Survey Reveals Samburu Women Lead in Home Ownership in Kenya

The Demographic and Health Survey 2022 released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) recently reveals that Women in Samburu County are more likely to own their homes compared to other women in Kenya.

According to the survey, 61 per cent of Samburu women aged between 15-49 years own homes either alone or jointly.

Following Samburu women are women from Narok (59.1 per cent), Kisii (56.6 per cent), Turkana (56.5 per cent) and Nyamira (49.8 per cent).

Conversely, the survey also revealed that women from Garissa and Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Mombasa and Nairobi are least likely to own homes

Nevertheless, access to land and property with secure tenure is considered central to women’s economic empowerment.

Ownership of property serves as a base for income as well as collateral for credit.

The survey further states that ownership and control of land and other assets by women and men increases their ability to access economic resources at the societal level and confer additional economic value, status, and bargaining power at the household level.

“For women in particular, ownership of assets may provide protection in case of marital dissolution or abandonment, positively influence their position in their homes, and decrease their vulnerability to various forms of violence or discrimination,” reads part of the report.

In addition, the survey shows that women in rural areas are more likely to own their homes (44 per cent) compared to their urban counterparts (19 per cent).

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Likewise, the report noted that age is also one of the factors affecting home ownership.

“House ownership increases with age and is highest among women aged 45–49 (63 per cent),” the survey says.

In general, most women in Kenya own homes either jointly with their husbands and/or with someone else (28 per cent) while only a small fraction own it alone (5 per cent).

Nonetheless, the survey also reveals that 10 per cent of female homeowners have no formal education compared to 3 per cent that have gone up to tertiary level, a trend that is also mirrored in their male counterparts.