All posts by : Habil Habil

The youth called for immediate decriminalization of petty offenses at this year’s EAC National Dialogue Forum. They said this would ensure that penal laws and enforcement of criminal laws follow human rights standards. During the forum, the youth presented issue papers on Youth Peace and Security; Petty Offenses; COVID-19 and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights of Girls and Young Women; Strengthening of National Youth Council and National Youth CSOs and Human Trafficking: The Socio-Economic Etiology of Human Trafficking.

They asked the EAC partner states to ensure the full domestication and implementation of the EAC Sexual Reproduction and Health Rights (SRHR) Bill, Development of a Youth Scorecard to Monitor and evaluate the framework on the EAC Youth Policy and adoption of the National Action Plan on UNSCR 2250 on Youth Peace and Security.

Ushanga Businesswomen in Mailua, a remote town in Kajiado South, Kajiado County were hit hard by the lockdown measures of COVID-19, that confined them to their villages. This contributed to a sharp increase in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls. 

The introduction of Jasiri Fund- a low-interest and unsecured loan for SGBV survivors came to the rescue. Women survivors of SGBV were able to access Jasiri loans through Kenya Women Finance Trust (KWFT) to rebuild their lives and businesses.

One of the beneficiaries of the Jasiri loan was Supukon Nkaanchu who received a loan of Ksh. 50,000 and used it to venture into the greengrocery business. Nkaanchu says that the business provides an income to sustain her household.

She adds that the orders made for beads have become inconsistent as a result she needed to venture into an alternative business

 “In future, I want to build rental units with another loan from Jasiri Fund,” says Nkaachu

Right next to Supukon is Nkunyinyi Josiah. A 30-year-old businesswoman who owns a hotel christened ‘New Face Enterprises’ used Jasiri’s loan to open her hotel.

She says her business is doing well. A steady flow of mostly boda boda riders come in and out of her hotel for a quick bite, before returning to work. Besides owning the business, she is also a job creator whereby she has employed a young lady to help with cooking and waitress duties.

“My focus right now is to save and clear my current Jasiri loan as soon as possible, apply for a higher amount, and expand my hotel business to include a butchery as well.”

For Leah Meliyio, the loan came through at time she was still bound to care work duties as she was taking care of her weeks-old baby and therefore she could not engage in any vigorous activity that would take much of her time as well.

Rather than let the money be in her account, she decided to take a risk and use the money to buy goats and to open up a ‘Choma Zone’ (a hotel with a focus on selling roasted meat) and butchery/hotel that has become a favorite spot for many in the area. She also created job opportunities as she employed others to help in running the two businesses. “My goal for the near future is to expand the hotel part of my business to diversify my offerings and cater to an even larger number of customers.” Says Meliyio.

With support from Mastercard Foundation, through the Response, Recovery and Resilience Project in partnership with CREAW and GROOTS Kenya, CCGD has facilitated affordable financial services to women such as Supukon, Nkunyinyi, and Leah through Jasiri Fund. CCGD is currently implementing the program in Kwale, Kajiado and Busia Counties. As of April 2022, a total of 268 women and youth (young women) and PWDs with existing businesses had received loans worth Ksh. 15, 115, 875.

Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD) in partnership with the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development, the East Africa Civil Society Organizations’ Forum, and Nathan Associates Foundation convened a two-day stakeholder (state and non-state actors) forum for the launch of a study on women economic empowerment.

The study dubbed, Increasing Salience and Strategic Engagement for Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE), Women Empowerment Collectives (WECs), and Gender Integration (GI) was conducted between October and December 2021 with a focus on the WEE, WECs, and GI policy and projects and initiatives outside the Ministry in charge of Gender, State Department/ Agencies directly charged with advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality.

While addressing the stakeholders, the Principal Secretary, State Department for East African Community Dr. Kevit Desai stated that a lot of efforts have been put into women’s economic empowerment especially around building the capacity of the women cross-border traders. He attributed these efforts to the able leadership of Mr. Masheti Masinjila, the Executive Director of CCGD, and Prof. Wanjiku Kabira, Director University of Nairobi Women Economic Empowerment Hub (UON-WEE Hub).

The PS noted that the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development in partnership with development partners have embarked on transformation agenda of engaging the women cross-border traders in the border counties with a view of building their capacities so that they can benefit from the gains of the EAC integration process.

“Towards this end, we will continue to train and capacity build women cross-border traders on the EAC trade rules, regulations, and procedures,” remarked the PS.

