Rich Kenyans spend less on alcoholic life

Kenyan men with low income drink more alcohol than their wealthy counterparts, the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022 released on Monday has said.

The report launched by Treasury Cabinet Secretary, Prof Njuguna Ndung’u finds out that this category of men consumes alcohol almost every day

“The percentage of men who consume alcohol every day or almost every day decreases from 19 per cent among men in the lowest quintile to nine per cent among those in the highest wealth quintile,” the survey which was conducted in the year 2022, further indicated.

At the same time, the survey found that alcohol consumption is more common among women in Turkana at 15 per cent followed by Kiambu and Murang’a counties both at 11 per cent.

It also found that seven per cent of women consumed alcohol every day or almost every day.
However, the report indicates that men drink more frequently than women; 13 per cent of them imbibe the commodity every day or almost every day.

“Twenty-two per cent of men consumed three drinks on days when alcohol was consumed, 28 per cent consumed two drinks, and 25 per cent consumed only one drink,” the report reveals.

Among men and women who consumed alcoholic beverages, KDHS 2022 indicates that the majority – 61 per cent and 73 per cent respectively – did so in 1 to 5 days in the month before the survey.

Among women who consumed alcohol during the preceding month, 38 per cent consumed only one drink on days when alcohol was consumed, while 26 per cent consumed two drinks and 15 per cent consumed three drinks.

Harmful use of alcohol is one of the leading risk factors for population health worldwide and has a direct impact on many health-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those for maternal and child health.