Nairobi City was ranked top among counties in which wives control their husbands salaries according to the latest report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The report released on May, which polled married men aged between 15 years and 49 years, indicated that 26 per cent of Nairobi men confirmed that their earnings were mainly controlled by their wives.
Nairobi was followed by Kiambu County (17.4 per cent), Isiolo (16.2 per cent), Bungoma (12.8 per cent) and Nakuru (11.4 per cent.).
Others were Vihiga (9.4 per cent), West Pokot (7.1 per cent), Taita Taveta (6.3 per cent), Kakamega (6.3 per cent) and Murang'a (6 per cent).
On the flipside, no respondents from Lamu, Garissa, Machakos, Makueni, Kirinyaga, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii and Nyamira admitted to letting their wives control their earnings.
Kirinyaga, however, led by 96 per cent in counties where husbands claimed that they control their own salaries.
The Central Kenya county was followed by Mandera (77 per cent), Turkana (76 per cent), Nyeri (70 per cent), Kisii (68 per cent) and Siaya (61.7 per cent).
In general, 50 per cent of married men report that they decide jointly with their wives on how their cash earnings are used, while 43% make such decisions alone.
"Forty percent of currently married women with husbands who have earnings reported that their husband makes decisions alone on how his cash earnings are used and 52% reported that this decision is made jointly," read the report in part.
On the other hand, the percentage of married women who reported that they make decisions jointly with their husband about how their husband’s cash earnings are used decreased with their number of living children, from 62% among those with no living child to 43% for those with five or more children
"The percentage of married women who reported that they make decisions jointly with their husband about how their husband’s cash earnings are used increases with level of education, from 40% among those with no education to 61% for those with more than secondary education," added the report.
"The percentage of married women who reported that they make decisions jointly with their husband about how their husband’s cash earnings are used increases with the wealth quintile, from 44% of women in the lowest quintile to 56% in the highest quintile."
Healthier Relationships
Experts believe that both parties in a romantic relationship are happier if they make joint decisions on finances if they are both literate, have a paycheck and are in control of their finances.
In a case where one of the partners is not financially literate, it is advisable that the other partner should make decisions that are in the best interest of the couple.
Couple who make joint decisions about their money are also highly likely to have a more secure future compared to their counterparts who make separate financial decisions.
