- Waiguru says the 2022 general election saw seven women being elected as governors, marking a new dawn in women leadership.
- She said the county chiefs are ready to learn and do their part in empowering the electorate.
Image: HANDOUT
The Council of Governors is committed to the empowerment of women and girls, Governor Anne Waiguru has said.
Waiguru said governors will also promote gender mainstreaming and social inclusion at all levels.
The Council of Governors chairperson spoke on Monday during a meet and greet forum that brought together elected women governors and development partners.
She said the county chiefs are ready to learn and do their part in empowering the electorate.
Waiguru, who is serving her second term as Kirinyaga governor termed the forum as a timely opportunity for county chiefs to learn, network and share experiences that will enable them execute their mandate better.
“Fundamentally, this is a platform for women governors and partners to interact and forge working relationships for sustainable impact moving forward,” she said.
The governor said even though there has been underrepresentation of women in the Council of Governors, the 2022 general election saw seven women being elected as governors, marking a new dawn in women leadership.
She said the vote was a clear indication of the electorates’ growing confidence in women’s ability to lead.
Waiguru said a recent assessment of the Impact of Devolution on Women and Girls carried out the by the council with support from UN Women established that county governments have taken great strides to enhance service delivery with respect to women.
However, the CoG chair said there are still considerable gaps in as far as gender mainstreaming is concerned.
She said this calls for concerted efforts between the governors and partners in order to advance the gender agenda and realise a society where everyone enjoys equal benefits.
The governor called for gender-responsive planning and budgeting saying the role of gender in the national development discourse and particularly development in Kenya cannot be opposed.
She said the constitution places great emphasis on equality and participation of women, girls and boys in the country’s development agenda.
Waiguru said the Constitution envisages a society where women and men participate equally and competitively in national development affairs.
She said governments must, therefore, explicitly consider potential gender impacts when designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating budget policies.
The county chief said Kirinyaga has gained immensely from strong development partnerships, enabling her administration to carry out gender responsive programmes and projects.
The projects include markets, a day care centre for mothers working in Kaitheri Apparel Factory as well and laying of cabro parking and spaces in major towns across the county, through the Kenya Urban Support Programme.
“Partnerships are key to achieving sustainable development. Our future endeavours will be defined by collaborations,” Waiguru said
"We ask the partners present here today to hold our hands as we seek to actualise the visions that we hold for our counties and our nation.”
Waiguru further highlighted areas of focus around which such collaborations can be formed.
She asked partners to invest in development of health infrastructure, equipment and systems.
Also, promotion of aggregation and value addition of agricultural produce as well of provision of smart subsidies, to cushion small holder farmers from high cost of inputs such as seed and fertiliser.
The governor also asked for capacity building of all county officers responsible for planning and finance on the importance of gender mainstreaming in planning, implementation and monitoring of results.
She also sought partnerships in youth and women empowerment through mentorship programmes, establishment of gender-based violence and recovery centres within the county referral hospitals as well as youth innovation centres.
Waiguru said there should also be collaboration in improvement of access to safe water and sanitation as well as support in climate change interventions at the counties.
All the seven female elected governors, the US, British, Denmark, EU, Swedish and German ambassadors, as well as representatives from various development partners including UNDP, the World Bank, UN Women and UNFPA were in attendance.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)