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Civil Society Recommendations on the Presidential Memo Sent to Parliament on 9th December 2022

May 10, 2023NewsA meeting was held at the office of the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Affirmative Action, and Gender in Kenya, Hon. Aisha Jumwa Katana, on 4th May 2023. The meeting was attended by women leaders and representatives from various Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the National Women Steering Committee and the Civil Society Parliamentary Engagement Network. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the proposals presented in the Presidential Memo sent to the Parliament on 9th December 2022. This report outlines the key discussions and recommendations made during the meeting. Implementation of the Two-Thirds Gender Rule: The attendees expressed their appreciation for the President’s commitment to implementing the Constitution, particularly concerning women’s inclusion in leadership positions. They noted that the Two-Thirds Gender Principle has faced significant delays in its realization and raised concerns about the Parliament’s continued sessions despite being unconstitutionally constituted. Recommendations: a) The proposed formula presented in the Presidential Memo was found to be erroneous, as it did not reflect the correct composition of the National Assembly. The attendees recommended a top-up of thirty-six women, instead of the proposed twenty-four, to bring the total number of women in the National Assembly to 117, in compliance with the Constitution. b) An amendment to Article 98(b) was proposed, suggesting the deletion of “women” and the insertion of “special seats” to meet the Two-Thirds Gender Principle. c) It was proposed that a bill be tabled in Parliament to operationalize Article 100, ensuring equal representation of women, youth, persons with disabilities (PWDs), marginalized communities, and ethnic and other minorities. d) The attendees welcomed the proposal to establish a fund to promote inclusion and political participation. They recommended expanding the fund to cover other groups and renaming it the “Inclusion and Political Participation Fund.” They also proposed amending the Political Parties Act 2011 to allocate 30% of political parties’ funds to the Inclusion and Political Participation Fund, with strengthened accountability mechanisms. e) A suggestion was made to insert Section 28(3) in line with Article 81(b) to ensure that political parties submit lists that adhere to the Two-Thirds Gender Principle. Constituency Development, Senate Oversight, and National Government Affirmative Action Funds: The attendees acknowledged the judiciary’s determination on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and proposed the creation of an Equalization Fund under Article 204(A). They also noted an overlap and duplication in the application of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) and the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) and recommended establishing clear demarcation and accountability mechanisms for these funds. The Leader of Official Opposition: The creation of the Office of Leader of Official Opposition was supported to enhance inclusivity, stability, democracy, and checks and balances. However, it was emphasized that the establishment and operation of this office must be in line with the law. The attendees recommended clearly defining the office’s operations, funding mechanisms, composition, and functions. They also suggested allocating moderate resources to the office and exploring avenues for support from donors and the international community. Parliamentary Oversight of the Executive: The President’s proposal to facilitate Cabinet Secretaries’ and Chief Administrative Secretaries’ participation in parliamentary proceedings was discussed. The attendees pointed out that Cabinet Secretaries are already required to appear before corresponding house committees, and this approach was deemed sufficient for enhancing parliamentary oversight of the Executive. They emphasized the need to uphold the doctrine of Separation of Powers [...]

FUNDAMENTALS OF SUSTAINABLE VENTURES USING FAIDIKA FOR COLLECTIVES.

