REPUBLIC OF KENYA

THE PRESIDENCY
MINISTRY OF DEVOLUTION AND PLANNING

PUBLIC LECTURE DELIVERED BY ANNE WAIGURU OGW,

THE CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF DEVOLUTION AND
PLANNING,
AT
SMITH
COLLEGE
NORTHAMPTON,
TH
MASSACHUSETTS ON 12 MARCH, 2015

DELIVERING

WOMENS

EMPOWERMENT

THROUGH

WOMENS LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORTIVE INSTITUTIONS

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honored to address this distinguished fraternity here at the
Smith College. Indeed, this is an institution of prestige, honor and
distinct reputation, evidenced by the notable alumni who were
educated here. As the Cabinet Secretary responsible for Gender
Affairs in Kenya, it is encouraging to see an institution dedicated
to providing cutting edge education to women who hold great

potential in playing a crucial part in building and transforming

society positively. Investing in womens education is central to the
women

empowerment

agenda,

and

the

overall

human

development agenda.

Today, I have been asked to speak about women and leadership in

the context of devolution. This is perhaps because the university
is aware, that my Ministrys portfolio covers both gender and
devolution, or perhaps this is a subject that has been eliciting
some due consideration within the academic and practitioners
minds.

However,

though

the

whole

question

of

womens

participation in local governance is an interesting subject, I will

give my lecture a slightly different spin. I want to take us on a
journey, a journey of understanding how womens leadership can
transform the bottom line, how womens leadership, can shape
the destiny of a generation of women and men, and transform
totally what we consider as social constructs that limit, the way
men and women interact with each other and with their natural
and man-made environment. The question that has occupied our
minds again and again, is - does womens leadership alter the
types and quality of decisions made at the decision making table,
and do these decisions make a difference to the bottom line? In
other words, how does womens leadership at different levels
move us beyond just the numbers towards the empowerment of
women?

In this regard, I would like to make three submissions today:

One, that when women take up positions of leadership, they
transform the well-being and opportunities for women and society
at large.
Two, I also want to submit that the institutional structures and
processes that produce empowerment of women must be in place
in order to create an enabling environment for women to become
empowered.
Three, I will illustrate these points by referencing Kenya as a case
study of the empowerment of women.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I will therefore begin my lecture from the premise that indeed,
womens leadership does have an impact in terms of transforming
the well-being and opportunities of women.
Women have a perspective that is not only useful for advancing
the position of women more generally, but also advancing the
society at large. It is this advantage that we need to tap into and
harness to ensure that we promote the empowerment of women,
and in the global scale, human development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Consider certain key philosophical standpoints on empowerment.
As early as the 1970s, the link between power and poverty was
made by dependency theorists like Walter Rodney. The centreperiphery debate argued that individuals, structures, systems
and nations that had power, used their power to perpetuate a
state of underdevelopment for those they had power over. This
was the whole theory around Rodneys famous work on How
Europe Underdeveloped Africa. This in a sense resembles the
notion of the first mover advantage that we see in business,
playing out in political power and how it translates into social and
economic power. The breaking away from this power shackles, is
embodied

in

the

concept

of

empowerment.

What

was

happening amongst states, is also mirrored at the micro/individual

level in the power relations between men and women.

The second theory, I shall refer to was one advanced, from the
1990s, as the alternative development model began to take root,
in which the concept of empowerment became an important
framing lens to describe various states of individual, group,
institutional and community change.

The concept of individual empowerment, though not easily

defined, manifests itself in reality as both internal and external
change. Theorists have introduced two distinct, but interrelated
types of individual empowerment psychological empowerment
and political empowerment. Gruber and Trickett (1987) define
psychological empowerment as happening at the level of
individual consciousness and feelings. The focus here is on
internal resources such as self-awareness, self-efficacy and the
internal locus of control; while political empowerment they
defined as change at a personal level that enables an individual
to participate in decision-making that affects their life.

Another level of empowerment is the economic empowerment,

which entails a capacity to access resources and utilize these
resources to create wealth. This asset accumulation is thus
assumed to generate streams of income that create sustenance
of the decision making unit i.e. the household or family.

To these allow me to introduce another level of empowerment,

which

will

call

the

the

integrated/all-round

Empowerment. This is the empowerment that combines both

the power to make decisions, implement the decisions and is
supported by an internal environment that believes change is

possible. The latter is what can be described as an internal

locus of control, the I-can-do-it attitude. I must say here, that
this latter element may be one of the single most important
ingredients that we need to cultivate in women from when they
are little girls.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

So what are the institutional, structures and processes
that produce empowerment of women? These institutions
could be political, social or economic. The architecture of these
institutions and institutional frameworks is critical in determining
the path, type and duration that empowerment will take.
For institutions to deliver empowerment, they must possess the
following characteristics:
i.

