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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.

In collaboration with State Department for Gender (SDfG), Embassy of Finland Nairobi, and the County governments of Baringo Samburu and Mandera, Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD) launched the County Action Plan (CAP) for localized Kenya National Action Plan II on Women, Peace and Security for the Advancement of the United Nations Security Council 1325 (UNSCR1325) in the three counties.

The UNSCR 1325 on women, peace and security, which was adopted by the Security Council in 2000, presented a comprehensive political framework within which women’s protection and their role in peace processes can be addressed. UNSCR 1325 is central in supporting women engage in peace processes in meaningful ways.

The development of the Kenya National Action Plan (KNAP) I and II sought to operationalize the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 which is a key milestone that will contribute to the conflict, early warning and peace processes in Kenya. The KNAP calls for increased participation of women in peace processes and peace building.

The KNAP I (2016-2018) sought to contextualize the bases for socio-economic and political inequalities in peace and security issues. After the implementation KNAP I, there was a need for review thus resulting to KNAP II (2020-2024) which is a strategic plan to address the gaps and challenges as well as emphasize on the best shared practices on women, peace and security in Kenya.

While speaking during the launch of Baringo CAP, the Chief Administrative Secretary for Gender, Hon. Dr. Jebii Kilimo praised the commitment CCGD had put in place in localizing the KNAP II which seeks to increase women participation in peace processes.

“I am very pleased today, because I am living my dream of seeing women being included in the peace processes,” said Hon. Jebii.

She said the document would create a platform through which the community can shun the retrogressive cultures as well as the rapid conflict witnessed in Baringo County.

She noted that the document has clearly pointed out the role of women in peace building and conflict resolutions processes. Adding that the document will also be vital tool in the campaign against outlawed cultural practices such as FGM which has been labelled as the root cause to all retrogressive cultures in Baringo County and other counties where the vice is practiced.

She urged CCGD to extend the project to other warring counties as she pledged support for resource mobilization through SDfG.

In Samburu County the launch was presided over by Hon. Julius Leseeto, Deputy Governor Samburu County while in Mandera County in the presence of County Gender Sector Working Group (CGSWG) members, CSOs, Women Champions, Youth, Morans, PWDs and local community in the area.

The localized Samburu CAP will form part of policy on Samburu County accountability on the WPS agenda on matters women and girl’s meaningful participation and leadership in peace processes within the county. Additionally, it will promote women and girls’ rights while shunning violence meted against them, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and traditional practices that oppress them.

In Mandera County the launch was presided over by Issadin Adawa, the County Executive Committee Member Youth, Gender and Social Services.

Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD) on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development and the University of Nairobi through the Women Economic Empowerment Hub (UON WEE Hub) an agreement that will see the three partners work jointly to support cross border traders along the border points.

The agreement will provide a room for collaboration on evidence-based policy advocacy to inform policy implementation, upscaling and graduating of best practices for women, youth, children and persons with Disability (PWDs) economic empowerment in Kenya with focus on cross-border trade.

Speaking during the ceremony, PS. State Department for East African Community, Dr. Kevit Desai said the overall goal of the initiative is to comprehend President Uhuru Kenyatta’s goals of ensuring that there is inter-connectivity with the EAC partner states. This he said will result into improvement of intra-trade that currently stands at 15%.

“This initiative brings about the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development, University
of Nairobi and Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development and it recognizes the need of facilitating the capacity of women cross border traders through incentives, creation of relationships and building of markets,” said the PS.

The PS added that the partnership will provide the government, private sector organizations, the civil society organizations and the academia with an opportunity to work together and transform the overall development of women, youth, PDWs in the cross-border trade.

Adding that the entry of the University of Nairobi will an added value in the partnership as they will be able to amplify trade through research and education.

Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development Executive Director, Masheti Masinjila, lauded the new
partnership, saying that the MOU agreement is an extremely important meeting point between the policies that are made and the women who have suffered traditional kind of disadvantages.

“This kind of collaboration is going to enhance what these women will practically see an improvement from the policies the government has put in place, the research the University is doing and regional kind of efforts,” said Masheti.

Adding: “The agreement will also look into increasing the accountability of stakeholders who are the people of the East Africa Community.’’

He pointed out that the Treaty establishing EAC, the Common Market Protocols, the Simplified Trade Regime are all very people centered, people friendly and they have huge ambition in terms of participation but stakeholders are the reference points in terms successful implementation.