Preservation of indigenous foods: Tackling food insecurity through urban farming

January 19, 2023NewsNestled along the Naivasha Nakuru highway is seedsavers. A local organization solely preserving foods indigenous to Kenya. Started in 2009, the organisation’s mandate is to conserve agrobiodiversity by strengthening communities’ seed systems for improved seed access and enhanced food sovereignty. Through research, the organization has identified issues ailing the agro – ecology sector. This includes lack of free and open access of seeds to small scale famers due to patent and breeder rights mostly set by commercial producers of seeds. To mitigate this, the organization has started a community seed bank that conserves seeds whose genetic composition is not can be traced to Kenyan farmers. The organization also takes farmers through training on how to monitor, harvest and preserve seeds for planting. This ensures a continuity in nutritiously advantageous crops, access of seeds by farmers for planting and preservation of community heirlooms. Commercialisation and over hype of perfection is also a contributor to the styles used during farming. Consumers are used to picking perfect foods from shelves which drives up sales. The organization is on a journey to change attitudes on food so that we consume food that is good for us and not that which is only aesthetically pleasing. By relying on local knowledge, the organization is leading farmers in using local, ecofriendly ways of farming. This includes embracing local remedies to diseases and pests that might not work at a hundred percent like modern chemicals but do not affect the soil as well as the consumer. Women are the majority of farmers especially in small scale and are the custodian of seed. These activities however are not considered ‘revenue-generating’ and thus women tend to lack resources to advance or explore other economic areas. Due to this and the fact that in most households, women dictate the food and its source, CRAWN Trust in partnership with seedsavers seeks to empower women in urban settings to have a reliable food source. Through practical training, support in set-up of kitchen gardens and provision of seed knowledge, the partners want to ease the impacts of food insecurity. By setting up food hubs in Nairobi and neighboring counties, families can have gardens to substitute their food source which is mainly through purchase. This also elevates the financial pressure implicated by the need to feed one’s family. [...]

Kewopa congregates Women Leaders for an Induction Meeting

January 19, 2023NewsKenya Women Parliamentary Organisation (KEWOPA) is the secretariat for all women legislatures. The organisation’s mandate is to strengthen women leadership in a democratic manner. The organization is supported by women legislatures as well as partners in diverse fields. After every election year, the organization invites new and repeat women legislatures for an induction meeting that serves as an experience sharing platform for leaders, agenda setting as well as networking. This year’s theme was: Driving change: The value of women in leadership. During the meeting, the member had several sessions that highlighted different aspects of their legislative work and personal life. Starting off was the analysis on the legislative gaps and opportunities available in order to serve citizens better. This session gave members a chance to air gaps in their respective offices such as policy frameworks and development. Hon. Aisha Jumwa, Cabinet secretary of Gender, talked on the need for women to work in unison. She noted that many at times issues affecting women can only be tabled and lobbied by women and if they are united in the respective houses than it is easier to get other members’ support. In her speech, she also delved on the need for members to have a niche. “ You cannot be conversant with every topic. Choose your niche and extensively research on it so that when motions come, you are well equipped,” she said. The speaker of the national assembly, Hon. Moses Wetangula and speaker of senate, Hon Amason Kingi joined the induction meeting, an act that hasn’t been seen before. This offered women leaders a chance to engage the two speakers on different issues. This included but not limited to policies such as the sexual harassment policy, the two thirds gender principle a matter that has had challenges in the houses, delegation of finances as well as support during formulation and passing of bills funded by women. In his speech, Hon Moses Wetangula encouraged women to speak out in parliament in numbers and exercise their mandate and rights as stipulated in the constitution. Both promised support to women in their respective houses especially on issues that bring equality. Her excellency Cecily Mbarire, Governor Embu county also shared on her prowess having served as a member of parliament before becoming governor. He message was clear; take care of your self before taking care of others. The induction also served as a space for the legislatures to gain knowledge from private stakeholders in the civil society space, development, finance, communication and innovation. Speakers from banks, media houses and developers such as google were present offering members a chance to tap into their knowledge on issues financial health and safe practices on social media. [...]

Road to COP27: CSOs state their position ahead of the global convention

October 31, 2022NewsCSOs from Kenya led by OXFAM, WWF, SUSWATCH Kenya, SEAF-K, CARE KENYA, KCCWG, CRAWN-TRUST, Christian Aid, HIVOs, KPCG among others come together to develop a Kenyan CSOs position ahead of #cop27 in Egypt from 7th to 18th Nov 2022. [...]

Including marginalized groups in climate change actions.

October 31, 2022News The green champions of change project is a project championed to ensure the participation of women and other marginalized groups in climate change process and other governance processes to ensure representation in decision making. [...]

