Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa has highlighted the government's achievements in empowering women.
Jumwa shared Kenya’s status in empowering women and girls through partnerships, in strengthening gender-responsive economic and social policies.
In a statement shared during the 68th Commission on the Status of Women conference on Wednesday, Jumwa noted that women constitute 32 per cent of the Cabinet.
She further noted that 91 out of the 177 judges are women while 298 out of 542 magistrates are women. She pointed out that both Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice positions are held by women.
“To deal with Gender-Based Violence, the judiciary has established 11 specialised courts which have been equipped with judicial officers. The officers embody trauma-informed approaches to prioritize survivors' safety,” she said.
She added that in fulfilment of generation equality commitments, a co-finance model of a Gender Based Violence Survivors Fund with non-state actors was set in place.
"Through partnerships, $4.3 million (Sh593 million) was allocated by the Government of Finland and $0.2 million (Sh28 million) by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)," she stated.
Jumwa further noted that three women have been appointed as Advisers on Women’s Rights & National Security and the Secretary to Cabinet.
She added that the Auditor General, Controller of Budget, the Salaries and Remuneration Communication and Commission on Revenue Allocation are led by women.
She said Government budget reforms through public sector hearings provide women with an opportunity to contribute to the budget-making process.
On Climate Change, Jumwa noted that the Government launched a granular gender and climate change hot spot mapping and is developing a National Gender and Climate Change Action Plan.
According to the Ministry of Gender, 49.5 per cent of women own mobile phones which is key in promoting enterprises while commercial banks have provided tailor-made financial products for women.
The government launched the Hustler Fund and Women Enterprise Fund which is a key booster to support women's enterprises.
The fund in one year disbursed $242.6 million (Sh33 million) to 21.2 million people which helped reinvest their businesses.
The CS said female enrollment in Technical Vocational Education and Training institutions increased by 469 per cent since 2012, with approximately 7.9 million girls having been retained in schools through Sanitary Towels Programme.
