Tighten population policy

As the country's attention remains focused on how to stop the raging Covid-19 pandemic, other equally important matters have taken a back seat. However, key international events such as the Word Population Day marked Saturday are a good reminder of the need to tackle socio-economic challenges and improve the people's well-being.

This day is meant to raise awareness about the threat posed by the rapidly growing population, which threatens to outstrip available resources. This includes the need to address reproductive health and examine the gender disparities in the distribution of resources.

The rapid population growth has had an adverse impact on economic development. It is because the growing numbers fuel the scramble for sustenance, as available resources get stretched. Another consequence is the intense rural-urban migration that has spawned the growth of slums in urban areas, where some people live in appalling squalor.

The situation is bound to get worse as the population growth intensifies, with a high dependency ratio, overcrowding and inadequate health systems.

It is quite worrying that the country's population, now estimated at 53 million, has doubled over the past 25 years. The nightmarish projections that Kenya adds one million people a year or 3,000 every day is a scenario that calls for serious thought and policies to stem such a deadly tide. According to experts, if Kenya wants to earn this demographic dividend, it needs to bring fertility below three children per family and boost urbanisation.

A rapidly growing population poses challenges with regard to housing and rising unemployment that could lead to social unrest. However, it is not all gloom and doom. A large urbanising and well-educated population can yield a strong middle class and vibrant private sector. Population is also the greatest resource for a country seeking sustainable growth.

Kenya must thus continue to make efforts to ensure that this potential resource does not become a curse.