Fertility and Household Poverty in Kenya: A Comparative Analysis of Coast and Western Provinces

Abstract

This paper examined the relationship between household poverty and fertility and tested whether the correlation between these two variables depend on the period and context. Using the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey dataset, a multivariate Poisson regression model was used to show the relationship between household poverty and fertility in Coast and Western provinces. The findings show that household poverty was a key factor in stalling fertility decline in Coast and Western provinces. Education is a significant determinant of fertility in Coast province while its effect diminishes over time in Western province. In both regions, child mortality appears to push up the fertility especially among poor households. Furthermore, the household poverty effects seem to be more pronounced in recent past than in the earlier periods (1989-1998).The study underscores that special attention and a targeting are necessary to meet the needs of the poor and reduce inequalities related to poverty that affect the possibilities of access to education and health services.