Electoral Integrity and inclusivity

September 14, 2022NewsThe Kenyan constitution 2010 recognizes aspirations of all Kenyans based on human rights, equality, freedom, democracy, social justice and the rule of law. The participation and inclusion of women, youth and people with disability in the political and electoral process is enshrined as an imperative in the constitution with article 81 (B & C) and article 100 requiring the necessary legislation to ensure that the electoral process provides for their representation. While Kenya is recognized as a bastion of democracy in Africa, the truth is our electoral processes is characterized by exclusion and is marred with irregularities, malpractice including voter bribery, a lack of transparency and for the most part tend to be violent akin to going to war. Voters are ill informed on the value of this civic process in manifesting their sovereign power and the will of the people, contributing to their failure to hold leaders and state institutions to account. Efforts at improving our electoral process have been well canvased over the years with clear recommendations made in the Kriegler report which we are yet to implement. Women, youth and people with disability have been designated as special interest groups ( a designation not given in the constitution) and through this labeling have been robbed of their fundamental human rights and entitlement to participate in the political and electoral process. This is manifested by the fact since the first election under the new constitution in 2013, the not more than two thirds gender principle has not been implemented despite numerous court orders including a dissolution order for parliament, Article 81 (c)providing for the fair representation of person with disability has bot been implemented and article 100 providing for parliament to enact the necessary legislations to provide for the participation of women, youth and other marginalized groups remains unimplemented. During the development of the charter of inclusion by CRAWN Trust, it was shocking to discover that in 2017 despite the provision of article 177 (B &C) over 10 counties failed to nominate the necessary women to ensure not more than two thirds of the assembly were of the same gender and failed to nominate the necessary numbers to ensure the representation of persons with disability. This means political parties nominated men for women seats and abled bodied persons for people with disability seats, in clear contravention of the constitution displaying their contempt for constitutionalism and the rule of law manifesting the deep-seated impunity that characterizes our political landscape. Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which Kenya is a signatory to, enshrines the principle of non-discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnic group, color, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status. Article 18 calls on all States Parties to eliminate every discrimination against women and to ensure the protection of the rights of women as stipulated in international declarations and conventions The constitution of Kenya mandates that the independent electoral and boundaries commission should provide braille materials for the voting process but as observed in the general election 2022, the commission failed to provide this citing budgetary constraints. This speaks to the callousness and casualness with which state institutions take the principle of inclusion which is a cardinal pillar interwoven throughout in the architecture of the constitution 2010. While we commend the registrar of political parties Madam Ann Nderitu, for the good work that she has done and continues to do with political parties, we expect a lot more from the ORPP particularly on matters inclusion. Political parties are the premium gateway to leadership and decision making spaces in Kenya and therefore hold the key to ensuring the inclusion of previously marginalized groups in political and electoral processes. They are mandated by law to carry out programmes to include women, youth and people with disability in political party activities and are funded by tax payers for this; however, we have seen little to none of this. Women, youth and people with disability party leagues have virtually no say about their inclusion and participation even in party processes. These women and youth groups have been a powerful resource for mobilising and organising for political parties and their candidates for the ballot but beyond the ballot, they have no pride of place. We have witnessed many women get short changed in the primary processes ensuring few get to the ballot with nominations being reserved for cronies and family in contravention of our constitution. The 2022 election has given us something to celebrate as we have seen an increase in elected women, youth and persons with disability despite the lack of enabling legislation and the many hurdles along the way but we are still far from the promise. For marginalised groups, it is not yet Uhuru. [...]

