marriages in Kenya, with the latter being more common in rural areas.

Among married women living in urban areas, 91.2% had no co-wives compared to 84.3% of married women in rural areas. Only 5.2% of married women in urban areas had one or more co-wives compared to 11.7% in rural areas.

Among married men in urban areas, 96.9% had only one wife, compared to 94.3% of those in rural areas. In rural areas, 5.7% of married men had more than two wives, compared to 3.1% in urban areas.^[6]

More educated individuals prefer monogamous unions.

Higher education attainment predicts a preference for monogamous marriages, with 97.6% of men with more than secondary education having only one wife. In contrast, only 84.6% of married men with no education had one wife.

In married women, 93% of those with more than secondary education had one wife compared to only 64.3% with no education. Overall, 33.6% of married women with no education had one or more co-wives, suggesting higher levels of polygyny among the less educated.^[7]

Wealthier individuals prefer monogamy.

As with education attainment, higher wealth levels and monogamy go hand in hand. Among married women, 91.1% of those in the highest wealth quintile did not have co-wives, compared to only 77.1% of women in the lowest wealth quintile.

In men, 97.2% of those in the highest wealth quintile had only one wife compared to 89.3% of those in the lowest wealth quintile. Overall, 2.8% of men in the highest wealth quintile had more than two wives, compared to 10.7% in the lowest.^[8]

Conclusion

Even though polygamy is legal in Kenya, monogamous relationships still dominate the society. Among Kenyans aged 12 and above, individuals in monogamous relationships constitute the largest share of the population in women and the second largest in men after the never married.

Among married men and women, monogamous unions form the largest share of marriages by far, with polygyny accounting for less than 10% of all marriages.

DHS findings also show that monogamy is more prevalent in urban than rural areas, with polygyny persisting in some rural counties, albeit at lower levels. The share of monogamous marriages was also high among the younger population, the educated, and the wealthy.

See Also

1. Polygyny in Kenya by county
2. Marriage rates by county

References