UN Women pushes for alliance to boost female leadership in Kenya

UN Women said the initiative forms part of its broader efforts to promote inclusive governance, sustainable economic growth.

UN Women Kenya has brought together some of the country's most influential women leaders from the public and private sectors to strengthen collaboration, accelerate women's leadership, and lay the groundwork for a national Women Leaders Alliance.

The high-level closed-door roundtable, held under the theme "Advancing Women's Leadership in Kenya," convened chief executive officers, senior government officials, board leaders and corporate executives to discuss strategies for increasing women's representation in top leadership positions.

The meeting comes amid concerns that despite Kenya's progress in advancing gender equality through constitutional reforms and policy interventions, women remain underrepresented in senior decision-making roles.

According to the 2024 Kenya Institute of Management Board Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report, women account for 32.3 per cent of chief executive officers and managing directors, 35 per cent of board members, and just 21.3 per cent of board chairpersons.

Participants identified persistent gender stereotypes, limited mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, weak institutional support systems, and fragmented collaboration across sectors as key barriers to women's advancement.

Speaking during the forum, UN Women Kenya Country Representative Antonia N'Gabala-Sodonon said advancing women's leadership requires stronger partnerships capable of influencing institutions across both the public and private sectors.

"We must move beyond isolated interventions and build coordinated partnerships that create lasting systemic change," she said.

The dialogue also featured reflections from Vice Chairperson of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission Dr Gilda Odera and corporate leader Rita Kavashe, who shared their leadership experiences and emphasized the importance of creating supportive environments for future generations of women leaders.

Discussions centred on strengthening leadership pipelines, expanding mentorship and sponsorship programmes, promoting public-private collaboration, and developing institutional mechanisms to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions.

A major outcome of the meeting was a shared commitment to explore establishing a UN Women-led Women Leaders Alliance.

The proposed alliance will serve as a platform for collaboration, peer learning, advocacy and collective action to strengthen women's leadership across sectors and champion policies that promote gender equality.

UN Women said the initiative forms part of its broader efforts to promote inclusive governance, sustainable economic growth and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5 on gender equality.

The organisation expressed optimism that stronger collaboration among women leaders will help transform Kenya's leadership landscape and expand opportunities for more women to participate in shaping the country's future.