Women's Groups Decry under Representation in Government

By Shadrack Nyakoe

Women’s groups in Kenya lobbying for gender sensitivity and inclusivity including the Echo Network Africa, UN Women and the Democracy Trust Fund on Monday 30 January 2023 unveiled the gender perspective report in Nairobi.

The report reveals that there was still under representation of women in elective, nominative and other government positions and called for the registrar of political parties to strictly adhere to the one third gender rule.

The gender and affirmative action principal secretary Veronica Nduva says there’s however a significant rise in women leadership from 7.9 % percent in 2017 to 10% in 2022 general elections.

“Hence, I applaud the flagship initiative Chagua Mama campaign organised by Echo Network Africa, Democracy Trust Fund and other partners. A partnership aimed at accelerating gender inclusiveness in the run-up to the 2022 general election,” she said.

The chairperson Echo Network Africa Ms Koigi Nyambura said they are a nongovernmental organization mandated to ensure the society recognizes the capacity of women in all spheres of life.

“We appreciate what the government is doing but there’s still much to be done. I’m asking the government to embrace the constitution and ensure the women leadership is recognized,” she said.