He said the training has been informed by the reports from the Regional Women in Business Conferences that took place in Kigali Rwanda and Nairobi Kenya in 2011 and 2015 respectively.

Adding that during the two conferences, the women cross-border traders complained that they struggle to find and understand information on goods and services allowed for trade in each partner state, the standardization process, the authorization of certificates required, the taxes and tariffs applicable in each country, import and export laws, the rules of origin and customs procedures among other details that are important for trade within the EAC region.

In addressing some of the issues raised by the women traders, Dr. Desai pointed out that Kenya in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO) initiated the process of developing a simplified guide to EAC trade rules, regulations, and procedures for cross-border trade to enable women traders to access all the relevant information regarding cross border trade.

The training he said will boost the business of 16 Million traders in the EAC region of 70% are women dealing with primary stable and agricultural commodities.

Unpaid care work
Dr. Desai noted that despite the efforts put toward women’s economic empowerment, there still existing gaps that need urgent attention, saying that a lot of work done by women are not rewarded.

“A lot of work done by women for example the care work is either not paid or underpaid,” he said.

Adding: “If women must meaningfully participate and benefit from the economic endeavors then the skills must be home and targeted for wealth creation and their well-being and that of the Nation.”

He called on the country not to see women as passive recipients of women’s support but as active abled partners in this human economic endeavor.

On his part, CCGD Executive Director, Mr. Masheti Masinjila noted that the study focused on women simply because of the number of women in business not only in the EAC region but in Africa.

“Africa is unique in the world having more women actively involved in the informal business which serves the biggest majority of the people in terms of the population,” said Masheti.

He called on the stakeholders to support businesses done by women saying that such businesses have a direct impact on the greatest part of the population and such a population will be directly affected if women’s businesses are not supported.

The ED noted that the findings of the study on Increasing Salience and Strategic Engagement for Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE), Women Empowerment Collectives (WECs), and Gender Integration (GI) will be shared with stakeholders and other policymakers to enable them to understand the obstacles women in the business face in Kenya.

Adding that the study will also provide an opportunity for the stakeholders to directly engage the women traders in terms of information enhancement, capacity building of the skills, involving them in dialogues where they will gain knowledge about different kinds of resources and sometimes contribute towards the
formulation of the policy framework that assists them in doing their work

“As we speak, important development partners are exchanging information about the prospects available to women, particularly those in lower businesses who require associations to learn more about business,” said Masheti.

The EAC Secretariat
Also present was Generose Minani, the EAC Principal Gender and Community Officer who thanked the organizers for extending the invitation to the EAC Secretariat saying that was an indication that Kenya
cares about the EAC integration.

On women’s economic empowerment, Ms. Minani said at the Gender Department of the EAC Secretariat deals with a component of women in business.

Further, the EAC Gender Policy component five of the policy focuses on trade, business and economic empowerment with a key emphasis on women to bridge the gender gap.

“If it is gender policy, women are highly considered because we all know that this group of the population still lags in spheres of development,” she said.

She urged the stakeholders to put a mechanism that will see the women in business being upgraded from informal trade to formal trade and from small scale to large scale.

Others present during the two-day stakeholder’s forum included East Africa Civil Society Organizations’ Forum Chairperson, Mr. Morris Odhiambo, UON -WEE Hub Research Expert, Dr. Reuben Waswa, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Public-Private Dialogue Specialist, Mr. Patrick Maingi, Linet Otieno and Chikanne Ezeigbo of African Development Bank, Consultants; Felix Otieno and Mwangi Kahenu, representatives from government Ministries and State Departments/Agencies, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Action Aid Kenya, KU-WEE Hub, County Government of Kajiado, Bungoma, Busia and Makueni, Nairobi Metropolitan Services, Kenya Association of Manufacturers.

With only six months to the general elections, Kenyans are still grappling with a worrying trend of voter apathy witnessed among the youth who have lost interest in matters of leadership and governance which they can influence through the ballot. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has failed twice to reach its target of registering 6 million new young voters due to youth apathy.

The Citizen Agenda Pillar of the Multi-Sectoral Forum on Corruption organized a webinar on Youth and Election February 17, 2022, to provide a platform for over 70 youth drawn from across the country to articulate their issues and come up with recommendations on how the challenges can be addressed to bring about positive behavioral change among the youth towards more participation in elections.

Ms. Judith Oyoo, Women President at Kiriri University and a young political aspirant in Korogocho North called for voter civic education among youth on the need to participate in the elections.