Institutions must be cognizant of the gender disparities. The

acceptance that there is a problem that needs to be made
right is the first step towards addressing a problem.
Institutions

will

not

be

able

to

deliver

womens

empowerment if they are blind to the differentials between

ii.

men and women.

Institutions must promote inclusivity. Exclusion of either
gender perpetuates an anti-thesis of empowerment. Women
are not empowered through the exclusion of men, they are

empowered through a mainstreaming approach, including

iii.

them alongside men.

Institutions must be dynamic. Change is the one constant
factor in life. People and systems are forever changing.
Institutions should be flexible enough to be responsive when
such changes take place. Policies and institutions should
therefore be living beings that are constantly morphing with

iv.

the times.
Institutions that promote empowerment are those that
empower the mind, allowing free thinking, creativity and
innovation. Senge (2006) suggests that institutions must be
cognizant that the ability to change is directly proportional to
ones ability to learn or empower oneself.

As mentioned

earlier, the inner belief of empowerment and the willingness

v.

to change is half the battle won on empowerment.

For institutions to produce empowerment there is need to
put money where the mouth is. Without financial investment
in empowerment, it is a logical fallacy to expect to produce
empowerment.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to now illustrate how Kenya has exemplified
these characteristics that I have referred to.
The Kenya government has decided to pursue an empowerment
stance with regard to women and youth. This is the policy thrust
that is informing all government policies and programmes aimed

at addressing gender inequality. We are moving beyond just the

numbers, aware, that having crossed the debate on numbers, and
got these securely provided for in the Constitution, the next step
was to move beyond this into the realm of results that impact the
lives of women. It is about seeing a reduction in the number of
cases of gender based violence; it is about having women own
land and other factors of production; it is about having womens
care work recognized and valued in economic terms thus giving it
significance; it is about women having a say in family decisions; it
is about government investing in services that will reduce the
opportunity cost that women bear, as they go about their multiple
roles. This is what true empowerment is about, it is about a baby
girl born today, having the guaranteed knowledge that she has
the very same opportunity as a baby boy to get quality
healthcare, education, and access to opportunities for economic,
social and political actualization.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On the first characteristic, the realization that gender disparities
affect and manifest in development is the first step towards
promoting

empowerment.

As

government,

our

national

development blue print, the Vision 2030, and the implementation

framework, the Medium Term Plan recognizes this fact. Vision
2030 calls for mainstreaming of gender equity in all aspects of
society. It further states that gender equity will be addressed by
making

fundamental

changes

in

four

key

areas,

namely:

opportunity; empowerment; capabilities; and vulnerabilities.

It

therefore

proposes

policies

and

programmes

aimed

at

redressing this situation. It is the policy thrust and programmes

provided for in this framework that my Ministry is rolling out.

Our institutions are therefore demonstrating that they are

cognizant of the problem!

Secondly, inclusion is the first step to equality and empowerment.

In Kenya we are committed to bringing more women along
economically and politically. In 2010 Kenya ushered in a new era
with a progressive Constitution that was decades in the making.
The Constitution of Kenya 2010 explicitly recognizes the equality
of men and women and their right to equal treatment, including
the right to equal opportunities in political, economic, cultural and
social spheres (Article 27 (3). Gender inclusion is also recognized
as a fundamental principle of our electoral system and the
Constitution requires the State to implement legislative and
other measures to implement the principle that not more than
2/3rds of the members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of
the same gender.

The first Cabinet of the current President, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta has
the highest percentage of women in Kenyas history, out of 18
Ministries, 6 are headed by women. The portfolios they have been

entrusted with are significant, including Ministry of Defense,

Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development; Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Ministry of East Africa
Community and Tourism; Ministry of Environment, Water and
Natural Resources; and Ministry of Devolution and Planning. In
terms of womens political participation, today, women in
Parliament form 25% of elected representatives, up from 9.9% in
2007, a significant improvement achieved within one election
cycle. This was mainly possible because of the affirmative action
seats created for women, in the form of County Women
Representatives in Parliament, resulting in guaranteed 47 women
representatives for the 47 counties and an additional 16 seats
provided for in the Senate, where women were nominated by their
respective parties.
In addition devolution, brought with it expanded opportunities for
women. Let me at this juncture, clarify what devolution means in
the Kenyan context in general and how it is one of the drivers for
womens empowerment. Admittedly, devolution is not necessarily
a new concept in political governance. However, Kenya has
created a bespoke model of devolution to respond to our unique
needs and one that is aimed at spurring growth across the
country by taking decision making on governance closer to the
people, thus allowing development to be better targeted for
communities. Under this dispensation, the country has a two tier
structure comprising of a National Government as well as 47
devolved units or Counties both of which are intricately

connected through the principles of mutual interdependence and

cooperation. All the 47 counties have their own county assemblies
that legislate at the county level. The county assemblies have at
least 30% representation of women, due to a Constitutional
affirmative action requirement that ensured where an election did
not yield 30%, women were nominated by their respective
parties, to top up the gender deficit in order to meet the
constitutional threshold for constituting the County Assembly.
Devolution in our context is also the avenue for citizen
participation.

