KEPSA, led by the Director in charge of Gender and SME Ms Eva Muraya, joined other partners in the launch of Women News Review, a premier journal of the New Era Women Convention on 3^rd May 2023 in Nairobi. The initiative by Express Communications Ltd aims to promote gender inclusion and diversity in Kenya by creating a comprehensive network of women in Kenya covering all categories in the public and private sectors.

In her remarks, Dr Joyce Mutinda, National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) Chair said that the Commission’s mandate is to ensure that Kenya complies with all treaties and conventions signed by the State and also advise the government on policies that touch on gender-related issues. She said that generally, the country has complied with gender-related laws giving examples of the Maputo Protocol that details wide-ranging and substantive human rights for women covering the entire spectrum of civil and political, economic, social and cultural as well as environmental rights.

Mr Sammy Masara, CEO of Express Communications Ltd, the publisher of Women News Review, appreciated KEPSA and NGEC for their support and collaboration towards the initiative. He said that although women have many issues which affect their lives, the Convention will largely focus on women in business, women and children’s health and gender balance.

“The review will be published regularly under the umbrella of the New Era Women Convention which has been initiated to give Women of Kenya a platform to assist them to galvanise their match towards their desired goals,” said Mr Masara adding that the publication will be the voice and mouthpiece of the New Era Women Convention initiative, which seeks to advance 10 issues that the publishers have identified to be priority areas.

The top 10 women issues identified by the publisher include alcohol and drug abuse among women; economic empowerment and cultural practices including access to various opportunities; Gender rule; gender-based violence; inclusivity in politics; infertility; inheritance and widowhood; peace and security; reproduction health; and teen pregnancies and single motherhood.

In her remarks, Ms Muraya noted that KEPSA remains committed to the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment as central to its mandate through coordination and implementation of advocacy and promotion initiatives within the private sector, thus enhancing its paramount contribution to the growth of the economy and optimization of a conducive business environment.

“Our efforts are informed by the fact that organizations that ensure gender mainstreaming, diversity, and inclusion tend to perform better in all aspects,” said Ms Muraya while quoting the findings of a Board Diversity and Inclusion study that showed a positive correlation between gender diversity and decision-making, productivity, and organisational performance. The study was conducted by the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) in partnership with KEPSA, Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), and New Faces New Voices (NFNV) in 2021.

The chief guest, Ms Beatrice Gachie, Assistant Director of Gender, Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action acknowledged the fact that women have played a pivotal role throughout history in transforming communities, despite their achievements often not being recognised thus hindering their ability to fully share ideas that have the ability in building and improving the community. She said that the Government of Kenya is committed to ensuring women equal rights, and access to opportunities for participation in leadership, in the economy, society and political decision-making.

“Government recognises that gender equality and women empowerment are important for sustainable development,” said Ms Gachie who added that women need a new dimension on policy issues and governance that will best address the challenges of exclusion. She termed the launch as a good starting point to discuss and agree on how collectively partners can advance the process.

The initiative also established an annual women recognition award for individuals and corporates who significantly impact women’s issues listed in the objective of the New Era Women Conventions. The objectives of the awards include encouraging continuous engagement by individuals and corporates in the development and implementation of transformative policies which contribute to advancing women’s economic and social justice.

Click on the link to access the journal: https://bit.ly/3VuGBZe