Garissa County government has vowed to strengthen gender mainstreaming in all departments to help attain the key objectives of national and global gender equality policies and vision.
Speaking during a meeting convened by Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC), Gender CEC Zeinab Abdi said decision-making in all areas in the county is tailored in line with the gender equality perspective, according to Article 27 of the Constitution that requires governments to guarantee equal conditions and services for all regardless of gender.
Abdi affirmed that the county government was taking seriously the issue of equal representation of women and men as policy beneficiaries, as well as their representation in the labour force and in the decision-making processes within the government.
She appealed to development partners to create a joint response platform for addressing gender disparity challenges in Garissa County. ”A gender responsive policy ensures that the needs of all citizens, women and men, are equally addressed,’’ Abdi said.
County Assembly Women Caucus Chairperson Khatra Iman Sigat said women MCAs would ensure that Garissa County Gender Policy, which is currently at the public participation stage, is approved once tabled in the floor.
FCDC’s Programme Manager Khadija Bare said the council’s Gender Socio-Economic Development Bill is being developed and will have a special focus on empowering and building the resilience of young girls, youth, women and special interests groups by giving them equal opportunities.
She said that the bill would be domesticated and incorporated in the gender policies of the FCDC counties.
Kenya’s Constitution 2010, hailed as one of the most progressive in the world, recognizes dignity, economic, social and cultural rights including the right to education, housing and right to health including reproductive health care.
Kenya is also a signatory of global treaties, conventions and other commitments that promote gender rights.
By Erick Kyalo
