The Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment in collaboration with the Office of the Kenyatta University Students Association Vice-Chairperson (KUSA) and Kenyatta University Gender Action Movement (KUGAM) celebrated the International Women’s Day on 8th March 2021. The celebrations were held both virtually (zoom) and physically at KUCC, Interaction Hall from 3pm -5pm.
International Women's Day, celebrated every year on 8th March, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Each year there is a theme associated with the day and this year’s theme was “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” The theme celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme was supported with a campaign theme, “#ChooseToChallenge” that challenges the world to rise up, support gender equality, fight against inequality and support an inclusive world.
IWD is annually held on March 8 to celebrate and recognise women's achievements throughout and across nations. It also a time to reflect on the progress made to the call for change and celebrate acts of courage and determination by women.
This year’s celebration at Kenyatta University was graced by two Chief Guests; Prof. Nancy E. Glass, Associate Director of the John Hopkins Center for Global Health and Hon. Priscilla Nyokabi Kanyua, Commissioner, The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC). The Vice Chancellor, Kenyatta University, Prof. Paul K. Wainaina, also graced the occasion.
In his speech, the Vice-Chancellor, Kenyatta University, Prof. Paul K. Wainaina noted that, although the world has made exceptional advances, no country has achieved gender equality. Women and girls are still facing challenges that are punctuated by poverty, age, education disparities, unchanged laws and stringent cultures. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown the existing gender inequalities and stalled progress. The Vice Chancellor urged the participants to recognize and accept the fact that women and girls in Kenya have unlimited potential which has not been exploited due to the multifaceted barriers. Gender-based violence being at the top of the list. It is time to empower women and let them occupy leadership positions and have a voice in decision making and as policy makers for an empowered woman is an empowered world.
Chief Guest, Hon. Priscilla Nyokabi Kanyua, Commissioner, The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) encored that there have been several initiatives developed to promote the inclusion, participation and representation of women in varying sectors of life, all of which have yielded some gains. These gains include the inclusion of gender issues in legal, policy, budgets, plans and institutional frameworks, mainstreaming gender in public and private life, establishing affirmative actions, programs, resources, and setting gender quotas in various sectors that encourage women empowerment. Such initiatives begun as early as 1952 through the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake movement that fought for women rights in the colonial period.
Hon. Nyokabi noted that, despite the efforts made by the government to ensure gender equality and curb discrimination, women and girls in Kenya continue to face structural, cultural, political and institutional barriers. Our male dominated society frowns upon women in leadership. The female population continues to lack adequate resources like land and access to training opportunities in Sciences, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
Further, Hon. Nyokabi recognised trail blazers like Hon. Phoebe Asiyo, Hon. Beth Mugo Hon. Martha Karua and Prof. Wanjiku Kabira for individually and collectively championing for gender equality issues in Kenya. This led to a change in the Constitution of Kenya 2010 that introduced a new chapter for the women of Kenya with gender equality anchored as one of the key national principles.
Hon. Nyokabi concluded by applauding the government for sustained efforts towards women economic empowerment programs during the COVID -19 pandemic and recommended that such efforts should continue even after the pandemic.
Chief Guest, Prof. Nancy E. Glass, Associate Director of the John Hopkins Centre for Global Health, to echo the previous speakers emphasized that, women and girls face gross inequities, both private and public inequities, that we value as a global community for survival. She encouraged women to assert their rights, question their roles in society, challenge power structures, and effect positive social change (Feminist Leadership).
Additionally, Prof. Glass underscored that women shouldn’t simply added onto existing structures, but also transform those structures to allow for women’s meaningful participation and leadership, promote women’s meaningful participation in decision making, from the local to the national level, gender parity on COVID-19-related decision-making bodies and processes, working with local women-led and women’s rights organizations, movements, and leaders to identify barriers that hinder women’s participation in leadership and come up with ways to address and dismantle the barriers and ensure the availability and accessibility of key services such as Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) prevention organisations and facilities
The event ended with a clear message from all the speakers that women and girls are imperative in the process of decision making and therefore need to be empowered by giving the leadership positions. Advocate for inclusion of women policy making processes in spite of nationality, race, linguistic, cultural, political or economic status. Women in leadership is NOT a zero sum game and it is not at the expense of men.
Prof. Judith N. Waudo, Director, Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment and KU-WEE Hub Leader, delivers her remarks during the International Women’s Day Celebrations on at KUCC Interaction Hall on 8th March 2021
Miss. Martha Nyambane, Vice Chairperson, KUSA makes her remarks at the International Women’s Day Celebrations
Participants listening to presentations during the during the International Women’s Day Celebrations on at KUCC Interaction Hall on 8th March 2021.
