UN Women has called for urgent action to advance gender equality and strengthen protection for women and girls in Kenya during the second 2025/26 Bi-Annual Gender Sector Working Group Meeting held in Nairobi.
Speaking during the meeting, UN Women Kenya Country Representative Antonia N'Gabala-Sodonon commended the Ministry for Gender, Culture and Children Services for progress made in advancing key policy frameworks, including the National Policy on Women’s Economic Empowerment (NPWEE) and the National Care Policy, both of which have already been approved by Cabinet and submitted to Parliament for consideration.
The proposed laws seek to systematically dismantle rigid financial barriers, eliminate collateral requirements that lock women out of formal capital, and legally recognize the economic strain of unpaid domestic labour. According to the Kenya Time Use Survey Report of 2023, women spend nearly five times as much time on unpaid domestic and care work as men, highlighting disproportionate daily burden of unpaid care and domestic work borne by women and men.
The organization observed that the time-use disparities limit women’s participation in formal economic activities and called for increased multi-agency collaboration and partnership aimed at creating awareness and laying groundwork for implementation of the policies at both national and county levels.
“Gender equality is not the responsibility of one ministry, institution, or gender alone; it is a national development imperative grounded in dignity, justice, and equal opportunity for all,” said Ms Sodonon.
The meeting described the rising wave of gender-based violence including femicide cases across the country as a threat to the dignity, safety, and well-being of women and girls. UN Women acknowledged the government’s efforts, including the establishment of the Technical Working Group on Femicide, but called for stronger prevention measures, survivor-centered response systems, improved access to justice, and enhanced accountability. Also emphasized was the need to promote positive masculinity and engaging men and boys as key partners in advancing gender equality and ending violence against women.
UN Women Kenya called for immediate, coordinated action from security organs and political parties to mitigate Violence Against Women in Elections as the country gears towards general elections in 2027.
The bi-annual national gender sector working group seeks to accelerate implementation of gender equality policies, addressing the rising cases of Gender-Based Violence and femicide, and enhancing women’s economic empowerment across the country.