Curbing VAWiE: CRAWN Trust launches SayVU app

August 12, 2022News“One of the biggest barriers to women participating in elections and taking leadership positions is violence against women in elections (VAWiE), which includes physical, verbal, and psychological abuse in both public and private settings as well as more recent cyber-based assault.” Said Daisy Amdany, Executive Director of CRAWN Trust during the launch of the SayVU mobile application on 5th August 2022 at Sarova Stanley Hotel. CRAWN Trust, a change catalyst, provides African women and girls with the tools, voice, and platforms through which they can effect change at the individual family, community, regional, national, and continental levels in economic, social, and political spheres. As part of the organisation’s Leadership and Governance programme, CRAWN Trust seeks to contribute to ensuring increased safety measures for women engaging in the electoral processes as voters, aspirants, and candidates and to build solidarity and linkages to promote inclusion of women in the electoral process. The organisation seeks to be instrumental in contributing significantly to addressing the scourge of Violence Against Women in Elections-VAWIE as well as all forms of domestic Gender and Sexual Based Violence-SGBV. CRAWN Trust with the support of UN Women, Global Affairs Canada, URAIA and the African Women’s Development Fund; in collaboration with New Revenue Solutions Africa, has partnered with Kenlinks Solutions Limited to make available to women the SayVU application. A solution to addressing the challenge of Violence against Women in Elections. SAYVU is a mobile sensing app for emergencies. It detects emergencies in real-time and autonomously communicates with emergency services when its users cannot. SayVU system provides an individual with the capacity to easily ask for help, while delivering dispatchers and first responders with complete and accurate information within seconds, for quick and efficient response Within a fraction of a second, it provides first responders with richer and fuller information on a user’s situation so that they can act faster and more effectively. Its components are: First responders – Police, Ambulance, IEBC, Family members etcProtected Users – End User who could be in Distress or the Woman in ElectionEmergency Contacts – Family members or next of kin Command and control centre Stakeholders How the App works NEED ARISES: Woman in Elections or User is in distress, or sees someone else in dangerALERT SENT: A prompt alert or report with a voice message, images and video is createdNOTICE RECEIVED: Command & Control Centre, First Responders, Emergency Contacts and Relevant AuthoritiesAID GRANTED: Aid is received, and All communication archived for further review Dr Charles Otieno a consultant with the National Police Service highlighted that there are dedicated police officers across the country that will respond to all the alarms received from women candidates on the ground. UN Women has sponsored 1000 downloads for women candidates and for the next 1001 downloads will cost the person 5 ksh a day. All partners have confirmed its practicability. Mary Njeri from UN Women encouraged participants during the launch to spread peace during this year’s elections. The Application is one of its election preparedness strategies [...]

Call for Inclusivity in Governance

August 10, 2022NewsOn Tuesday 2 August 2022, Crawn Trust launched the charter of inclusion. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 details the aspirations of the Kenyan people for an inclusive government. Article 10 (2)(a) that provides for National Values and Principles of Governance, Article 27 (1)) and (3) provides that empasises on equality and equal treatment of all in political, economic, cultural, and social spheres. Article 27(6) and (8) provide that the state must take legislative, policy and other measures, including affirmative action to redress the marginalisation of previously marginalised groups and in addition to those measures, ensure that there shall be not more than two thirds of any gender in elective and appointive public bodies. Further, Article 100 requires parliament to enact a law to promote the representation in parliament of women, persons with disabilities, youth, ethnic minorities and other minority and marginalized groups. However, twelve years post promulgation, inclusion as envisioned in the constitution is yet to be implemented, perpetuating the continued the marginalisation of women, youth and persons with disability in leadership and governance in Kenya. It is against this backdrop that we developed the Charter of Inclusion which presents a renewed call and a standardised approach to advocate for the adherence to constitutionalism and specifically the right of representation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in leadership and governance in Kenya and to fostering the spirit of inclusion and participation. The Charter of Inclusion documents practical and effective approaches that target institutions of governance to establish legally binding obligations to enforce the provisions of inclusivity and equality as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and other legally binding laws. The Charter of Inclusion also places demands on a wide range of state and political actors to foster the principles of inclusion and the participation of marginalised groups.The document calls out the state actors such as the IEBC too exercise its mandate ensuring inclusive and fair elections nomination, elections education materials that cater to all, regulating elections to ensure free, legitimate and accountable elections. Calls to non state actors such as the media to ensure equitable accessibility to information by women, youth and people living with disability, extensively use affirmative action to ensure the inclusivity of marginalized groups and use of inclusive language In collaboration with the human rights commission, CRAWN Trust organised a spectacular event and invited the public from all the country together with key players in the government, civic society, diplomats and humanitarian organizations . This included IPOA, UN Women, Canada in Kenya, national council of people living with disabilities council and Africa youth trust just to name a few. The speakers affirmed the need for state and non state actors to implement and ensure inclusivity in governance as guided by the 2010 constitution of KenyaIn line with these, key representatives were required to commit to ensuring the framework is implemented. Through this, the civic society and its partners can follow up while also working with implementors to devise more feasible actions to realise the inclusion of women, youth and people living disability. On the same day, CRAWN Trust launched the political economy analysis, a researched aimed at creating an understanding of how women are affected by and within political economy. Most of the poor people are employed in agriculture with the majority being women. The majority of the women in the rural areas spend a great deal of time on low productivity work which has created major income disparities between men and women. The reasons for gender disparities in employment opportunities include segregation in the labour market, social attitudes towards women, inadequate capacity on the part of women in terms of their knowledge and skills and lack of gender-responsive policies and programmes.Besides having to balance out the gender and political roles amidst entrenched patriarchal attitudes and systems in society, women are rarely included in political participation because of their lack of capital and limited access to power. Our social structure which follows patriachal rule still heavily influences political landscape in Kenya. To ensure the emancipation of women in the political sphere, political institutions, Women Political Movements party leagues and the media each have a role to play. At the end of the event, all in attendance agreed on the gaps identified in the document. The need to consider women in the elective process by putting into considerations issues such as stereotypes. Making civic education accessible to people living with disability. Continued consultation and collaboration with partners in different fields to ensure equality. You can access the full documents here; Charter of Inclusion Document [...]

