Senior women leaders from Kenya's public and private sectors have committed to strengthening collaboration to expand women's representation in leadership, following a high-level executive roundtable convened by UN Women Kenya in Nairobi.
The closed-door meeting, held under the theme Advancing Women's Leadership in Kenya, brought together chief executive officers, senior government officials, board leaders and executives to discuss practical strategies for increasing women's participation in decision-making and addressing barriers that continue to limit leadership opportunities.
The dialogue focused on strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors, with participants calling for coordinated efforts to build leadership pipelines, promote mentorship and sponsorship, and create institutional pathways that enable more women to attain senior leadership positions.
Kenya has made notable progress in advancing gender equality through constitutional reforms and policy initiatives. However, women remain underrepresented in top leadership roles.
According to the 2024 Kenya Institute of Management Board Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report, women account for 32.3 per cent of chief executive officers and managing directors, 35 per cent of board members, and 21.3 per cent of board chairpersons.
Opening the forum, Antonia N'Gabala-Sodonon said accelerating women's leadership requires stronger partnerships that can influence institutions across both the public and private sectors, rather than isolated interventions.
The roundtable also featured reflections from Gilda Odera and Rita Kavashe, who shared experiences of leading within Kenya's public and corporate institutions and highlighted the importance of creating supportive environments for future generations of women leaders.
A key outcome of the meeting was a shared commitment to explore the establishment of a UN Women-led Women Leaders Alliance.
The proposed platform will bring together influential women leaders across sectors to promote peer learning, advocacy, mentorship and collective action aimed at accelerating gender equality in leadership.
The initiative forms part of UN Women's broader efforts to advance women's leadership as a driver of inclusive governance, sustainable economic growth and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5.
UN Women said the convening marks an important step towards building stronger partnerships capable of transforming Kenya's leadership landscape and creating equal opportunities for more women to lead across business, government and other sectors.
