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More women are currently serving in the military, judiciary and peacebuilding and conflict-resolution committees.

There is also a significant drop in the prevalence of FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), child marriages, teenage pregnancies and new HIV infections among adolescents and young adults in Kenya.

The Ministry of Gender, Culture, the Arts, and Heritage yesterday said the government has also established affirmative action funds, enabling women to access funds for start-ups or to grow their business ventures without burdensome conditions.

“Kenyan women’s share in public procurement is rising, with tenders awarded to women increasing from Sh15.54 billion in the 2018/2019 Financial Year to Sh24.87 billion in the 2022/23 Financial Year,” the ministry said.

The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and also the acting CS for Gender, Arts and Culture Musalia Mudavadi said women now make up 54 per cent of magistrates and 51 per cent of judges in Kenya’s judiciary, achieving near-parity in the corridors of justice.

“Kenyan women hold high leadership roles. The Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice, and the Attorney General are women, marking a historic representation,” he said.

The largest share

The PCS also observed that women’s recruitment in the military also rose, from 5 per cent in 2017 to 19 per cent in 2024.

As of August 2023, Kenyan women entrepreneurs constituted the largest share of registrants on the 50 million Africa Women Speak online platform.

Mudavadi also explained that the government had engaged the Samburu and Pokot to end FGM, adding that the Sabaot Supreme Council of Elders also prepared and signed their own Declaration against FGM and child marriage.

The prevalence of FGM and child marriages has dropped from 38 per cent in 1998 to 15 per cent in 2022.

As part of the measures to improve school attendance and retention rates, over 2.2 million girls received free sanitary towels in the last financial year.

“Teenage pregnancy has decreased to 15 per cent in 2022 from 18 per cent in 2014, supporting girls’ health and educational pursuits. Equally, over 12.5 million girls have benefited from the sanitary towels programme since its inception in 2011,” the ministry said.

Healthy gains

The PCS also said Kenya has achieved near gender parity in enrolment across all education levels.

The Gender Parity Index is at 1.05 in pre-primary, 0.97 in primary, and over 1.05 in secondary levels.

Maternal health in Kenya has also greatly improved, with skilled birth attendance rising from 41 percent in 2003 to 89 percent in 2024.

The women have also continuously been integrated into peacebuilding and conflict-resolution initiatives, with the number of women in county peace committees rising from 14 per cent in 2017 to 35 per cent in 2024.

Equally, elected women hold 15 per cent of county leadership positions and over 31 per cent (both elected and nominated) of Senate seats, reflecting growing political representation.

“Women’s presence in corporate boardrooms has risen from 21 per cent in 2017 to 36 per cent in 2024, surpassing the global average of 23 per cent,” Mudavadi added.

He added that 92 per cent of public institutions now comply with Kenya’s two-thirds gender principle.

Kenya has demonstrated a proactive response to technology-facilitated Gender Based Violence (GBV) that continues to disproportionately affect women through the amendment of the Evidence Act in 2021 to allow for the admissibility of digital evidence such as screenshots.