TOGETHER FOR WOMEN: CRAWN TRUST’S CROWD FUNDING SITE

July 28, 2022NewsAs Crawn trust, we are committed to give women tools and platforms that will enable them take up leadership positions. As observed in previous government, the 2/3 gender rule was not adhered to despite women rights organizations and civic societies lobbying for its implementation . Apart from that the civic society organization have been following on the implementation of electoral laws that seek to create a fair and balanced election. Professor Karuti kanyinga and Tom Mboya of University of Nairobi did a survey on the campaign expenditure for the year 2017. The findings were that women spend more than their male counterparts in all elective positions apart from the senatorial seat. However only 18% of the women who contested were elected. The elections finance bill sought to control the expenditure during Kenya’s election period but failed to do so in 2017 with the high court suspending the implementation of the act and in 2022, the bill has been met with much opposition with most members of parliament arguing that their dealings are and should be kept private. One of CRAWN Trust’s programs is Governance and Leadership and through this program we have worked with several leaders and aspirants. In light of this, CRAWN Trust has come up with an innovative way to promote the visibility and voice of women candidates seeking leadership positions. In a digital age, endless opportunities present themselves on how we can support women seeking elective seats. One of these opportunities is online crowd funding. With the creation of a website integrated with online payment options, anyone in the world is able to contribute towards a noble cause that seeks to emancipate women. Present in the site are women who have expressed interest and confidence in CRAWN Trust’s ability to deliver on its mandate. The platform offers women visibility to the voter and support from anyone in the country and beyond. Before committing to any donation, the user can interact with the candidate’s profile and view their manifestos. The site is easy to navigate with tabs for each elective position. Included in the site are women seeking Member of Parliament positions, women representative positions and members of county assembly. Each of this candidates have their manifestos attached to their profiles tailored to their elective areas. The site has a very easy to navigate user interface. As a user, you only need to view the profile of the candidate you wish to support, click on donate and key in the amount. Candidates are to log in, view the activity on their profiles that is; number of profile visits and donations analysis. The site also offers anyone the chance to register as a candidate and have their profile on the site ones reviewed by the CRAWN Trust team. We as CRAWN Trust want to lead a movement focused on the emancipation of women. We want to see women in leadership positions. We want to see people living with disability in leadership positions. We want to see the young people in leadership positions. Join us as we vote for women [...]

