The National Council for Population and Development, Thika branch has called on county governments to plan and allocate resources for activities aimed at managing populations.
“There is need for concerted efforts by stakeholders to formulate policies aimed at educating and sensitising the public due to the worrying high population growth rate,” the area coordinator Simon Gathua said in Thika on Thursday.
Gathua noted that county governments should plan and fund family planning services if the growing population trend is to be reversed.
He said if the population growth rate is not contained, the available resources will not sustain the country’s population.
The coordinator challenged counties to set aside a special allocation towards supporting family planning initiatives, saying a quality population was necessary in moving forward to realise the Vision 2030.
“I also call upon non-governmental organisations, civil societies and religious organizations among others, to take an active role in matters of population management,” he said.
Gathua noted that the council had no enough funds to sensitize people on the population increase and therefore requested for funding from both the county and national government.
"It’s estimated that the current annual population growth rate in the country stands at 3.3 per cent, and the council is projecting that this trend may see the population hitting 65 million people by the year 2030," he said.