The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) revealed that only thirty-three per cent of women in the country own houses.
According to the Demographic and Health report released on Tuesday, January 17, out of the thirty-three per cent of women who own houses, 5 per cent own them alone, and 28 per cent own them jointly with their partners.
The KNBS report pointed at an upward trend for women embracing agriculture as it disclosed that only 7 per cent of women who own land have not invested in farming.
"Ownership and control of land and other assets by women and men enhance their ability to access economic resources at the societal level and confer additional economic value, status, and bargaining power at the household level," the report read in part.
"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 discrimination," the report added.
The current population of women in the country, according to the 2019 census report, was approximately 27.66 million, while that of men stood at 27.32 million.
Thirty-three per cent of women who own houses in the country translates to approximately 8.9 million.
According to KNBS, women in rural areas are more likely to own a house than those in urban areas such as Nairobi. Despite 44 per cent of women in rural areas owning houses, most of them lack requisite documents such as title deeds.
Women in urban areas such as Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru beat their counterparts in rural areas in acquiring title deeds and other house documents.
KNBS further indicated that house ownership rose with increasing wealth.
" Three per cent of women in the lowest wealth quintile own a house and have their name on the ownership documents, as compared with 29 per cent of women in the highest wealth quintile," the report stated.
Regarding land ownership, only 7 per cent of women in the country own non-agricultural land, with 1 per cent owning them alone and the rest, in joint ownership.
Compared to women, only thirty-five per cent of men aged between 15-49 years own a house alone. However, most men who own houses do not have legitimate title deeds and other relevant documents.
"Only 11 per cent of men who own a house have a title deed or any other government-recognised document with their name on it," KNBS indicated.
In terms of land ownership among men aged between 15-49 years is 24 per cent, with only 7 per cent being in joint ownership agreements.
