Kenya has been ranked number 13 in Africa in bridging the gender equality gap.
National Gender and Equality Commission chairperson, Joyce Mutinda said that the World Economic Forum Global Gender Report 2021 ranked Kenya at position 95 globally.
Mutinda said that this was an indication that women’s rights were not being upheld.
“If those are the numbers we have been ranked at, the rights of women have been violated by and large and therefore we need to do something to close that gender gap,” she Tuesday.
She was speaking during the high-level induction workshop of commissioners of nine National Human Rights Institutions in Africa in Nairobi on Tuesday.
She said that there is a need to close the gender gap in most African countries.
“There are less than five independent organizations set up by the government to take care of special interest groups in different countries in Africa because the state department, executive, and the ministries have taken that role,” she said.
She added that there is a need to have these independent institutions call out the state and the non-state actors and fight for children, youths, women, and older members of the society.
Mutinda said that it is important to unite especially when the country is approaching the August polls, and Kenya has a history of election violence where women are violated because they are vulnerable.
The World Economic Forum Global Gender Report 2021 ranked Namibia as the leading African country in bridging the gender gap and was ranked number six globally.
It was followed by Rwanda in second place and seventh globally, South Africa was third and 18th in the world.
Burundi was fourth and 26th globally, Zimbabwe was fifth in Africa and 47th in the world, followed by Zambia, sixth in Africa and 56th in the world.
“Madagascar was ranked seventh and 57th globally, Uganda was eighth and 66 globally. Cape Verde came in at ninth and 68 globally followed by Botswana at number 10 in Africa and 71 worldwide,” she said.
Tanzania was number 11 in Africa and 82 worldwide and Lesotho at number 12 in Africa and 92 globally.
Mutinda urged Kenyans to fight to achieve the 50/50 gender rule.
“In Rwanda when a chairperson is a man, the deputy is a lady. If this kind of thing is happening it is a challenge for other countries to implement it,” she said.