“There are more than 50,000 university students in Kenya majority of who are youth that have not registered as voters because they say they are tired of voting yet this election offers them their first chance to vote,” she said.

According to Ms. Gabrielle Lorere, founder of Samburu Well-being Initiative for All (SWIFLA) noted that youths from the northern frontier counties do not take part in elections simply because they lack national identity cards which is a key requirement for one to register as a voter.

“Youth from the northern frontier counties do not actively participate in the elections because they are subjected to numerous vetting processes that make it hard for them to obtain national identity cards which is viable for voter registration,” said Lorere

The youth cited a lack of youth inclusion in decision-making and leadership roles in governance processes, lack of cross-sectoral approaches that deepen organized youth participation, lack of role models and mentorship in political leadership, lack of resources to mount serious campaigns, inexperience in competitive politics, and lack of meritocracy in elective politics in communities like among the Somali community where members of a majority clan hold sways one’s ability to lead as some of the challenges that hinder them from actively participating in leadership and governance in Kenya.

The webinar was also attended by Mr. Suba Churchill of Civil Society Reference Group and convener of the Citizen’s Agenda Pillar and Ms. Bancy Kabutha, Director for Centre for Transformational Leadership.

The webinar was supported by CCGD/EACSOF as hosts of the Secretariat of the pillar.

Kenya is said to be leading in the implementation of the East Africa Community (EAC) consultative dialogue framework, this came out during the National Dialogue Committee (NDC) meeting convened by the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development. The meeting was attended stakeholders from civil society organizations (CSOs),private sector organizations (PSOs), other interest such as Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and the government aimed at identifying national issues that will be discussed during the national dialogue forum.

Speaking during the meeting held on 10th February2022, Mr. Masheti Masinjila, the Chair of the NDC lauded the stakeholders who have been implementing the East African Community (EAC) consultative
dialogue framework (CDF) since its inception. He noted that Kenya was the first country to implement the CDF as stated in the EAC law thereby creating space for the CSOs and PSOs to write issue papers and have a structured discussion with the government on the issues.

Masheti also noted that the Secretary General’s Forum has not been convened for the past 2 years owing to the break out of COVID-19 which had a major impact on the member states. However, he mentioned that this year EAC Secretary General’s Forum (SG’s Forum) will be held.

Mr. Masheti said Kenya has been very strong with youth participation during the SG’s Forum. He called upon the youth to put their agenda on the paper so that they can present it during the upcoming SG’s Forum.

Mr. George Barasa, Assistant Director of Social Affairs in the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development attributed the collapse of EAC to a lack of participation of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as the partnership was viewed as the head of state affairs. However, Article 127 of the Treaty establishing EAC resolved the issue by allowing the participation of CSOs, Private Sector Organizations (PSOs) to be part of the integration agenda in the EAC.

“Through CSOs and PSOs participation in the EAC integration agenda, some policies such as the EAC Youth Policy and Youth Ambassadors Forum were established through a forum such as the National Dialogue Committee and National Dialogue Forums,” he said.

Mr. Barasa also mentioned that one of the major challenges facing the integration was the outbreak of COVID-19 which had a major impact on the business community, and women cross-border traders while other challenges include – harmonization of taxation policies in the region and disparities in terms of development of infrastructures.

The Chairperson of the East Africa Civil Society Organizations’ Forum, Mr. Morris Odhiambo noted that National Dialogue Committee (NDC) was extremely important, due to the fact, that it is at the NDC where the agenda-setting process begins.

Adding that the CDF structure recognizes the existence of the NDC which sets the agenda for the National Dialogue Forum (NDF) which is convened every time there is a need for dialogue or presentation on issues that have been agreed on by the NDC.

Mr. Odhiambo further stated that the issues from specific countries are escalated to the Regional Dialogue Committee (RDC) which picks up the issues and ends up becoming the agenda at the RDC. From the RDC the issues are further discussed at the SGs Forum which is the final stage of the dialogues.

“The CDF is like a one-stop shop where policy issues are discussed and rationalized, decisions are made in terms of policy issues as well as the administration issues which are then handled by the EAC Secretariat,” he said.

The CDF is meant to ensure that the integration process proceeds with the involvement of the citizens of East Africa Partner States. It is undertaken in the context of multi-stakeholder partnerships to ensure that the objectives of widening and deepening cooperation among the partner states in political, economic, social, cultural, health, education, science and technology, defense, security, legal and judicial affairs is achieved for the benefit of the people of East Africa.