Women Governors gathered in Machakos county last weekend for the G7 Initiative with calls for more women to venture into leadership.

The governors, led by the host Wavinya Ndeti, Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga), Susan Kihika (Nakuru), Fatuma Achani (Kwale), Cecily Mbarire (Embu) and, Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay) highlighted the significant progress made by women leaders and the impact of devolution in Kenya.

 “I am greatly excited to welcome my sister governors to experience the beauty of Machakos county and see for themselves what we have accomplished in the last two years, and the foundation we have laid for the future,” said Ndeti.

Waiguru, who also chairs the Council of Governors (CoG) stressed the initiative’s aim to encourage more women in leadership.

“We are indeed delighted to be here. The idea of the G7 is to encourage women in leadership by looking at what projects we have done at various county levels and what can actually be done,” said Waiguru.

“We are here to encourage women in leadership, to support those who are already elected, and to inspire others to step forward,” she said.

Exceptional leadership

 She said that their goal is to demonstrate that women exemplify exceptional leadership, and to encourage both men and women to recognize the value of female leaders.

Looking forward, Waiguru expressed the group’s ambition to increase their numbers, setting a bold goal of increasing female representation in county governments. They aim to grow from the current seven women governors to at least 24 by the 2027 elections.

“We hope to start by encouraging our male counterparts who are running for a second term to consider supporting female candidates. If there is a woman running in your county, support her. If not, consider backing a woman leader in another capacity,” urged Waiguru.

They asked Machakos leaders to support Governor Ndeti in her development agenda. The governors said political goodwill from leaders was critical for any governor to achieve her vision.

They praised Ndeti as a visionary leader who is fit to ascend to a higher office.

The governors said Machakos County had risen above the challenges facing devolution and accomplished a lot in the last two years.

Target youth

They singled out the Machakos Youth Service which Ndeti says will target youth on the street.

“Ms Ndeti has done a lot in the last two years even though she took over the reins when counties were not receiving a lot of money. You need to support her to complete her 10 years,” Wanga said.

They also hailed Ndeti for initiating Machakos Youth Service, a programme tailored to uplifting the youth from the poverty.

 Ms Ndeti’s administration this recently concluded public participation on a law meant to anchor Machakos Youth Service as it put final touches on the programme which seeks to empower young people by providing them with training and entrepreneurship opportunities.

“Among the programmes which I have found innovative and the one which I’ll replicate in Nakuru is the Machakos Youth Service. It is a game changer,” said Kihika.

Waiguru disclosed that the G7 aimed to encourage women in leadership by uniting those already elected, coming together, visiting one another and benchmarking on development projects already implemented by colleagues.

The governors who were in the county for two days visited several development projects being undertaken by the county government.

Ndeti praised her G-7 colleagues for their unity and commitment saying that the caucus has created a platform, where experiences and leaders benchmark on good practices.

The forum was also attended by Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and former Kitui governor Charity Ngilu who praised the G-7 caucus for their unity and efforts to bring change in counties. Kalonzo called on Kenyans to unite and join Gen-Z’s struggle to bring change in the country in leadership to end corruption.

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