REPUBLIC OF KENYA

THE PRESIDENCY
MINISTRY OF DEVOLUTION AND PLANNING
SPEECH BY MS. ANNE WAIGURU, OGW, CABINET SECRETARY,
MINISTRY OF DEVOLUTION AND PLANNING, DURING THE
NATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS FORUM ON THE POST 59th SESSION
OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN (CSW), THE AU
YEAR OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS
AFRICAS AGENDA 2063, HELD ON 21ST JULY, 2015 AT HILTON
HOTEL, NAIROBI

PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, PLANNING - MINISTRY OF DEVOLUTION

AND PLANNING, ENG. PETER O. MANGITI
COUNTRY PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, UN WOMEN, ZEBIB KAVUMA
KEWOPA CHAIRPERSON, HON. CECILY MBARIRE
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
COUNTY OFFICIALS PRESENT
CIVIL SOCIETY ORAGNIZATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
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LADIES AND GENTLEMEN;

A VERY GOODMORNING TO YOU ALL;

We gather here today, to reflect, share and plan for key gender related
initiatives, which are of great importance to our country. On the onset, I
thank you for your positive response to our invitation which is clearly
demonstrated by your presence here at this National forum, which brings
together actors from various sectors dealing with various aspects of Gender
Equality and Womens Empowerment in Kenya.
I have no doubt that what brings us together, on our own volition, is the
collective responsibility and our genuine conviction that as partners with an
extensive history, we remain bound by one common purpose of working
towards the realization of a just and equitable society for the women, men,
girls and boys of our nation.
This forum has also been convened in fulfillment of our commitment during
the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women which took
place in New York from 9th 20th March 2015.
For those who participated and those who followed the proceedings, you
will definitely agree with me that it was the most productive and
outstanding session Kenya has ever engaged in.
The onus of the outcomes of our participation can be attributed to the
dynamic Government delegation which included the First Lady of the
Republic of Kenya H.E Excellency, Mrs Margaret Kenyatta, Spouse of the
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Deputy President, H.E. Mrs. Rael Ruto, Parliamentarians, CEOs of various

agencies, representatives of Semi-autonomous Government Agencies and
Constitutional Commissions, Civil society, Private Sector, Government
ministries and academia among others.
I wish to express my appreciation for the partnership and active
participation demonstrated by the Kenya delegation at the 59th session.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Beyond this, it is worth noting that Kenya also had the unique opportunity
of hosting four side events on the sidelines of the CSW sessions. As a
country, we took pride in showcasing evidence based approaches and
innovations in achieving and advancing Gender Equality and Empowerment
of women as demonstrated through The Beyond Zero Campaign on
Maternal and Newborn Health, hosted by the First Lady of the Republic
of Kenya; Women Economic Empowerment And Financial Inclusion
Featuring Elevating Livelihood Through Table Banking and
Information hosted by Spouse of the Deputy President; the Kenya
Transformative Programme; featuring access to business opportunities
for women, youth and persons with disabilities hosted by the Ministry of
Devolution and Planning and Demonstrating Legislative Leadership,
hosted by Kenya Women Parliamentary Association.

Several conclusions were made at the 59 CSW touching on areas of

Women Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, Women and Leadership,
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Gender Based Violence, Gender Statistics, Women and Environment,

Women and Agriculture, Women in Sports, Empowerment of Youth and
Women and the Media. Various lessons were also learnt from the sessions
which are applicable to Kenya.
These include; tax rebates for women owned businesses; maintenance of
up-to date statistics on gender; use of existing gender machineries and
networks to push for more women in leadership positions; enactment of
gender sensitive environmental policies; adoption of gender responsive
budgeting processes; and engagement of media in advocacy and gender
equality campaigns.
More importantly, and of concern as noted in the Global Review of the
Beijing Platform is that, 20 years after Beijing, no country in the world has
yet fully achieved gender equality. However, the 12 critical areas of
concern of the Beijing Platform for Action remain relevant, 20 years after
and their importance in informing the Post-2015 Development Agenda
recognized.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
The Post-59 CSW session today has been organized at an opportune time
coinciding with the Declaration by the African Union of 2015 as the Year of
Womens Empowerment and Development Towards Africas Agenda 2063
on The Africa We Want. More significantly, it is notable that achieving
Gender Equality is one of the 7 aspirations of the Agenda 2063 which lays
emphasis transformative change which must benefit women, men,
girls and boys.
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In carrying forward the aspirations of the AU womens year forward, we

have committed as a country, to create awareness by disseminating
information and undertaking County Consultations on priority areas for
accelerating gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is also
within this framework that Kenya participated at the 25th Ordinary Summit
of AU Heads of State and Government in Johannesburg, South Africa
where Kenya was highly commended for the life changing transformative
socio-economic programmes.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
This year, there is much to be accomplished as a result of the 59 CSW and
within the context of the AU Year of Womens Empowerment. At the 59
CSW, we took the liberty of hosting a meeting of Heads of Delegation of
the Countries that have previously hosted World Conferences on Women
namely Mexico in 1975, Denmark in 1980, Kenya in 1985 and China in
1995.
This was a consultative meeting aimed at exploring how the four countries
can use their geographical advantage and diversity to rally member states
in their regions to advance the Gender Equality and Womens Agenda
based on the countries presence in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.
As a result, Kenya will be hosting Ministerial and Experts Meetings in
August this year to pursue this Agenda.

We shall also be hosting the

Nairobi + 30 Conference in the same month by bringing Africa to Kenya to

commemorate 30 years since the 3rd World Conference which was held in
here in the City of Nairobi in 1985.
We shall indeed be celebrating the successes on our continent and
revitalizing efforts across member states to accelerate our ultimate goal of
achieving Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
In addition to this, there were many other useful outcomes of the 59 CSW
which include the commitment by the Common Wealth Business Network
to set up a Commonwealth business womens academy in Nairobi. The
Academy will provide training that will equip women with skills they require
at all stages in their business ventures.
As you will be informed today, many innovative ideas were discussed at
the 59th Session of the CSW and in the Ordinary Summit of Heads of State
and Governments. It is up to all of us here today to ensure that these ideas
do not remain documents on our shelves but are transformed into
frameworks, policies and programmes that have positive impact on the
lives of women, men, girls and boys in Kenya.
On my part, I want to assure you that the Ministry of Devolution and
Planning under my leadership, remains committed to delivering on the
Governments Agenda on Gender Equality. I wish to in particular assure
you of our unequivocal support towards the realization of the Two-Thirds
Gender Principle. Let us take advantage of the opportunity offered by the
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AU Year of Womens Empowerment to strengthen our resolve in translating

this into reality.
With your invaluable partnership, my Ministry will ensure that the
Outcomes of the 59 CSW are disseminated and consultations on the AU
year of womens empowerment rolled out in the counties.
In Conclusion Therefore, Ladies and Gentlemen;
I thank you all for your kind attention and declare this meeting officially
opened