Kenya's struggle for gender equality: Beijing Declaration, 30 years on

Three decades after the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Kenya still faces significant challenges in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Issues such as femicide, gender-based violence (GBV) against women and girls, female genital mutilation (FGM) and limited access to maternal health services are key barriers to progress.

These concerns were highlighted on Thursday during the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Mercy Wanjau, Secretary to the Cabinet and Chief Guest at the event, regretted that while some progress has been made in gender equality, structural issues continue to impede full achievement.

Wanjau noted that violence against women remains widespread and harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation continue to affect girls, despite some decline in recent years.

She also sounded the alarm on rising rates of femicide, describing it as a worrying trend that requires urgent attention.

“Women’s access to political and managerial positions to manage their sexual and reproductive health remains notably low,” said Wanjau.

She also emphasised that the lack of gender data means that much remains unknown about gender equality, making women’s experiences invisible in policy and decision-making.

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The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which identified 12 critical areas of concern, laid the foundation for addressing the strategic needs of women, men, boys and girls. These areas include education, poverty, the economy, armed conflict and women’s representation in decision-making.

The event served as a precursor to the global commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and the 10th anniversary of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals in March 2025.

“There is still a long way to go to fully realise the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action sustainably. In the six years left until 2030, meaningful progress demands dramatically galvanising the political will, scaling up commitments to change with commensurate investments and resources needed to get back on track,” Wanjau noted.

She also highlighted the delays caused by structural issues such as inadequate enforcement of gender-responsive laws, ineffective implementation of policies and lack of gender-responsive budgets.

Zipporah Kittonny, a former Member of Parliament and women’s and children’s rights activist reiterated that challenges persist in Kenya’s efforts to increase women’s representation in politics and corporate boardrooms.

“Domestic violence remains a significant issue. Cases of femicide have increased recently. Our girls are also suffering as domestic servants in the Middle East and many are unable to access their education,” she said.

Nancy Barasa who chairs the 42-member taskforce formed to address the alarming rise in GBV and femicide said GBV has now morphed into femicide.

“We need to identify the psychological issues related to the commission of crimes associated with GBV femicide. We are so stressed by the economic hardships, the social hardships, that our mental health is a problem that could be contributing to what is emerging,” she added.

Rahab Muiu, chairperson of the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO), reported that Kenya ranks third globally for high rates of child pregnancy, with the average age of mothers being just 13 years old.

A recent report on the state of gender in Kenya shows that despite efforts, the rights and empowerment of women and girls remain low.

But the report also highlights some positive developments. The government has launched targeted initiatives to improve the lives of women and girls, such as affirmative action funds, gender parity in school enrolment, access to sanitary towels and school re-entry programmes for teenage mothers.

In addition, in 2022, Kenya recorded an impressive 34 per cent reduction in gender-based violence and a 15 per cent reduction in female genital mutilation. There has also been an increase in women’s participation in leadership positions in both the public and private sectors,” said Wanjau.

Maternal mortality also declined from 362 to 355 per 100,000 deaths during the same period, largely due to community health initiatives.

On measures taken to address gender-based violence, the report notes that the judiciary has established 12 specialised SGBV courts in the country to protect the rights of vulnerable victims and survivors.

In addition, the Ministry has issued guidelines for the establishment of safe and protective spaces for GBV survivors, which operate alongside 36 shelters in 13 counties.