Kisumu County leads in rate of delivery by as skilled health provider

By Peter Ochieng

Kisumu County is leading in the rate of women who deliver in the hands of a skilled health provider, in the Nyanza region.

Besides Kisumu, the region comprises of Siaya, Homabay, Migori, Kisii, and Nyamira Counties.

According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey for Kisumu County, 98 percent of women who delivered in the Lakeside devolved unit two years before the survey was conducted, did so under the observation of a skilled healthcare worker, against Kenya’s average of 89 percent.

Kisumu is followed by Siaya at 95 percent, Kisii at 94 percent, Migori and Nyamira at 93 percent, and Homabay County at 91 percent.

Speaking during a forum organized by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) for dissemination of the indicators in Kisumu on Thursday, Fredrick Oluoch, County Director, Public Health said Kisumu is doing okay in most of the parameters.

He however stated that there is room for improvement in areas such as access to basic sanitation services, where only 35 percent of the 1.1 million residents can respond in the affirmative.

In terms of family planning, Kisumu at 57 percent lags behind Nyamira (65 percent) and Kisii (64 percent), as far as the use of modern methods of family planning is concerned.

Migori (55 percent), Homabay (54 percent), and Siaya (43 percent) are further behind. Kisumu’s 57 percent access and use of modern family planning methods is however similar to the country’s average.

At 26 percent, Kisumu is third behind Migori (30 percent) and Homabay (27 percent) in number of women aged between 15-49 years who experienced physical violence 12 months before the survey was conducted. The research was conducted from February to July 2022.

62 percent of the household population in Kisumu County can access and sleep under an Insecticide Treated Net (ITN).