(Left to right) - Dr. Regina Mwatha, KU-WEE Hub, Project Leader, Prof. Caroline Thoruwa, Director, ACTIL, Prof. Judith Waudo, Director, CGEE, Prof. Grace Bunyi, Registrar, Corporate Affairs
(Back)- Dr. Mildred Nawiri, Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Miss. Martha Nyambane, Vice Chairperson, KUSA at the International Women’s Day Celebrations
Dr. Regina Mwatha, KU-WEE Hub, Project Leader, Prof. Caroline Thoruwa, Director, ACTIL, Prof. Judith Waudo, Director, CGEE, Prof. Grace Bunyi, Registrar, Corporate Affairs, with some of the attendees during the International Women’s Day Celebrations
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International Women's Day celebrations on Monday 8th March 2021 will be both virtually and phy
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i. The Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment at Kenyatta University in collaboration with Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) had a validation workshop for the “pilot intervention on co-creation of safe work environment for women staff at Kenyatta University main campus: an action research and prototype development was held virtually on 14th august, 2020. The workshop tracked a successful first phase of the Safe Work Space Initiative that involved data collection and analysis undertaken virtually between May and July 2020 at Kenyatta University Main Campus. The main purpose of the preliminary intervention was to develop a prototype of safe spaces for female university staff (professional and non-professional) in Kenyan universities using Kenyatta University (KU) to test the concept.
ii. The Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment at Kenyatta University in collaboration with Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) organized a virtual workshop for the “pilot intervention on co-creation of safe work environment for women staff at Kenyatta university main campus: an action research and prototype development” research at Kenyatta university main campus on 21st August, 2020. Workshop activities were;
a) Putting into content the SMS Short code that has been integrated into the SGBV App developed by the CGEE.
b) Orientation on the use of some SMS short code,
c) Strengthen the capacity to keep Kenyatta University safe from any Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
d) Dissemination of a digital map of unsafe spaces at KU main campus during different times of the day as shown below;
Map 1: Risky spaces during at night shown highlighted in Red
Map 2: Risky spaces during the day shown highlighted in Red
Map 3: Risky spaces during the Day and Night highlighted in Red
List of Potentially Unsafe Spaces at and around Main Campus
The following places have been identified as unsafe during different times of the day;
i. Daytime-KU market and swimming pool
ii. Nighttime- KU mall, Annex(weekends), shopping Centre, Nyayo Hostels-Annex paths, Ghana paths, railway crossing, engineering block, Kiwanja (KM), Kiamumbi path.
iii. Night & day time- forest between KU & Referral Hospital, Arboretum, Cassandra road, toilets, isolated offices, remote hostels, highway-KM path, footbridge, transport stages
What constitutes a safe workplace for women staff at universities and tertiary
institutions? - A safe workplace at universities is one in which the physical, social, psychological and spiritual health and well-being of all employees and learners are assured, irrespective of the status they hold within the institutional hierarchy. The environment of a safe workplace is nurturing, empathetic and non-threatening; in this space, all employees are treated with dignity, respect and justice.
A safe workplace provides an environment where women feel safe, and are respected and celebrated, irrespective of whether they are professional or non-professional staff, postgraduate or undergraduate student, older or younger, married or single, and regardless of their religious, ethnic affiliation, political, sexual or other affiliations. It is a place where their work is evaluated and compensated on merit, absent of social and cultural influences or imposed gender standards.
Sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in the workplace - Sexual and gender based violence against women and girls is pervasive throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Though it is considered to be a serious crime under the Sexual Offences Act 2006 of Kenya, it remains widespread in the country, acted out within the home and community and reproduced at the workplace. As the former Attorney-General of Kenya observes in the foreword to the National Crime Centre Research on Gender-based Violence in Kenya, it “is still the least talked about violation of mainly women’s human rights. It remains largely unreported or in reported instances, retracted and settled” (2014 pg. iv). Kenyan universities are no exception, making them unsafe and dangerous spaces to work and learn unless systems are put in place.
The Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment (CGEE) in collaboration with the Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) has come up with an innovation that should make reporting incidents of SGBV easier. The SGBV Reporting App, which may be used to report SGBV cases by both the victim and somebody else on behalf of her or him, is downloadable on the mobile phone. It has a built-in reporting Centre which may be accessed by pressing a Red Button on the Home Page. On pressing the button, the user will be asked to provide the following details: gender, type of incident, location, details of the incident, contact and image. This information will be stored securely and can be accessed by the Reporting Centre’s administrator for onward transmission to the relevant authorities. The mobile application available on Android Devices from Google Play via the link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ke.ac.ku.sgbv.
