State committed to protecting women's interests, rights - Chiggai

The President’s Adviser on Women’s Rights Harriette Chiggai has affirmed the government’s commitment to continue safeguarding women’s rights and interests.

Speaking at Alliance Francaise in Nairobi, she noted that the government takes pride in its achievements, to date, but said a lot still needs to be done.

Chiggai said the government has put in place structures to provide quick and affordable credit and ensure that financial barriers do not hinder the entrepreneurial spirit of women.

“The Hustler Fund was created to ring-fence resources for advancing financial independence and entrepreneurial endeavours,” she said.

“Through active engagement in counties, we are getting to the core of how the Hustler Fund is serving our women, and identifying any barriers they face.”

Chiggai also noted that the government has strengthened the Women Enterprise Fund by digitizing the process and reducing middlemen in access to these funds.

“The National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) on the other hand has been increased to Sh 2.9 billion,” she said.

During the International Women’s Day celebrations, President Ruto promised to improve women’s funding by effecting changes to the Women Enterprise Fund.

This, Ruto said, is in a bid to support the women who have been particularly active in the uptake of development funds.

“We have disbursed Sh942 million to 1.4 million women who are members of 53,000 women groups and are already accessing affordable financial facilities through the women's fund,” Ruto said.

The President additionally directed CS Aisha Jumwa, who oversees the fund, to implement three changes aimed at enhancing its impact and prioritising women's needs.

Ruto also pledged to remove the requirement for collateral when borrowing from the Women Enterprise Fund and to further lower the interest rates to six per cent.

The President’s advisor further noted that the government has signalled its commitment to the World Economic Forum to establish the first Gender Parity Accelerator in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“This initiative goes beyond parity. It will be a launchpad for women-owned Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), therefore positioning Kenya as a beacon for gender equality in entrepreneurship and a key anchor to the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda Plan,” she said.

Unveiled late last year, Chiggai said that the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Finance series presents a cornerstone to their commitment to financially empower Kenyan women.

She added that it equips women with financial tools and fosters a culture of entrepreneurship, enabling them to turn their ideas into businesses and shape their own destinies.

Chiggai reiterated the Kenya Kwanza administration’s efforts to lay infrastructure and foundations for greater involvement of women in all spheres.

This is geared towards amplifying their role in business investments, particularly in light of the immense opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“All these are being done because we believe that when women are economically empowered. We begin the process of ending harmful traditional practices like FGM, Child marriage and GBV as a whole,” she said.

“I am cognizant of the emerging forms of violations against women like Technologically facilitated Gender-Based Violence.”

“This means we have to invest to accelerate progress in ending all forms of violence against women and children. We must keep all women and children safe in all spaces including in the sports arena.”

The President’s adviser stated that the government has been at the forefront in acknowledging and recognizing the unpaid care work that women do as caregivers and its contribution to the GDP.

She noted that Kenya is one of the first countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to conduct a time-use survey that gives data on unpaid domestic work.

“The next step will be to quantify this contribution into the national accounts. It is time that we as a nation recognize d the undocumented work that Kenyan women employed and unemployed contribute to this economy,” Chiggai said.

On his part, France's ambassador to Kenya and Somalia Arnaud Suquet noted that Kenya is expanding its space to give more opportunities to women as was evident in President Ruto’s agenda.

“As the world celebrates women, France is at the forefront of promoting feminist diplomacy. Advocating for the economic empowerment of women helps them unlock their full potential in leadership roles,” he said.