Girls and women in Kenya hold unlimited potential but the barriers that constrain them from achieving great things are multifaceted.
Issues like gender based violence have remained pervasive. Women remain underrepresented in decision-making processes at all levels.
Women and girls still spend long hours collecting water and firewood. Household chores limit school attendance and work options.
Women have less access to and control over the benefits from land tenure, education, and employment opportunities.
The increased contributions of women are needed to help Kenya reach their development goals.
Below are some questions people ask about women and girls in Kenya. Enjoy the responses:
1. Which tribe has the most beautiful ladies in Kenya?
Kikuyu women also rank high for their high numbers of gorgeous women. Different Kenyan tribes harbor a unique sense of beauty but Kikuyu women are reservedly exotic and irresistibly sexy. These women also have alluring bodies, shiny foreheads, and sublime complexions.
2. Which county has the most beautiful women in Kenya?
Taita Taveta county is home to the most beautiful women in Kenya. This county is blessed with a bevy of extremely gorgeous ladies. It is mostly comprised of Taita women.
3. Who is the first woman in Kenya to hold a political position?
The first woman in Kenya elected to hold a political position was Grace Onyango. She holds many firsts such as the first female councillor, the first female mayor in post-independence Kenya, and the first woman elected to Parliament.
She achieved all these firsts between 1964 and 1969, and served in Parliament until 1984. She was also the first female parliamentarian to occupy the temporary speaker’s chair, before being officially elected Deputy Speaker between 1979 and 1984.
4. Who is Wangari Maathai?
One of the most notable Kenyans was Prof. Wangari Maathai, an activist and politician.
Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.”
She was also elected a member of the Kenyan parliament and worked in Kenyan politics for over two decades which was extremely threatening to her male counterparts who she surpassed throughout her time working in the Kenyan Government.
As Assistant Minister for the Environment in Mwai Kibaki’s first-term, Wangari Maathai embarked on several campaigns to protect the environment and reduce government wastage. She changed how government reports were presented, urging for a smaller font, less space, and the use of both sides of the printing paper.
5. What is Kenya’s Infant Mortality Rate?
In 2019, the infant mortality rate in Kenya was at about 31.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality rate of Kenya fell gradually from 92.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1970 to 31.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019.
6. Do women live longer than men in Kenya?
Women in Kenya enjoy a higher life expectancy than men, living to an average of 67.5 years compared to 63 for men. Researchers attribute this health landmark to improvements in educational levels of mothers, rising per capita incomes, declining levels of fertility and increased vaccination programmes.
On the whole, life expectancy in Kenya has increased over the last two decades but has been strained by HIV/Aids and respiratory and diarrhoeal infections.
7. Are women more educated than men in Kenya?
Enrollment in education has greatly increased in Kenya over the years. However the relationship between male and female enrollment switches and widens in secondary education. In secondary school, 51.6% of enrolled students are male while 48.4% are female.
8. Are women safe in Kenya?
In Kenya’s public transportation system, women’s safety, security and dignity is never guaranteed. Consequently, some women and girls are changing the way that they dress, as well as their travel routes and transport modes in order to minimize the risk of assault. When using public transport, women and girls not only have to worry about reaching their destination, but also about the possibility of being verbally abused, inappropriately touched, groped, and even stripped of their clothing during their commute.
9. What’s the rate of Femicide in Kenya?
According to Counting Dead Women Kenya, 46 women were victims of femicide in the four-month period between 1st January – 2nd May 2019. The most shocking of these cases involved a medical student who was hacked to death by her boyfriend in broad daylight in a university compound.
10. Is gender based violence on the increase in Kenya?
Violence is a daily reality for women and girls across Kenya. According to government data, 45 percent of women and girls in Kenya aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence and 14 percent have experienced sexual violence. Many cases are not reported to authorities and few women get justice or receive medical care.
Violence against girls and women occurs because of long standing, systemic gender inequality in countries all over the world. It’s rooted in discrimination, power differentials, and harmful social norms. This is why gender based violence is a global issue.
