A total of 335 children aged between one and 18 years were adopted in Kenya last year, a significant reduction from the 447 recorded in 2023. 

Overall, female adoptions were slightly more than male adoptions, at 170 cases compared to 165 cases male counterparts. 

According to the Kenya Vital Statistics Report, a total of 333 adopted children last year went to married couples, compared to only two who went to adopters whose marital status was single.  

Data showed that the highest number of adopted children was two years old, with the Civil Registration Services, where statistics were derived, recording 57 adoptions in that age group. Only four one-year-old children were adopted in 2024. 

Interestingly, more boys (34) at the age of two years were the majority that were preferred by the adopters than girls (23) at the same age.  

This was also the age which had the highest number of adopted boys than any other age group. Additionally, while four boys below the age of one year found adopters, no girl in this age group was adopted. 

Similarly, while seven girls aged 16 years were adopted, no boy of the same age was adopted. However, 23 girls aged one year were adopted compared to 15 boys.  

Other ages where more boys got adopted than girls include five years with 10 boys and half the number for girls, seven years with 10 boys and nine girls, 11 years with 10 boys and 8 girls, and 18 years with 2 males and only one female.

The second highest was one-year-olds with 38 adoptions, while the lowest number was among 18-year-olds, with only three adoptions. 

In 2024, 224 adopted children were born in Nairobi, bringing the total number of adopted city children from 2020 to 967 and the highest among the counties.  

Machakos came a distant second with 21 children adopted in 2024, totalling 118 since 2020. Mombasa followed with 15 and a total of 100 in the same period, while Nakuru and Kiambu followed with 13 (111 since 2020) and 10 (118 since 2020) adaptations, respectively. 

Uasin Gishu, with 11 adoptions and a total of 25 since 2020, trailed the list of counties with over 10 adopted children last. A list of eight counties, including Meru, Bomet, Kisii, Nyamira, Homa Bay, Narok, Marsabit, Siaya and Tharaka Nithi, had no adoption of children last year. 

The majority of devolved units on this list had only one child adopted since 2020, except for Meru County, with 13 cases. 

Meanwhile, the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) is calling for intensified efforts to support Kenya’s growing population of older persons, citing urgent concerns over their well-being and the sustainability of ageing-related programmes in the country. 

Government data showed that two Central region counties, Murang’a and Nyeri, have the highest number of elderly population aged above 65 years, with 8.5 and 8 per cent respectively.  

The two counties are closely followed by Vihiga with 7.5 per cent.