Gender inequality still rampant

For decades, gender equality in the country has remained elusive. The promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, was a major score for women. It recognises equality, equity, inclusiveness and non-discrimination, as among key principles in bridging the gender gap.

Despite the gains on gender equality, Kenya’s 2020 Economic Survey released by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani this week, shows women still trail men in many areas.

The survey shows that the number of women in key public decision-making positions for the period 2018 to 2019, was low compared to their male counterparts.

Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) comprised of 33.3 per cent of women in appointive decision making positions in the public service in 2019.

The percentage of women Assistant County Commissioners went up slightly from 32.1 per cent in 2018 to 32.6 per cent in 2019.

Judiciary

In contrast, women County Executive Committee Members (CECM) declined marginally from 31.9 per cent in 2018 to 31.5 per cent in 2019.  Other women public officers in appointive positions held less than 30 per cent within their positions.

In the Judiciary, the proportion of women magistrates, however, increased from 46.6 per cent in 2018 to 53.3 per cent in 2019.

For elective positions, only Members of County Assembly (MCAs) met the threshold of the one-third gender rule at 33.6 per cent in 2019. Nine counties did not, however.meet the one-third gender requirement.

“The number of women MCAs decreased from 34.2 per cent in 2018 to 33.6 per cent in 2019. Lamu and Nyamira counties had the highest percentage of women MCAs at 38.9 per cent. Nandi County had the lowest women representation in the County Assembly at 23.5 per cent followed by Marsabit County at 26.7 per cent,” reads part of the report.

The number of women Governors declined from three to two following the death of Bomet governor Dr Joyce Laboso, thus reducing their proportion to 4.3 per cent in 2019 compared to 6.4 per cent in 2018.

Parliament

The percentage of women Deputy Governors, however, increased from 14.9 per cent in 2018 to 17.4 per cent in 2019.

The percentage of the women Senators and Members of Parliament remained the same at 31.3 and 21.8 per cent, respectively in 2019 compared to 2018.

At the National Youth Service (NYS), the number of recruited service women and men between 2015 and 2019 reduced by 29.0 per cent from 17,185 in 2018 to 12,194 in 2019.

During this time, the number of service women recruited decreased by 31.9 per cent to 3,301 while that of service men declined by 27.9 per cent to 8,893 in the review period.

The survey also recognises the huge gender parity between male and female students taking engineering-related courses in universities and other institutions of higher learning.

Female students pursuing financial engineering course had the highest of the total number of students percentage (60.8 per cent) compared to other engineering courses in 2019. Manufacturing engineering course had the lowest percentage at 11.4 per cent.

“The gender gap will widen as a result of percentage of female students decreasing from 24.9 to 23.4 per cent and that of male students increasing from 75.1 per cent to 76.6 per cent from 2018/19 to 2019/20, respectively,” the survey says.

They survey’s findings corresponds with another report released in February that showed male students continue to dominate lucrative science courses in universities and colleges edging out their female counterparts.

Sciences

The report by KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr John Muraguri which was presented during International Conference on University Reforms in Nairobi last month, indicates between 2014 and 2019, male students taking engineering courses ranged between 76 and 82 per cent.

This is compared to the admission of girls in the same courses which partly rose from 18 to 24 per cent in the same period.

“The gap has been gradually decreasing from 2014, when it was 82 per cent male against 18 percent female. However, a major disparity remains of 76 percent male against 24 percent female,” the report says in part.

In relation to health sciences like medicine, nursing and pharmacy, male students the report indicated are still much ahead of their female counterparts.

On the economic survey, Treasury indicated that the government has put in place structures to ensure gender equality is attained including the National Policy on Gender and Development (2019), the National Policy on Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM, 2019), the Intergovernmental Framework for the Gender Sector (2019), Women Economic Empowerment Strategy 2019-2023 and an Action Plan for Regional Cross-border Elimination of FGM, among others.