Region:Asia Pacific
Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
outcome XM-DAC-41146-RD_D_1.1
Outcome 1: By 2026, people in Kenya at risk of being left behind- particularly all women and girls, all children and youth, all people in the ASAL counties and in informal urban settlements, - inhabit an inclusive, enabling, socially cohesive, and peaceful society where human rights are upheld, and benefit from accountable institutions and participate in transformative governance systems that are gender responsive and uphold the rule of law
Significant results were achieved to ensure that Kenya has an inclusive, enabling and socially cohesive and peaceful society where women leaders play a key role. Women leaders elected during the General Election in 2022, emerged in 2023 as trailblazers in service delivery to the people of Kenya. According to a County Track Survey conducted by Infrotrak, the women governors were assessed as top performers- both for development and for service delivery. Out of the seven elected women governors, four (57%) made it to the top ten. In Kirinyaga county, the governor transformed the county’s health sector by constructing a modern hospital complex in Kerugoya and in Nakuru county, access to citizens has been made to clean drinking water and agricultural advancements (previously key challenges). This is extraordinary as women leaders face barriers like deeply entrenched patriarchal and discriminatory institutions, laws and social norms. The collective efforts by UN Women: support to governors during elections, long term investments in capacity building of women leaders, advocate for policy and legislative reforms, engage media and communities and build partnerships with civil society have yielded results that a few years ago were non-existent. As a member in the Multi-Sectorial Working Group, UN Women continued to support and advocate for implementation of the two-thirds gender principle as per the 2010 Constitution. In 2023, substantial results were also achieved with regard to the development and content of the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDP) in all 47 counties. It is important to note, that CIDPs I and II were not gender mainstreamed and therefore the needs of women and girls in the 47 counties were not prominent. The CIDP III, unlike its predecessors, is however robust on gender issues and gender related programmes, especially in social sectors such as health, agriculture, social protection, water, trade sectors and education, are now frequent. To strengthen the monitoring and evaluation systems of CIDP-III, UN Women provided technical support to the CIDP-III indicator handbook for 19 counties [1] . Linked to this, is budgeting for GEWE. The amount of national budget allocated to GEWE remained low in 2023, with only a small increase- from 0.12% in 2022/2023 to 0.14% for 2023/2024. UN Women supported national and county governments in the development of budget policies and legal frameworks and will continue to support counties’ development and review of Gender Responsive Budget institutional frameworks. The National SDGs Indicator Framework and Country Profile on SDG data were updated as preparation for Kenya’s 2024 Voluntary National Review with UN Women technical and financial support. The two publications generated increased the number of gender-relevant indicators- from 42 to 44 out of the 80 SDGs. Gender statistics produced through support of UN Women has been used by UN agencies joint programmes. It is anticipated that this data will be used by government, public and private sectors in their policy making, programming and decision-making. Achievement of GEWE cannot be achieved without a peaceful and secure environment for women and girls. In 2023, the percentage of women leaders in the peace committees increased from 33% to 34% which led to gender-responsive policy formulation/implementation, strengthened advocacy for GEWE and collaboration with human rights defenders to enhance service delivery to SGBV survivors. UN Women contributed to this by supporting the localization of the Kenya’s National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325. Eight [2] counties successfully localized the KNAP, making it 18 in total. While strides have been made to advance the WPS agenda, the global Women Peace and Security index ranked Kenya at 149/177 (prev 90). In view of this, UN Women will further strengthen coordination of key peace, security and election management actors to prevent conflict and violence. Considering the above results, it is clear that the SN ToC is relevant. UN Women will continue to expand the space for GEWE through inclusive leadership, responsive policy and institutional reforms. [1] Kitui, Embu, Garissa, Isiolo, Kajiado, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Narok, Tana River, Turkana, West Pokot, Kilifi, Wajir, Samburu, Mombasa, Vihiga, Kakamega and Busia [2] Turkana, Garissa, Bungoma, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Vihiga, Muranga and Taita Taveta counties
outcome XM-DAC-41146-RD_D_1.2
Outcome 2: By 2026, people in Kenya at risk of being left - particularly all women and girls, all children and youth, all people in the ASAL counties and in informal urban settlements - have improved, inclusive and equitable social and protection services
In 2023, UN Women made significant progress to ensure that women and girls having improved, inclusive and equitable social and protection services. Kenya witnessed improved access by SGBV survivors to social and protection services, especially related to access to justice, between 2021 to 2023. The legal and policy framework was also enhanced through the review of the National GBV Policy (2014), 13 counties [1] developing GBV policies/laws and the Judiciary and Universities putting in place policies, strategies and practices to address gender-based discrimination. These results are part of the Government’s 12 commitments under the Generation Equality Forum. The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 20 23 indicated positive trends in terms of EVAWG with fewer women and girls experiencing violence in 2022 compared with 2014: physical and sexual violence (from 20% to 16%), sexual violence (from 7.6% to 6.42%), and Female Genital Mutilation (from 21% to 15%). Data from the State of the Judiciary and Administration of Justice Reports (SOJAR) further revealed