[PHOTOS] Uhuru launches institute to advance gender issues

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday officially unveiled the Margaret Kenyatta Institute for Gender and Social Development at the Kenya School of Government(KSG).

This was done as a part of this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations.

The plan for the Margaret Kenyatta Institute was conceived in 2013 as a collaboration between the Beyond Zero initiative and KSG.

The aim of the institute is to advance the gender and social development agenda through research, training and targeted interventions.

President Kenyatta said that Kenya's progress in gender equality has been driven by women from the grass-root level to academia and in politics. 

He has further said that Kenya has achieved gender parity in both primary and secondary school educational levels.

"Every girl child has equal opportunities as the boy child to enrol in school, remain in school and pursue a career of her choice," President Kenyatta said.

He also said that women in Kenya are shattering the leadership glass ceiling.

"A third of my cabinet has been composed by women, some in strategic portfolios including defence, lands, foreign affairs and energy," he said.

"A continuous focus on gender issues is a priority for my administration and should be so even for future administration."