Kenya’s Council of Governors Women Caucus launches G7 Strategy in New York

The Kenya Council of Governors' Women Caucus has launched a G7 strategy chapter in New York on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

The chapter, whose aim varies from socio-economic to political, was launched in the presence of the elected governors in the country.

"The strategy, which had earlier been launched in Kenya, brings together the seven elected women governors with the aim of working together to deliver the promise of devolution through its socio-economic development, political strategy, good governance, accountability and access to justice, and institutional strengthening pillars.

"This will increase their chances of re-election and improve the opportunity to elect more women governors past the two-thirds constitutional gender threshold," the statement confirming the launch said.

The other aim of the New York chapter is to mobilize various partners to support the strategy's implementation.

Recommendations

Among the recommendations is the sustainable implementation of the strategy, some of which include the need to develop a mentorship program to support women leaders at the grassroots level, the establishment of a strong communication and branding strategy, and the identification of potential and able women leaders to be trained to take up leadership positions.

There was also a recommendation for the strengthening of women’s organizations to support the actualization of the G7 strategy.

The G7 strategy will also hope to guide the current women governors in remaining relevant and responsive to the needs of the community and providing clarity and priorities for intervention, according to the pioneers.

The Caucus hopes that the current women governors will serve as a springboard for other aspiring women leaders and that there is a need to widen women’s representation in Parliament.

The caucus was led by Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, who is the first woman to be re-elected for the top county position.

Waiguru and her counterparts hope that their caucus will expand and assume the G7 approach, which takes the form of a Pan-African movement, in order to inspire other countries with similar governance systems to strengthen women’s political participation and representation.

"The G7 Strategy’s vision is to model women governors as transformative leaders and champions of inclusive political representation and participation," the Caucus' statement added.

Susan Kihika of Nakuru, Machakos' Wavinya Ndeti, Cecily Mbarire of Embu, and Homa Bay's Gladys Wanga were the governors present in New York for the launch.

Raila Odinga's spouse, Idah Odinga, and other female leaders drawn from other African countries were also in attendance.

Under the 2010 Constitution, women's representation in Parliament has increased, as currently there are a total of 21 female senators in the 67-member House. Three were elected, and 18 were nominated by various political parties.

In the National Assembly, out of the 349 seats, 80 are occupied by women. A total of 29 women were elected from the 290 constituencies, and the other 47 were elected as Woman Representatives. Four were nominated.