an increase in the numbers of filed sexual offences cases, from 8,657 (2022) to 8,699 (2023). SOJAR data also showed an increase in the number of resolved cases from 6,043 (2021) to 8,498 (2022) and 10,291 (2023). The number of women and girls who accessed essential services also increased as per data from the national GBV helpline Health Assistance Kenya- from 4693 (2020), 3205 (2021), 5689 (2022) to 8,894 (2023). UN Women, with implementing partners such as Advocates for Social Change in Kenya (ADSOCK), World Vision, Action Aid, Healthcare Assistance Kenya (HAK 1195), International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), Center for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), Wangu Kanja Foundation, the Gender Violence Recovery Centre (GVRC), and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), played a vital role in contributing to these outcomes. Efforts included working with IAWJ and the office of the Chief Justice (CJ) to develop two gender-responsive strategies (SGBV, and Child Justice) at the national level, creating the convicted Sexual Offenders Electronic Register, supporting the establishment and operationalization of 12 specialized SGBV courts [2] , training justice actors, carry out advocacy, contribute to the development of national and county GBV laws and policies, conduct annual budget analyses and deliver essential services to survivors. UN Women played a key technical and financial role to the KDHS, by supporting the design, implementation, analysis and reporting of the GBV and FGM module. UN Women actively enhanced the capacity of implementing partners on: EVAWG, finance and Monitoring and Evaluation and fostered collaboration to achieve more robust results and coordination. The office of the Chief Justice recognized the role of UN Women in enhancing the Judiciary and appreciating our role and support to the office through formal communication. Thus far the original strategy and ToC for this outcome is still applicable. If, as anticipated, the established 12 SGBV courts continue to be functional and more SGBV courts are established in GBV hotspots, while implementing the CJ’s strategies and GBV laws/policies, the number of SGBV cases resolved will continue to increase in Kenya. This will in turn have a positive impact in the lives of women and girl survivors in the country, because the court processing will be shortened and GoK commitments implemented. While the trends in GBV prevalence are encouraging, and the measures adopted by the Judiciary to improve justice outcomes for survivors and end impunity for perpetrators commendable, gaps persist in government financing for GBV programmes, the scale of interventions remains small compared to the need, prevention programmes are still confined to a few donor funded counties, and overall accountability for implementing the GEF commitments remains weak. UN Women together with its partners will therefore continue to advocate, increase resource mobilization and build strong collaboration with key partners and stakeholders. By investing in strong partnerships with the key government institutions and collaborating with the justice system partners and the national police, UN Women has increased its visibility. [1] Samburu, Isiolo, Narok, Kisii, Migori, Kajiado, Garissa, Meru, Kisumu, Kitui, Kwale, Marsabit and Turkana [2] Shanzu, Kibera, Makadara, Meru, Nakuru, Kiambu, Machakos, Kisii, Kitale, Kakamega, Kisumu, and Siaya
outcome XM-DAC-41146-RD_D_1.3
Outcome 3 By 2026, people in Kenya at risk of being left behind - particularly all women and girls, all children and youth, all people in the ASAL counties and in informal urban settlements - derive benefit from inclusive, sustainable, diversified and environmentally/climate-sensitive quality livelihoods with decent work in the sector economies and realise growth that is resilient, green, and equitable.
There was in 2023 progress towards ensuring that all people in Kenya, particularly women and girls, benefit from inclusive, sustainable, diversified and environmentally/climate-sensitive quality livelihoods. All 47 counties developed and adopted County Integrated development Policies (CIDPs) III, which for the first time were gender responsive. UN Women supported Laikipia, West Pokot and Kitui counties in the development of CIDPs III and Annual Development plans (ADP), as well as Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) policies, which aim to improve rural women farmers’ livelihoods and food security. The plans integrated women-focused and climate-smart interventions in agriculture and social-protection sectors, with budget allocations of KES 52.8 million (USD 344,000) in Kitui county, KES 276 million (USD 1.8 million) in Laikipia and USD 23 million (KES 3.6 billion) and USD 9 million (KES 1.4 billion) for agriculture and gender sectors in West Pokot. To achieve the result, UN Women, with partners Anglican Development Services Eastern, Hand in Hand Eastern Africa and Village Enterprise, conducted sensitization campaigns, advocacy efforts, and built the capacity of county government staff. UN Women also empowered rural women to engage in planning processes and advocate for gender-responsive CSA inclusion. In terms of increased productivity and household-level income, nutrition, and food security for rural farmers there were also great results achieved in 2023. In Kitui, Laikipia and West Pokot 866 rural farmers (F:734, M:132) from 57 beneficiary farmer groups aggregated along 17 enterprises increased their income from USD 17,640 in 2022 to USD 202,174. Women who accessed group credits also increased their savings from USD 55,294 to USD 89,685. This was achieved by UN Women in partnership with FAO by strengthening existing aggregation mechanisms. In addition, capacity-building efforts of 2,665 farmers (2,280 F, 385 M, 666 Y, 232 PWDs) on how to apply climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices in their agricultural production activities were carried out and small grants (USD 134,466) to 48 farmer groups were distributed. The rural farmers adopted gender-responsive CSA technologies, including vertical and sunken kitchen gardens, along with the utilization of locally improved multi-functional brooders for indigenous chicken farming and CSA practices such as kitchen gardening, conservation agriculture and fodder and pasture production, on 1,598 hectares of farmland (714 hectares in 2022). The beneficiary farmer groups influenced community development by organising and leading community activities e.g., tree planting, soil conservation and construction of water harvesting structures that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Monitoring missions revealed that some non-beneficiaries have adopted CSA practices as a result of the influence of the beneficiaries, and observations show significant difference in crop health of beneficiaries who have adopted CSA technologies vis-a-vis non-beneficiaries that have not adopted them. Beyond financial support, UN Women contributed to achieving these results by strengthening strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, such as the UN, national and county governments, CSOs, and the private sector. UN Women, in coordination with the Council of Governors and National Treasury, actively enhanced awareness and knowledge among women entrepreneurs by simplifying and disseminating the Bidders Handbook, providing AGPO training, and guiding participants on legal frameworks, table banking, and bid-winning strategies with a specific focus on promoting gender-responsive businesses. The achievements highlighted above underscore its overall alignment with UN Women's efforts in Kenya, particularly in the context of the ToC, with a focus on women's economic empowerment. Key lessons learned: - Establishing robust market linkages is crucial for women to make informed decisions regarding production of value chains and fostering engagement of women in agricultural income-generation activities. - Under AGPO, efforts need to address the issue of underquoting by women, PWDs, and youth through advocacy for improvements in the bid-winning process. UN Women will continue its efforts to address issues through partnerships with county governments, private sector and CSOs, monitor progress and incorporate lessons learned in ongoing women's economic empowerment programs.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-RD_D_1.4
UN Women Kenya Outcome 4: The UN system and stakeholders in Kenya engage in effective coordination to advance GEWE.
The GEWE coordination in Kenya was in 2023 greatly enhanced, both within the UN system and in the county at large. There are now effectively coordinated and well-structured GEWE mechanism in place- b ringing together the UN, g overnment, Civil society , W omen R ights O rganisation s (WROs) and Development Partners . Drawing on the strong commitment from the Government of Kenya, the Resident Coordinator and UNCT at large, UN Women Kenya leveraged on its coordination mandate to strengthen coordination on GEWE both within the UN as well as with external stakeholders. T here was remarkable gender-mainstreaming results achieved within UN Kenya in 2023 with UN Women’s efforts. The 2023 annual Gender Scorecard report assessed 4 out of 5 indicators as exceeding minimum requirements and one me eting the minimum requirement. This put UNCT Kenya on the global map as it exceeded the QCPR target of 60% (up from 33.3% in 2022 to 66.7% in 2023 ) . GEWE was also incorporated across the UNSDCF 2023-2026 , resulting in a solid foundation for a system-wide cooperation framework that mainstreams gender across all interventions and joint programmes (JPs). The Gender Theme Group (GTG) was reinstated and capacitated, which will help hold agencies accountable for the gender commitments made. Through engagement in various fora (Outcome groups, the Monitoring & Evaluation group and GTG), UN Women was also to successfully advocate for and position gender equality at the UNCT level and enable availability of sex-disaggregated data, including by collaborating with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. In addition to supporting their own agencies in the development of interventions and monitoring/reporting on gender results, GTG helped develop a gender checklist that has been used to ensure that the creation process of JPs is gender responsive. Out of 19 JPs developed in 2023, 13 are gender responsive. Leveraging on its coordination mandate and the role as secretariat to several of the GEWE groups, UN Women helped create synergies between the various groups and bring GEWE stakeholders together. The structured engagement led in 2023 to greatly enhanced advocacy and well-coordinated and impactful organization of events such as the International Women’s Day and 16 Days of Activism. Closer ties were also built between the Development Partners Gender Group (DPGG) and the National Gender Sector working Group (co-chaired by the CS), with frequent participation of the Permanent Secretary and other key government stakeholders, pushing forward efforts on for example the two thirds gender principle. As a member in the Multi-Sectorial Working Group, UN Women also supported and advocated for implementation of the two-thirds gender principle as per the 2010 Constitution. WROs were furthermore able to submit a memorandum on their views on the two thirds principle to the National Dialogue Committee , and together with the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), UN Women helped host women experts during the climate summit to discuss gender equality in climate change mitigation . UN Women contributed to the results above by providing secretarial services to the GTG and the DPGG, as well as technical and financial support. By actively participating in the National G ender Sector Working Group UN Women contributed to the formulation and implementation of gender-responsive policies and initiatives at the national level. UN Women also provided technical support to the Sustainable Development Goals platform, emphasizing gender mainstreaming in alignment with SDG 5. Despite the progress made, there continues to be gaps about gender capacity within UN agencies and continued accountability for agencies to develop gender-responsive programmes and report on the indicators under their leadership. Having commitment and engagement by the RC and UNCT helped ensure that GEWE has been prioritized within the UN system. UN Women will therefore continue to undertake a holistic approach where further linkages and synergies are sought, and capacity is built.Showing 1 - 4 of 4
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References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
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