Kenyan men have average of 7 sexual partners, women 2 - Survey

Kenyan men have an average of seven sexual partners in their lifetime while women have two, a fresh survey shows. 

In a report detailing trends in sexual behaviour among Kenyans, 35 percent of men reported having sex in the last 12 months with a person who was neither their wife nor living with them compared to 19 percent of women. 

"A higher proportion of men (15%) than women (4%) reported having two or more sexual partners in the 12 months prior to the survey. Of those with more than one partner in the last 12 months, 24% of women and 45% of men reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse," the Demographic and Health Survey released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) today said.

Demographically, wealthier, educated women and those living in urban areas reported having more than two sexual partners in the last year. In terms of age, the 20-24 demographic had the highest percentage (5.8 percent) with more than two sexual partners followed by 15-29, 30-39 while women in their forties had the least (2.4 percent). 

The trend was the same among men with wealthier, more educated men reporting a higher number sexual partners than their poorer counterparts. In terms of age, men between 20-29 yeras reported the highest percentage (21.5 percent) with more than two sexual partners followed by men in their thirties (17 percent), in their forties (13 percent) and the least sexual partners being teenagers aged 15-19 (5.3 percent).