Championing the Women's Agenda Within the "First 100 Days'

"Kenyan women have the President's ear". On 25th April 2013, about 180 people congregated at the Lillian Towers' Mawingo Hall for another installment of The Gender Forum, a monthly public forum convened by the Hbs to discuss topical national issues with a gender lens. This was the first forum since the swearing in of Kenya's fourth President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto under the Jubilee Coalition which campaigned successfully through a progressive manifesto for Kenya's transformation. In his acceptance speech, as well as his maiden speech in the Parliament, President Uhuru committed to using his term in office to create a better Kenya for all its residents and to prioritizing the advancement of women to improve their status on all fronts. To illustrate his commitment to this agenda, the President promised that in the first 100 days of his term, he would ensure that a framework was put in place to re-allocate the 6 Billion shilling budget set aside for a run-off toward a fund to support business and enterprise for women and youth. He also decreed that women in public hospitals would enjoy free maternity services and that he would adhere to the no more than two thirds rule in appointments to Cabinet and other government institutions. In demonstration of his commitment, the list of nominees to Cabinet Secretary Positions tabled by President Uhuru Kenyatta just two days prior to the forum showed that he plans to 'walk the talk'. Out of 16 nominees to Cabinet Secretary in the new lean cabinet structure of 18 ministries, 6 nominees are women all poised to hold significant portfolios. Notable is Ms. Rachel Omamo who if confirmed suitable through a multilevel vetting and approval process and appointed Cabinet Secretary for Defence, will join the ranks of Angelique Ngoma of Gabon and Lindiwe Sisulu of South Africa as one of seven women in Africa who have held the position equivalent to the Minister for Defence, two of whom held the position in acting capacity. However despite the fact that the gender ministry has been scrapped in a bid to create a new lean cabinet structure, the President reaffirmed his personal responsibility and confirmed that gender matters would be handled within his office. He called on all ministries to clearly embody gender issues in their plans and structures and report to his office on progress. With a supportive Constitution, leadership that intends to affirm women and youth, and almost 20% representation in the 11th Parliament thanks to affirmative action, could this be considered a new dawn for Kenyan women? This was the backdrop against which the Gender Forum dialogue launched itself on the topic 'Championing the women's agenda within the First 100 Days' begging the questions: What are women's 'first 100 days' priorities? How is the civil society championing a gender equality agenda with the new administration? How well are women issues positioned within the new Cabinet structure? What opportunities exist for solidarity building and collective advocacy? Kenyan women through their civil society networks and representatives have taken strides to identify priorities for women of Kenya and set key agenda for their leaders. Through documents such as the women's manifesto of the 1990s and the latest collective tool dubbed The Kenya National Women's Charter developed in 2012 through a collaborative effort of 42 national and grassroots organizations under the 'Mwamko Mpya: Uongozi Bora' initiative, women of Kenya have created a collective voice to lobby leaders into prioritizing women's issues to bring about transformative and empowering change in their lives under the 2010 Constitution. The full report is accessible from here: http://www.ke.boell.org/web/444-601.html