YOUTH POPULATION AND POLICIES

IN RELATION TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA

BY GEORGE OUMA

ABOUT DSW German Foundation for World Population (DSW)

is an international development organization

focusing on sustainable development of

populations in different parts of the world.

DSW Kenya is particularly committed to

addressing the sexual and reproductive health

(SRH) needs of youth throughout Kenya.

DSW – WESTERN REGION KAKAMEGA

DSW – EASTERN REGION EMBU

DSW – COAST REGION MOMBASA

DSW – KENYA COUNTRY OFFICE

1.3 DSW AREAS OF CONCERN

• Poverty Alleviation1) ASRH2) Youth Club Sponsorship3) HIV/AIDS Prevention4) Youth Friendly Services5) Info – Resource Networks6) Advocacy7) Capacity Building RH Stakeholders

WHY THE EMPHASIS ON YOUTH

• Africa population are remarkably young on average because for some years birth rates have remained high while life expectancy is still low at 47 years .

• The continent ’s population of 967 million is growing at about 2.4 percent per year and was expected to reach 1 billion time in 2009.

• Africa ’s population s projected to double in size between 2008 and 2050.

• The high population growth rate in conjunction with the declining infant and mortality rates accounts for the largest number of dependent children.

• Africa ’s birth rates remain quite high and its population very young, with 43 percent of sub-Saharan Africa ’s population below the age of 15.

Cont.• This has placed a heavy burden on the

economically active population since the care of children costs much more than that of the small percentage of old people.

• This is important to note because of its implication to socioeconomic development (infrastructure, physical facilities and services are tremendous) demographic consequences and high dependency ratio.

Kenya’s Population.• Kenya’s population was enumerated at 28.7

million (1999), estimated at 37 M in 2007 and was projected to reach 40 million in 2010 at a growth rate of 2.8

• Young people aged 10–24 years makes up about 36 % of the population

• Those aged 18 years and below were enumerated at 19 million (66 % of the population)

Source: PRB Fact Sheet 2007

Source: PRB Fact Sheet 2007

Cont.

• Kenya has however shown the decline in the TFR from a high of 8.1 births per woman in 1975-78, to 4.7 in 1995-97, followed by a rise to 4.9 in 2000-02 and a decline to 4.6 for 2006-08 (KDHS 2008).

Cont

Cont.• The 20-24 year age cohort has the

largest absolute difference. The rate among rural women in this age cohort is 280 births per thousand women, compared to an urban rate of 146 births per thousand.

TFR

Population and Development Inter-Linkages

Population FactorsEconomy•Economic performance•Wealth distribution•Supply and demand•Employment opportunities•Education levels•Income and Poverty levels

Economy•Economic performance•Wealth distribution•Supply and demand•Employment opportunities•Education levels•Income and Poverty levels

Environment•Natural resources availability•Degradation•Waste generation

Environment•Natural resources availability•Degradation•Waste generation

Migration

Migration

Morbidity

Morbidity

MortalityMortality

FertilityFertility

PRACTICE

• Agriculture is the back born of Kenya’s development and is the main source of livelihood for the rural communities .

• About 80% of the Kenyan population depends on agriculture for their livelihood.

• Only 20% out of total land cover is arable in Kenya.

• Kenya is faced with a high dependency burden with about 81% people in the age 0-14 and 65 and above depending on 100 people in the range 15 to 64 years.

• The high population growth has put pressure on available resources as the number of young people keeps on rising at a high rate.

POPULATION MOMENTUM AND ITS EFFECT ON YOUTH.

Migration and Refugees• Reproduction and migration are a bigger contributor to population explosion in

urban centres and uneven distribution in the rural. • Challenges in rural development include: Distribution and marketing agricultural

produce, Distribution of farm input, monitor and plan development. Diminishing land size, conflict over land, poor infrastractures (eg road, rail, storage etc)

Education • Current population growth and large numbers of children of school going children is

a burden to the Kenyan tax payer with large budget.(congestion in schools, few teachers and lack of teaching aid/facilities, low ICT penetration), Large disparity between primary and secondary( 700,000 verses only 300,000 spaces available in sec). Technical schools are weak and inadequate- most youth become unemployable because they lack skills)

• Appropriate skills vis a vie labour market • School/ college drop out

.

Cont.Unemployment and Underemployment• Only about 25% absorbed into job market the rest the 75% bear the

burden of unemployment. • Low jobs and high qualification

Health

• HIV prevalence at 33%

• Poor access to health services – very few YF facilities, unreliable funding mechanisms-leading to periodic shortages

• Alcohol and drug abuse

• Female genital mutilation and teenage pregnancy –unsafe abortion

Security

• Crime - gangs

• Deviant behaviour

• Abuse and exploitation- political

ICT

• Limited access to ICT due to unavailability in rural areas and high cost.- Youth cannot exploit career, biasness and education opportunities

Kenyan Budget• Create 120,000 jobs• 500million each added to youth and women• Initiating programme to reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture • Education                                                                                               134.65• Defence                                                                                                    44.8• Roads                                                                                                        71.9• Treasury                                                                                                    43.4• Agriculture                                                                                                 13.47• Tourism                                                                                                      3.17• Energy                                                                                                      31.0• Medical Services                                                                                          27.5• Security                                                                                                    44.1

Areas to be addressedInadequate resources to provide services and

spur growth in rural areas

Sustained negative effects of HIV and AIDS

Poverty and its effects

Need to support policies that target vulnerable groups in society (orphans, PWDs, youth, and aged)

Need to reposition FP in today’s changing landscape

Zero Tolerance to corruption

Areas to be addressed …….

• Responsive health care systems targeting the woman, the child and youth

• More investment aimed at women’s empowerment initiatives

• Public-private sector partnerships

Note

• We must appreciate that the impact of reduction in population growth on the improvement of human well being depends upon the way education, health and economic policies are formulated and implemented in a country.

Policy Environment

So far GOK and stakeholders have come together to develop the following policies to address challenges;

• Adolescent Reproductive Health

• National Gender and Development policy

• National Youth and Development Policy

• Population and Development Policy

Cont.

• Respective Action Plans for different policies

• Youth communication strategy

• National HIV/AIDS strategic plan 2009 to 2013

• Millennium development Goals

• Vision 2030

Focus• Africa - Kenya included are faced with population-

related challenges, such as the impact of HIV/AIDS on populations in their prime ages of productivity, and the current unprecedented rate of urbanization and its attendant social, economic, and environmental ills.

• All these trends will require the development of comprehensive, innovative and integrated strategies to ensure sustainable rural development.

Population and Development

Inter-relationships

“Population is the point of reference

from which all other elements (of

geography) are observed and from which

they all, singly and collectively, derive

significance and meaning”

Trewartha, 1953

END

THANK YOU