Dhobi Women Network launch a USSD code for prevention of GBV

June 17, 2022NewsThe Women’s Voice and Leadership-Kenya (WVL-K) project aims to contribute to gender equality and the increased enjoyment of human rights by women, girls, and gender non-conforming people in Kenya. The project funded by the Canadian Government Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is being delivered in Kenya by CARE Canada, CARE Kenya, CRAWN Trust, Uraia Trust, the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) and the Urgent Action Fund (UAF- Africa). CRAWN Trust is leading in the networking and alliance building pillar. Dhobi Women Network are members of the National Women Steering Committee (NWSC) Under the project, CRAWN Trust is working with seven networks among them Dhobi Women Network to address gendered concerns within their spaces of operations. An emergency code for gender-based violence (GBV) survivors to access help, has been launched. The USSD code *483*143# provides a one-stop platform for reporting incidents, connecting with a hospital for treatment, receiving tele-counselling, and finding a shelter. Developed by Dhobi Women Network, a CRAWN Trust network under the Women Voice and Leadership-Kenya project, the code promotes survivors’ protection of privacy and confidentiality. “The USSD code has incorporated the free toll lines giving multiple options in accessing emergency help,” says the network’s executive director Grace Ngugi. She says the idea of an integrated reporting system came about in March, last year following enforcement of a partial lockdown and curfew. She would receive calls from distressed women seeking help. It proved challenging serving all at the same time considering their emergency situations that needed immediate attention. “Now with Sh3, one can access the platform confidently and get help from wherever they are across the country,” she says. Community policingShe notes that the code promotes community policing on GBV issues since anyone can report the crime and facilitate a rescue mission without disclosure of the informant. Helplines for public litigation labour and children’s rights as well as psychosocial support are also available on the platform. Others are for human rights violations, persons with disability, migrants, widows and orphans. Kileleshwa chief Joyline Gatakaa, says the platform will improve reporting violence in the community. “Many times, violence occurs in the homes and community but people fear visiting the relevant government offices to report for fear of reprisal attacks,” she says.Should one, however, lack a phone or means to a phone to access the service, there are other options.Nyumba Kumi members, human rights monitors and grassroots activists are of great help to GBV survivors. Apart from chiefs, Nyumba Kumi members are the closest administrative officers in the villages. It is important to seek out their help instead of feeling powerless or suffering in silence. They are pivotal in not only rescuing survivors, but also safeguarding the evidence needed to successfully prosecute a GBV case. Nyumba KumiFor instance, it is through the Nyumba Kumi members that rescued girls and women are placed in shelters and safe houses.Human rights monitors live among the people and they are usually known to the community members. Often, they are trained as paralegals by the civil society organisations, and can offer guidance on the best action to take. They are also trained on confidentiality and documenting offences such as GBV. Since they work in a coordinated system involving the police, they can easily rescue the survivor once notified. It is easy to identify them by consulting the chief, clergy and teachers.They exist both in rural and urban areas, especially in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Narok, Uasin Gishu, Samburu and Laikipia among other areas. With the emergence of community-based organisations in every sub-county in Kenya, grassroots activists are in plenty. The media has also covered activists who are saving girls from early marriages and female genital mutilation. They are saviours in cases of dire need for help.Dhobi Women Network launch a USSD code for prevention of GBV [...]

