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%)
Participation by women in politics and decision making increased
The outcome focuses on strengthened legislative framework that enables women’s participation and leadership. This will include review of relevant laws (Electoral Bod, political Parties and Representation) as well as participating in any dialogue to review Kenya's constitutions.
Participation by women in politics and decision making increased
UN Women reports on this indicator in a global scope, signified by "(Desk Review)" at the end of the indicator statement (see the Our Global Results page for the global result)
UN Women reports on this indicator in a global scope, signified by "(Desk Review)" at the end of the indicator statement (see the Our Global Results page for the global result)
Complementary indicators are identified as those in the results framework that are not repeated verbatim in the results framework of another United Nations entity, but are related or provide different but complementary lenses or insights into the same issue, high-level result and/or area of complementary work, such as a Sustainable Development Goal target.
Complementary
UN Women reports on this indicator in a global scope, signified by "(Desk Review)" at the end of the indicator statement (see the Our Global Results page for the global result)
Common indicators are those that appear verbatim the same in at least two entities' results frameworks and are drawn, where possible, directly from other globally agreed frameworks.
Common
Capacities of targeted institutions to develop and implement legal frameworks that promote women political participation and decision making strengthened
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
UN Women reports on this indicator in a global scope, signified by "(Desk Review)" at the end of the indicator statement (see the Our Global Results page for the global result). In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
Capacities to advance GEWE by women in decision making positions enhanced
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
UN Women reports on this indicator in a global scope, signified by "(Desk Review)" at the end of the indicator statement (see the Our Global Results page for the global result). In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
Increased community and civic understanding of women's right to political participation
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
UN Women reports on this indicator in a global scope, signified by "(Desk Review)" at the end of the indicator statement (see the Our Global Results page for the global result). In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
Participation by women in politics and decision making increased
The outcome has been successfully achieved in 2022. Results A notable increase in number of elected women representatives was achieved in the Kenyan General Elections in 2022. Women now hold 201 of 1,882 elective seats, compared to 179 women in 2017. This includes 29 women elected from 290 single-member constituencies representing 10% of single-member seats and 24% of total seats in parliament. This is a 3-point increase from 21% (23 elected members) in 2017. Significantly, the number of women elected to the Governor position was 7 , up from 3 in 2017. In addition, 115 women Members of the County Assembly (MCA) were elected, which is an increase compared with 97 that were elected in 2017. The number of elected female senators remained at 3 . Overall, there was a 65% retention of women members of Parliament from the 2017 elections. See the table below for specific results. Position Numbers and percentage 2022 Numbers and percentage 2017 Single-member constituencies MPs 29 out of 290 (10%) 23 out of 290 (7.9%) Women Representatives- Affirmative Positions 47 out of 47 (100%) 47 out of 47 (100%) Elected Senators 3 out of 47 (6.4%) 3 out of 47 (6.3%) Nominated Senators 19 out of 20 (95%) 16 out of 20 (80%) Total Senators 22 out of 67 (33%) 19 out of 67 (28.3%) Elected Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) 115 out of 1450 (7.9%) 97 out of 1450 (6.7%) Governors 7 out of 47 (15%) 3 out of 47 (6.4%) In the lead up to the General Elections, there was an increase in the number of women registered as independent candidates- from 271 in 2017 to 442 in 2022 (23% of the total candidates). There was also an increase in the participation of women as candidates for the ballot- from 8.7% in 2017 to 12% in 2022. This contributed directly to an increase in the number of women elected in the 2022 General election due to the expansion of the pool of women candidates. Through support provided by UN Women and its partner - 82 political parties were sensitized on the importance of women leadership, which led to many of the parties reducing the nomination fees for women candidates (some up to 50%) as part of affirmative action, and/or for the first time directly nominating women candidates in party strongholds. One concrete example is the elected governor for Homabay (2022), who contested because of the direct nomination. This all contributed to an increase in the number of women elected in the 2022 General election. Another critical result of the advocacy work carried out by UN Women and the other stakeholders in the gender space, was the nomination of women for deputy president positions. In 2022, 3 out of the 4 presidential candidates were women, which demonstrates that Kenya is slowly recognizing that women are critical political players in Kenya. Another result was that gender featured prominently in the manifestos of the main political outfits (Azimio and Kenya Kwanza alliances). The increase in women legislators will not only contribute to a continued push for implementation of the 2/3 gender rule, but also bring a gender-equality perspective to legislative and policymaking and inspire young women and girls to take on leadership positions. Contribution of UN Women The accomplishments can be attributed to the consistent support to the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) agenda in Kenya. UN Women and other key stakeholders have advocated for compliance with the 2/3 gender principle since 2013 when implementation of the 2010 constitution began. UN Women has used its strategic position to enhance coordination between Government and civil society to implement a comprehensive approach, and synergized efforts internally across units to address gender responsive legal reforms and civic education. UN Women supported and collaborated in 2022 with a broad range of partners (government, civil society, women’s right organizations, private companies, religious groups, traditional groups, men’s groups, media organizations, associations of young women, donors and UN agencies) to enhance the capacities of women candidates who were vying for elective positions. To achieve the results, UN Women invested in enhancing the capacities of its partners to advance inclusion and gender equality in the election. To provide a standardized approach to advocacy on Constitutionalism and representation of women, youth, and PWDs in leadership, governance, and electoral processes, UN Women supported partners in drafting policies such as the Charter of Inclusion to provide recommendations for the inclusion of women and other marginalized groups in the electoral process. Further, UN Women rolled out a gender-responsive civic education campaign and developed messages to profile women candidates and create awareness of the importance of women in political leadership and encourage Kenyans to vote for women across the various elective seats. The holistic approach adopted by UN Women helped ensure that the organization was able to counter structural, cultural and socio-economic barriers to women’s political participation, including harmful gender-based stereotypes and the patriarchal nature of Kenyan politics that often undermine women’s political ambitions, thus reducing the pool of women in leadership and decision-making spaces. Following the General elections, UN Women advocated for greater representation of women in the new administration, contributing to H.E. President Ruto appointing 10 women as members of the Cabinet [(Cabinet Secretary positions (7) and Cabinet-level portfolios (3)] against a total of 22 (45.5%). While an achievement, these appointments fall short of the 50% cabinet positions promised to women by the Kenya Kwanza Coalition during the campaign period. Furthermore, the President appointed 11 women to the position of permanent secretaries against a total of 51 (22%). Similarly, this also falls short of the constitutional requirement of 33.3%. Something which calls for continued advocacy by UN Women. This calls for further efforts carried out by UN Women and its partners. Lessons learned One key lesson from 2022 is that many journalists in Kenya lack sufficient knowledge on how to mainstream gender or undertake conflict-sensitive reporting when developing stories on topical issues. This has impaired both the quality and quantity of stories done around gender and peacebuilding. As result, journalists have either avoided stories or issues that require deeper gender and conflict analysis or when they attempt to do them, they rarely interrogate the issues using various lenses including gender, human rights, and legal lenses. For the 2022 election, UN Women worked closely with media houses and trained journalists, which resulted in journalists writing and publishing stories on topical issues that brought out gender and effects of conflicts on women empowerment. While there has been an improvement in party politics as compared to previous nomination exercises, political parties face challenges in identifying best practices for conducting transparent nomination with women aspirants being the most disadvantaged as nomination processes are expensive and continue to face infighting and claims of rigging where potential candidates are willing to go to any means to clinch the seat.Disclaimer and notes
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).