A new government survey has exposed the extent of extramarital affairs in the country, revealing that Kenyan men have an average of seven sexual partners and women two in their lifetime, as well as counties with the most cheating.
At 11 per cent, Murang’a leads on the percentage of women who had more than two partners in the last 12 months.
Over the same period, Kericho, at nearly a third (27.7 per cent), topped on the percentage of women who had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months with a person who was neither their husband nor lived with them.
For men, Narok scooped the dubious honours with nearly a third of the men (61 per cent) in the county reporting having had sex with a person who was neither their wife nor lived with them over the same period.
Narok, at 42.5 percent, also led on the percentage of men who had more than two partners in the past 12 months.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) survey showed that 35 per cent of men reported having sex in the past 12 months with a person who neither was their wife nor lived with them while only 19 per cent of women had sex with a person who neither was their husband nor lived with them.
The report that was released yesterday detailed trends in sexual behaviour among Kenyans over 12 months, exposing reckless tendencies that could be fuelling sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) was conducted between February 17 and July 19, 2022.
The survey indicated that, on average, a higher proportion of men (15 per cent) than women (four per cent) reported having two or more sexual partners.
While 68 per cent of the men reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse with such a partner, just 37 per cent of the women reported using a condom, painting a worrying picture.
More than half of the men aged 20-24 have engaged in sexual activities with persons who neither live with them nor are their spouses. Demographically, wealthier, educated women and those living in urban areas reported having more than two sexual partners in the past year.
In terms of age, the 20-24 demographic had the highest percentage (5.8 per cent) with more than two sexual partners followed by 15-29 and 30-39, while women in their forties had the least (2.4 per cent). The trend was the same among wealthier men, with more educated men reporting a higher number of sexual partners than their poorer counterparts.
In terms of age, men between 20-29 years reported the highest percentage (21.5 per cent) with more than two sexual partners followed by men in their thirties (17 per cent), in their forties (13 per cent) and the least sexual partners being teenagers aged 15-19 (5.3 per cent).
The survey further established that the percentage of women who used condoms at the last sexual encounter with a person who was neither their spouse nor lived with them decreased with age, from 46 per cent among women aged 15-19 to 29 per cent among women aged 30-49.
Of those with more than one partner in the past 12 months, 24 per cent of women and 45 per cent of men reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse.
In terms of county distribution, more than half of the men in Narok County, at 62 per cent, followed by Elgeyo Marakwet (49.4 per cent), West Pokot (44.5 percent), Migori (44.1 per cent) and Nairobi (43.6 per cent) are reported to have engaged in sexual intercourse with a person who neither was their wife nor lived with them.
Murang’a County (28 per cent) topped the list for women with multiple partners who are neither their spouses nor partners they live with. Kericho (27.9 per cent), Uasin Gishu and Nandi followed at 25 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.
Among women, the percentage who reported using a condom at last sex with a person who neither was their spouse nor lived with them decreases with age, from 46 per cent among women age 15–19 to 29 per cent among women age 30–49.
The findings also showed that a higher proportion of men (15 per cent) than women (four per cent) reported having two or more sexual partners.
Of those with more than one partner, 24 per cent of women and 45 per cent of men reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse.
“In the 12 months before the survey, 19 per cent of women had sex with a person who was neither their husband nor lived with them, and just 37 per cent of these women reported using a condom. Thirty-five percent of men reported having sex with a person who was neither their wife nor lived with them, and 68 per cent of these men reported using a condom,” KNBS revealed.
The study also found widows, widowers and divorcees were more likely to have more than two sexual partners. It said 6.9 per cent of women who admitted to having more than two sexual partners in the last year were divorced, separated or widowed.
Another 4.3 per cent said they had never been married while 2.2 per cent were married or living together with their partners.
In the case of men, KNBS found that 26.7 per cent of those who had more than two sexual partners in the past one year are divorced, widowed or separated while the ones who told researchers that they were married stood at 13.8 per cent.
Samples for the study were drawn from the Kenya Household Master Sample Frame which is what KNBS used to conduct household-based sample surveys in the country.
