First Lady Rachel Ruto led celebrations of the International Women’s Day in Migori County’s Sori beach on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

In her statement, Mama Rachel said that the government remains committed to supporting women’s enterprises, especially in the blue economy in the region.

“Women drive Kenya’s small and medium enterprise sector, creating jobs, feeding our communities, and providing a social network for households,” she said.

“I celebrated International Women’s Day with the women from the Sori Beach, Nyatike Constituency fishing community. The Government is committed to supporting the blue economy sector to create more opportunities for women.”

This comes after President William Ruto equally sent out his message to women in the country, assuring them of the state’s support of their course.

Call for empowerment

“On this day, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering women and girls; not just as a matter of equality and justice, but as a driving force of a stronger, more inclusive and prosperous society,” Ruto said.

“We remain resolute in our quest to breaking barriers, expanding opportunities and fostering an environment where every woman and girl can thrive, live and realise their full potential.”

“To the women shaping strong families behind the scenes, to the entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers driving our economy forward, and to the leaders in politics and community service guiding us into the future, your courage, zeal and vision inspire us all today and always.”

Development tour

Mama Rachel completed her tour of Migori County after launching a series of projects including a national school’s milk pilot programme targeting 11 schools in the County.

“Many of us still have fond memories of the Nyayo Milk Program, initiated by the Government in 1979. This program ensured that millions of children across Kenya had access to milk as a source of nutrition and an incentive for learning,” Rachel said during the launch of the programme in Bondo Kosiemo in Nyatike constituency.

“Today in Migori County, we launched the pilot phase of the School Milk Program, targeting our primary school learners as part of the Feed One End Hunger Initiative. Learners in 11 schools in 5 counties will enjoy a full year’s milk supply twice weekly. We urge our members of parliament to allocate sufficient funds for school meals, including a national school milk program.

The first lady took her tour to Homa Bay County where she made her first stop at the Tom Mboya University.