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INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE
The Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment in collaboration with Kenyatta University Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) club and the office of the Gender Secretary Kenyatta University Students Association (KUSA) will celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science recognized annually on 11 th February.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated to give visibility to the women scientists who have made a difference in STEM fields and to encourage young and upcoming female scientists as well as girls in secondary schools to look beyond the gender stereotypes and embrace STEM careers. This year’s theme is “Innovation and Technology in the New Era.”
The event will be held on Thursday 11 th February, 2021 at Kenyatta University- Main Campus from 1:30 –5:00 pm at the Business and Students Center (BSSC) Room 14.
The guest speaker of the day is Prof. Jane Catherine Ngila, Ag. Executive Director, the African Academy of Sciences.
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KENYATTA UNIVERSITY has received a grant from BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION to establish Women’s Economic Empowerment (KU-WEE) Hub. The KU-WEE Hub Project aims to ensure that interested parties such as relevant ministries and departments, county governments, policy leaders (legislators and policy makers) implementing agencies and donors utilize policy evidence to shape policies, programs, interventions, and advocacy efforts related to supporting women’s economic empowerment (WEE) in Kenya.
The primary outcomes envisaged to be achieved via application of the evidence generated by eleven evaluation studies are:
- Representation of women in management and leadership positions increased by 30% within the public and private sectors by 2025;
- Women participation increased by 30% in corporate governance in public and private companies by 2025;
- Proportion of women-owned and managed enterprises within the manufacturing sector increased by 30% by 2025;
- Increased exposure of transferable skills to 20% girls and women and transited to work by 2025;
- Improved exposure of 20% women and girls to apprenticeship and mentorship programs enhance their work readiness by 2025;
- Exposure of 20% girls and women to lifelong learning programs enhance their skills for economic self-empowerment by 2025;
- Sexual and gender-based violence prevalence reduced by 50% by 2025;
- At least four gender responsive policies implemented to protect women and communities against sudden adverse socio-economic shocks by 2025;
- Diversity and quality of women livelihoods (market participation and productivity) increased by 20% in at least five counties by 2025;
- A new women economic empowerment measurement index constructed and demonstrated by 2025; and
- A new gender responsive budgeting tool developed and shared with stakeholders by 2025.
Under this project, the following activities will be completed:
1. Undertake analytical studies that will involve impact evaluations in three thematic areas:
- Women’s Roles in the Public and Private Sectors;
- Skilling and Mentoring; and;
- Violence, Crisis, and Women’s Work.
2. Carry out an impact evaluation in one of the thematic areas, using Randomized Control Trials (RCT) to generate evidence on causal relationships and the effectiveness of a promising intervention to improve WEE.
3. Stakeholder engagement. National-level policy dialogues to discuss evidence and constraints, involving policymakers as well as citizens and civil society groups so that a range of informed stakeholder groups can come together to advocate for evidence-based policy making.
4. Capacity building to ensure that strong institutions and networks emerge and are available to partner with governments and others on evidence generation for WEE.
5. Advocacy and Communications strategy: The BMGF media partner will train researchers in advocacy and communications strategy in the following areas: packaging of research evidence for media; effective policy communications and advocacy; modes of communicating evidence effectively; how evidence needs to be packaged in order to be most impactful.
The following University personnel have been appointed to oversee the operation of the Hub: The Hub Board chairperson (Prof. Caroline Thoruwa), the Hub leader (Prof. Judith Waudo), Project Manager (Yet to be recruited), Advocacy and Policy Engagement Expert (Prof. Grace Wamue-Ngare), Research Coordinator (Prof. Nelson H. W. Wawire), Research Associate (Quality Control and Partnerships) (Prof. Germano Mwabu), Research Associate (Fieldwork Coordination) (Prof. Simon Onywere), Administrative and Finance Manager (Mr. James O. Onditi).Other positions yet to be filled include ICT and Communications specialist, Administrative Assistant and Accounts Assistant.
This project was officially announced and established at Kenyatta University by the Vice Chancellor on the 9th of October, 2020 and is currently housed at the Centre of Gender Equity and Empowerment.
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Director
Prof. Judith Ndombi Waudo
Director, Center for Gender Equity and Empowerment