As a matter of fact, the Constitution explicitly

requires that before any law is passed either by Parliament or by

the County Assemblies, adequate consultations are made with the
citizenry to allow for their participation and determination of their
destiny.
So in terms of inclusion, we can confidently say, women
numbers at the decision making table are increasing.
The third and fourth characteristics, are evidenced by the fact of
the critical questions that was asked when the Jubilee government
came into power following the 2013 elections. It was evident that,
there was the need to change with the changing times, to move
from business as usual to business unusual with regard to gender
equality and womens empowerment. Of importance was the
realization that we needed to do things differently to make the
much needed leap towards gender equality. How could we do this
differently we asked? It was through this introspection that we re-

structured our gender policy and programming framework and

implemented a mainstreaming approach. We did this first by
deploying officers to every Ministry. These officers are responsible
for applying a gender lens to every policy and programme
implemented within their ministry, using the gender management
systems approach. In doing this we have seen some very
interesting results in Ministries such as Defense, that now have
programmes targeting women amongst others.
Our institutions have therefore demonstrated that they
have

the

elasticity

to

accommodate

innovation

and

dynamism

Fifth, it is now widely accepted that investing in women is

investing in a community. As a government, through the
leadership of H.E the President, there is a deliberate decision to
invest in women, by putting money in the hands of women, to
help them expand their economic opportunities. In 2013 H.E.
President Uhuru Kenyatta directed that, the National Treasury
issued regulations that provided that at least 30% of all public
procurement shall be reserved for enterprises owned by women,
youth,

and

Persons

With

Disabilities.

The

Preference

and

Reservation Regulations provide a unique opportunity for women

to access the single largest consumer of goods and services in
Kenya: the Kenya Government. This translates to giving this
category of people access to USD2.1 Billion worth of business

every year. The use of supplier diversity on this scale by a

government to economically empower women, youth and PWDs is
unprecedented. With these new Regulations Kenya is making a
bold bet on women. We are expanding the scope of their
economic opportunities and engagement. We know if we can
harness our competitive advantage, our youth and our previously
underutilized human resources and talents (women) we can
accelerate economic development and create sustainable growth.

Through this policy direction, we have in a sense closed the loop,

in terms of womens economic empowerment. Women are the
majority in small and micro-enterprises. Aware of this fact and
cognizant of the reality that small and micro enterprises face
challenges with regard to access to financial services, the
Government established various funds aimed at deepening
financial access for women and youth. These include the Womens
Enterprise Fund, Youth Enterprise Development Fund, and the
Uwezo (Ability) Fund. Together these funds have disbursed
USD240Million since their inception. This money helps women
establish formalize, and scale their businesses and makes
capacity building opportunities for business establishment and
development possible. Now government is providing them with
market access by buying from them, thus resolving one of the
biggest challenges of small enterprises Access to Market.

Women are a competitive advantage for sustainable economic

growth. The Global Gender Gap Report lists Kenya as 9 th overall in
Economic Participation and Opportunity. When we imagine what
we have been able to accomplish this tells us that womens
economic empowerment is a big part of the Kenya rising story.
What more can we accomplish and how much faster can we do it
if we harness womens energies, talents in economic and
leadership pursuits? We plan to find out.
Our institutions are evidently putting money in the women
empowerment agenda.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

So what have we learned through the implementation of
these policies and programmes?

i.

Women, at the table, impact on the decisions at the table

One of the key reasons why the decision on the 30%
preferential provisions on procurement as adopted speedily
is because women, in Cabinet championed and rallied
around this proposal. As the Minister responsible for gender,
and as a woman, I have been able to constantly push the
envelope even further, designing programmes aimed at
training not only the beneficiaries, but also the procurement

officers within government, who were expected to offer the

ii.

greatest resistance.
Womens influence, need not only be at the decision making
table As women, we have to recognize that we have to
begin somewhere. The push towards our very progressive
Constitution with regard to gender equality and womens
empowerment required a multi-faceted strategy, involving
women applying their lobbying skills, leveraging advantages
they had over their male peers, and pushing from every
direction. The Constitution was passed through, the effort of
women who may not have been at the table, but were in

iii.

every space constantly drumming up support for it.

