The President’s Advisor on Women Rights, Chiggai Harriette, in conjunction with the private sector and development partners, launched the Kenya2Equal Project, a bold collaborative effort to create gender-inclusive workplaces.
The hashtag#Kenya2Equal Project led by IFC Africa and the Federation of Kenya Employers aims to compel businesses to adopt and implement initiatives that attract, retain, and promote women in the workforce.
In her keynote address during the launch, Chiggai Harriette noted with dismay that women in Kenya continue to face discriminatory barriers that prevent them from ascending to top managerial and business leadership positions.
This is despite the fact that women make up a significant proportion of Kenya’s population and its general workforce. They represent 49.7 percent of the total Kenya labor force, with 37 percent of them in formal employment. Only one-third of women occupy leadership positions across all sectors.
Dismantling these barriers, she said, requires a multifaceted approach by all stakeholders for a lasting, sustainable solution. This will enable women to confidently scale the corporate ladder and compete favourably with men for Board Chair positions, Chief Executive Officer positions, and any other managerial leadership posts.
The Advisor said the Government is committed to the adoption of gender supportive workplaces. She called on Businesses to embrace inclusive environments like offering flexible work arrangements, robust parental leave policies, and actively dismantle unconscious bias in hiring and promotion practices.
She cited lack of family friendly workplace policies such as childcare crèches, parental leave, or flex work as major hinderances that limit women’s professional aspirations and narrow leadership paths. Other challenges are lack of access to peer-to-peer networks; and lack of sex-disaggregated data to help quantify the gender gap so it can be addressed.
During the function sponsored by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), it was announced that some 80 companies have committed to implement the Project within their workplaces.
The persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership is not just about statistics. This imbalance translates to missed opportunity. It is wasted talent, stifled innovation and impedes Kenya’s economic progress.
Present during the function were, among others, Ms Mary Porter Peschka, the Regional Director, Eastern Africa IFC; Mrs Jacqueline Mugo, Executive Director and CEO of FKE; Ms Anne Muraya, CEO Deloitte East Africa; and Ms Gloria Ndekei, Executive Director, KEPSA Foundation.