More Kenyans are choosing to adopt baby girls over boys, according to a recent government data showing an increase in registered adoptions in the country.
In the Kenya Vital Statistics 2024 Report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the number of adoptions increased between 2020 to 2024, with most people often preferring to adopt girls.
KNBS stated that 251 children were adopted in 2020, and the number increased to 474 in 2023, the highest over the past five years.
According to the report, throughout the five years, girls took the lead over boys in adoption registrations.
The report also revealed that at least 225 boys were adopted in 2024, the highest for the gender across the five years, while the number of girls adopted surpassed the 200 mark throughout the period.
Over the five years, the report added, the most adopted children were between 2 and 5 years old, while those under 1 year alongside those over 18 were the least adopted.
KNBS said that the registrations were mostly done by married couples, with fewer than 10 single people adopting children.
According to the data, out of 1,968 total adoptions from 2020 to 2024, only 12 involved non-Kenyans, with all the other children being Kenyans.
In terms of county adoption registration, Nairobi recorded the highest adoptions, with Machakos, Kiambu, Nakuru, and Mombasa completing the top five.
Busia, Bungoma, Marsabit, Siaya, Migori, and Tharaka Nithi counties each recorded only one adoption, the lowest over the period.
Adoption is both a legal and social process in Kenya, where children are provided with stable, loving families when their biological parents are unable to care for them.
Parents' rights and responsibilities are permanently transferred to the adopters to ensure that the child receives security and emotional support.
