Fair treatment of women is a matter of development

Our story on women is depressing. Consider this. Femicide, or the killing of women due to their gender, is on the rise in Kenya. The global trend is the opposite - femicide is declining in most countries.

Statistics on female genital mutilation (FGM) tell another teary story. Twenty-one per cent of Kenyan women, including underage girls, are circumcised each year. This is most prevalent in the North-Eastern region, but is not as uncommon as you would think elsewhere in Kenya. Urban women are circumcised at a rate of 14 per cent, whereas that number surges to 26 per cent in rural areas.

Think that gender-based persecution does not affect you? Think again. Recent statistics concerning sexual harassment in matatus should get everyone worried. Any typical Kenyan woman has taken more matatu journeys in her life than she can count.

Chances are likely that she - your sister, your mother, your daughter, your friend - has been groped or spoken to inappropriately in what they thought was an innocent trip. Fifty-eight per cent of women have faced some kind of sexual harassment while using our local transportation. While 38 per cent of those interviewed said it was verbal, 32 per cent said it came in the form of unwanted touches.

Even graver, many cited instances of unwanted sexual advances and attempted removal of their clothings.

Sad still, many women did not speak up because they felt that their claims would go unheard. In many cases where they did file a complaint, nothing was done about it.

This reality has a sobering effect. If the women workforce is harassed on their way to work, can they be expected to have a productive day at the office? Can they meet professional targets and grow our nation?

Moreover, a woman who lives in fear of her life due to her (potentially) violent romantic partner cannot be progressive.

And high performance in school cannot be expected of a girl that recently underwent a traumatic FGM, or one that lives in constant fear that the knife might be forced on her anytime.

The good news is that this can be changed.

By treating these matters as national economic issues, the entire nation can get behind gender mainstreaming growth programmes. We must internalise the fact that men and women are capable of the same. The more safe, well-educated, confident and supported women we have in Kenya, the faster we will achieve higher economic development.

The enforcement of the requirement that national and county governments set aside specific tenders for women is empowering. 

So is President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda. He has made a point of ensuring women are beneficiaries of all four tenets - enhanced manufacturing, food security, universal health coverage and affordable housing. It is on us, the citizens, to take advantage of this aspirational plan and make sure that women are supported both by one another and by men.

In fact, maternal healthcare has been core in the government’s effort to realise health for all. True, we are not yet there, and there are concerns that must be addressed, but the idea is noble, and the will is notable.

It is also what First Lady Margaret Kenyatta set to achieve in the now relaunched Beyond Zero campaign, which targets especially the underprivileged.

Men may ask why being partners in this initiative will benefit them. The reason is simple. Unity, economic prosperity, and growth are the core national issues identified. Women are a great untapped resource with serious potential.

 - The writer is an architect in Nairobi