Women still face discrimination in the society: Lands CS Karoney says

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney at a past event.

Women still face discrimination despite their rights being enshrined in the constitution, according to Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney.

 Karoney said in Mombasa yesterday that while article 27 of the Constitution outlaws discrimination and requires all institutions to extend equal opportunities to both men and women the reality is different.

''Research indicates that increasing women and girls education contributes to improved health and income for the family,'' she said.

She added that the business world has long debated effects of gender diversity on business outcomes with survey revealing that organisations with greater gender diversity performs better than rigidly discriminatory or exclusive ones.

Karoney was speaking when she officiated at the opening of Ladies Leadership and Accountability Conference for Women Accountants at ta hotel in Mombasa County yesterday.

It is organised by the Association of Women in Accountancy of Kenya and the International Federation of Women Accountants respectively.

'' It is a great pleasure to participate in this conference. I would like to express my appreciation to the Association of Women Accountants of Kenya and the International Federation of Women Accountants for the invitation to join you this morning. I feel greatly honoured,'' the CS said.

She conceded that lesser women get employed across the board with fewer female representation at decision-making levels and nearly always pay women less than their male counterparts for similar work.

''I dare say that a society that discriminates against 50% of its people is far removed from the principles that govern contemporary competitiveness,'' she said. 

The CS noted that such a society misses the opportunity to truly leverage its human capital for competitive advantage.

''The focus today is competitiveness, innovation and collaboration.  It requires a certain quality in institutions.  A learning quality.  A flexible, dynamic, innovative quality.  Indicators of this quality include willingness to not only listen to different points of view, it calls for readiness and willingness to disrupt,  to discard old methods and adopt new ones, to listen to different ideas, including the germane ideas of our women,'' she explained. 

She stressed that women agenda for greater inclusion must therefore be both personal and professional, requiring us to engage politically whenever called upon, to ensure that the society recognizes that gender equity is fundamental to unlocking Kenya's potential.