Womens leadership should also be about building alliances
across the divide with like-minded male counterparts We
have to win over the other half of the population. Some of
the achievements we have been able to record have been as
a result of the commitment by H.E the President to the
empowerment of women, he is the biggest champion of this
agenda, and it is because of this high level political will from

iv.

a male leader, that we move forward and move faster.

Women, leaders need to inspire the next generation of
women leaders As I mentioned earlier, one of the greatest
ingredients that will influence the quality of womens
leadership, is the - internal locus of control. Women
identifying that they have it within them to create the
change they want to see. This conviction is made deeper, by
looking up and seeing the transformation being effected by

those ahead of us. When women succeed in bringing about

transformation, it inspires the next generation of women to
do just the same, and the cycle continues. Successful
womens leadership is thus not an option, it is an imperative.
A lot of my passion, drive and inspiration stems from women
who blazed the trail before me such as Nobel Laureate
Wangari Maathai, who against tremendous odds, succeeded
in creating a difference in her sphere of influence and
beyond..

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I conclude, let me say that indeed, women are playing a bigger
role at the decision making table in Kenya. This is not to imply
there are no challenges, we continue to struggle, as you do in the
United States, with getting more women elected into office and
realizing the critical mass in political leadership, executive and
legislative, that will usher in a new dawn for women. Ultimately,
leaders, be they male or female are judged by the results on one
hand and for the impact their leadership has on society. It seems
to me that the solution may lie in the multiplicity of spaces that
are opened up

for womens leadership in all sectors and

disciplines including political leadership, trade and businesses,

education, media and in other social-cultural arena.
In Kenya we are realizing the positive developmental impact of
greater economic empowerment and that, we believe, is an

opportunity to realize greater womens empowerment and attain

gender equality. We need to do whatever it takes to win over and
bring along as many men and women as possible and however
they come around whether it is due to their belief in fairness and
equality or from the sustained economic advantages of including
women, our ultimate goal, from which we shall not be deterred is
gender equality.
However, at the global level, I want to encourage a strategic
impatience in terms of our journey to gender equality. The
members of the United Nations and various NGOs are currently in
New York at the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of
Women to discuss the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
and craft a Beijing plus 20 agenda. If twenty years after Beijing
we are still struggling with some of the fundamental equality
issues then we need to revise our strategy. This is not to say we
have not as a global community made progress on the issues of
gender equality and womens empowerment, we have significant
progress. It is not to say that we should abandon these
international forums where we chart progress and gains and
ensure we remain on track but we, as women need to set the
agenda. Do we want to realize gender equality in our lifetimes or
bequeath to our daughters the struggle? That is the fundamental
question we face as women. Not as students, activists or
politicians or leaders but as women. We need to decide how
quickly we want gender equality and then strategize with an end
in mind. We seem to have become complacent with an in

principle agreement to gender equality but in practice status

quo. Women globally need to find a collective voice and move this
last mile together. Speaking with regard to slavery Fredrick
Douglass said Power concedes nothing without a demand. It
never did and it never will. I do not hear the global demand from
women for equality. I hear the polite whispers for inclusion and
the tentative approaches to the decision making table. This is why
for instance in terms of political leadership woman have only
pierced the glass ceiling. Individual women have risen to the
position of President or Prime Minister in every continent in the
world

the

liberal

West

(Australia)

to

Conservative

South

(Bangladesh) but these have for the most part been isolated
individual accomplishments. We have not seen a flood of women
rising in political leadership within these countries. Why is it?
What we need is to shatter the ceiling and we can only do this by
creating a wave of women that moves forward together. We have
the legal framework for gender equality in the vast majority of
countries, it isnt perfect but what is.
Almost everywhere in the world we have the legal right to lead
and I want to add that this generation in particular has a
responsibility to lead. Prof Henrietta Moore of the Blavatnik School
of Government at Oxford has recently suggested that the
development framework of the 20th century is no longer
appropriate in the twenty first century.

She suggests that a

partial learning theory of development is the bringing together of

key parts of grounded principles, the need for experimentation in

creating and adjusting the frameworks to fit emerging contexts,

and the critical need for collaboration and partnership as the
fundamentals that will secure the progress of developing nations.
This is true too of the progress we need to make in securing
equality for women.
So I am very excited to be with you today since I know Smith
College is at the forefront in nurturing women leaders, and I look
forward to answering your questions and hearing your answers to
mine.
Thank you.