The University of Nairobi Vice-chancellor, Prof. Stephen Kiama, said the University will work through the Women Economic Empowerment Hub will work with the government and CCGD in addressing the barriers witnessed in trade within the EAC partners states with focus on women cross border traders.

“The Ministry, CCGD and the University are ready to work together to ensure that there is acceleration of trade in the EAC region,” said Prof. Kiama.

He added: “The University of Nairobi will bring the data decision making approach on table.’’

The tripartite agreement which will implemented within a span of three years will see the three institution collaborate in area of research, policy and monitoring and evaluation.

Kenya Gender Budgeting Network which is hosted by Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development with its partners organized the Gender Responsive Budgeting in Kenya Webinar on 9th December 2021 themed; ‘’Implications of national GRB analysis and advocacy activities on the county budget process.’’

The overall is to document the implications of National Budget GRB analysis and advocacy activities on the county budgeting process. With specific objectives being to identify actionable areas of county level GRB advocacy in the 2022/23 budget process and to initiate a coordinated Gender Responsive Budget advocacy at the county level.

Kenya Gender Budget Network (KGBN) is an open membership of stakeholders engaged in gender focused advocacy work to inform programming and budgeting. The network aims to ensure better coordination, voice, and coherence of the civil society and other actors in engaging government and advocating for and monitoring the adoption and practice of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB).

KGBN aims to harness and synchronize the work of research institutions, academia, international and national partners interested in GRB as well as policy and grassroots Civil society Organizations (CSOs) at the national and county level for effective GRB advocacy. KGBN’s interest in coordinating Gender Responsive Budget actors at the national and county level is to enhance voice, coherence and action with regards to findings on the analysis of 2021/22 budget 2022-23 Sector Working Group reports, and the
2022 BPS. The webinars expected is to development of an action plan for county level GRB advocacy in 2022/23 budget process with the expected outputs being to enhanced gender responsiveness in county budgets as well as to Increased GRB knowledge, awareness and coordination among civil society and the public.

During the forum the budget preparations procedures which begin in July and takes 28 months for the entire budget process to be finalized were discussed.

During the forum the budget preparations procedures which begin in July and takes 28 months for the entire budget process to be finalized were discussed.

A presentation on the budget cycle calendar at county level was presented as well as the budget process.

According to Darmi Jattani, Gender Responsive Budgeting is about ensuring the existing framework puts in place the different needs of people in the county. She added that GRB is a constitutional mandate and should be heavily focused on since the opportunity cost of women missing in contribution to the economy is high.

“Among the gaps that exist at the National level in regards to Gender Responsive Budget is the time spent on unpaid care work which is disproportionately high among women,’’ highlighted Darmi Jattani.

By Oloo Adhiambo and Audrey Adhiambo

Annually, the world comes together to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an annual International campaign that kicks off 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. The campaign dubbed 16 Days rallies both state and non-state actors to call for prevention of violence against women and girls. Further, it also seeks to raise awareness on the plight of women and girls, hold governments and other decision makers accountable, and celebrate progress toward gender equality. According to data from World Health Organization (WHO), one in every three, around 736 million women and girls are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or from a non-partner over their lives. The COVID-19 pandemic already underway can best be described by Haroon Rashid’s quote, we fell asleep in one world and woke up in another. With countries imposing new laws such as curfews, lock downs, restricted gatherings, and cessation of movement in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. The measures have resulted into a “shadow pandemic” reports show that the measures have led to a spike of GBV.

This has made it extremely hard for Civil Society Organizations to do their work thereby calling for more innovative ways to address the spike of GBV during the pandemic.

With the world shifting from physical to virtual platforms, the youth are leading efforts and solutions to build a better, safer world for us all, as they have done with many of the world’s most serious crises, including GBV. Around the world, there is a vast network of young advocates who are employing novel strategies to tackle GBV such as Artivism which is a portmanteau word combining art and activism. With the rising popularity of virtual platforms and social media campaigns, the youth are using culture jamming, subverting, street art and murals, paintings, spoken word, plays, satire, fashion, and short videos to reach wider audiences.

These innovative techniques aim to address the core causes of GBV, such as altering attitudes and actions that contribute to gender-based violence and inequity. As a global language that transcends all frontiers, artivism has a broad and international appeal and maybe a strong tool for raising awareness and encouraging action.