Women Economic Forum- Reshaping the Kenyan Economy

June 17, 2022NewsCRAWN Trust initiated the ‘Women and the Economy’ series designed to be the ground zero for women’s economic emancipation, Connecting women to business and financial opportunities for growth and impact in the building skills as well as creating and building wealth for women form the bottom up, the series will be a game changer in women’s economic transformation. The ‘Women and the Economy’ series, will be contributing towards closing the gender gap and supporting women to enable them fund and grow their businesses to greater levels. The Inaugural Women Economic Forum 2021, themed Reshaping the Kenyan Economy through harnessing women’s potential was coordinated in Nairobi Kenya, virtually hosted to facilitate attendance from across the World, on the 24th – 25th February 2021. The Forum was hosted by, Community Advocacy and Awareness (CRAWN) Trust, the permanent secretariat to the National Women’s Steering Committee – NWSC, a coalition platform that brings together individuals and organizations working for women’s political, social and economic emancipation. The conference which attracted both county based and National level engagements was anchored in the Women Voice and Leadership (WVL) program which aims to contribute to gender equality and the increased enjoyment of human rights by women and girls in Kenya. The project was funded by Global Affairs Canada, delivered in Kenya by CARE Canada, CARE Kenya, CRAWN Trust, Uraia Trust, CREAW and Urgent Action Fund-Africa. The deliberations cantered around four thematic areas namely; Agribusiness, MSME’S as potential engines of growth and women entrepreneurship, planning and budgeting for women economic inclusion, opportunities in technology and innovation, manufacturing and value chains, media: shaping the narrative, tax and policy regimes, financial access and skills development. Speaking during the opening ceremony, CRAWN Trust’s Executive Director Daisy Amdany said that the forum drew attention to the importance of empowering women and girls in realizing their potential. ‘‘The forum wants to look at those women that are the backbone of the economy but are so invisible in the society. Those that operate in the micro and small enterprises. The economic empowerment of women is extremely important. When you’re economically empowered, it opens up a world of opportunities’’ she said. With women making up over half of Kenya’s population, their subpar representation in the national economic sphere is less than acceptable. Furthermore, women own and run more than 50 percent of all the informal businesses in Kenya making them invaluable economic drivers. Although there has been support for the empowerment of women which can be seen through different initiatives by the Government of Kenya both at National and County levels, there remain gaps making it difficult for women to participate effectively in the economic development of the Country. The Women and Economy conference shed light on these and other issues impacting women in Kenya’s economy and aimed to become a long-term change agent towards the realization of the true nation’s women socio-economic potential. The Cabinet Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service and Gender Beatrice Elachi pointed out the need for women’s inclusion in the economic recovery programme in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic. ‘‘2020 was a very tough year weighed down by the effects of COVID-19. The pandemic closed most of SMEs, but thank God we are moving through to recovery. As the Government and the Ministry of Public Service and Gender it is our responsibility to ensure that women are part and parcel of rebuilding the economy.’’ CRAWN Trust Chairperson Miriam Cherogony, guaranteed the Organization’s participation in ensuring women are not left behind in co-creating the economic recovery strategy. ”As the government of Kenya works on the post COVID economic strategy, we at CRAWN Trust are also ready to make our contribution to ensure women of Kenya are not left behind in co-creating the economic recovery strategy.” she added…. ‘‘As an organization, we are grateful to make our continuation through the work we do which includes this great conference. We know that supporting a more inclusive role for women in economic growth contributes not only to strengthened livelihoods but also to the growth of the Nation’s GDP.’’ A research Commissioned by CRAWN Trust on women and the economy indicates that women especially those in the informal sector are continuously excluded in effective decision making and access to resources due to the informal nature of their engagements. Further, the entrenchment of gender inequality and women disempowerment can also be linked to broader institutional inefficiencies such as weak policy and institutional frameworks with not much attention being paid to practical gender needs. These are some of the issues that have contributed to the minimal achievements in the fight for gender equality and women empowerment. The forum’s goal was driven by an urgent need for true gender equality in the national economic engine, where women are represented, included and availed as much opportunity as men. Where young women can have business and entrepreneurship aspirations and be able to pursue and achieve their business development goals without fear of any barriers, thereby being able to play a bigger role in their families, local communities, county and country. Achieving this ideal will mean a more sustainable economy with plenty of opportunity for all Kenyans. [...]

Kenyans Must Demand Better if the 2022 General Elections are to be Free, Fair and Credible

June 17, 2022NewsOn Friday, January 21, 2022, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officially gazetted Tuesday, August 9, 2022 as the date of the third General Election under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. In releasing the elections calendar the IEBC sought to assure Kenyans that the up-coming General Election would be free, fair and credible as required by the Constitution. In the run-up to the 2022 General Elections, we, The Angaza Movement (TAM), a national and grassroots collective of active citizens and Civil Society Organisations, are deeply concerned about the state of preparedness among critical institutions charged with the management of elections, their capture by various State and sectarian interests, and the entrenched culture of impunity. Every election in Kenya has been bungled since 2007. Kenya is still burdened by unresolved putative elections, which has deeply undermined public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process. The underwhelming performance of the IEBC in the ongoing registration of voters, compounded with a perennially problematic voters register does not inspire confidence that the election will be free, fair or credible. We are deeply concerned that IEBC has deliberately refused to learn from the dismal performance of the Enhanced Voter Registration last year. There is no evidence that it has engaged the National Registration Bureau to satisfy itself that the delayed release of identification documents is not suppressing voter registration. Voter registration is being carried out in the absence of civic education and awareness and bottlenecks in accessing identity documentation could deny citizens their political rights. The IEBC has papered over many of the legal and administrative changes the Supreme Court ordered in 2017 after nullifying the presidential election results on account of glaring illegalities and irregularities. The IEBC is hollowed out, and bereft of institutional memory because of unfilled vacancies in the commission and the secretariat. Many of the individuals who left the electoral management body in disgrace have been rewarded with appointments to sensitive positions that could affect the conduct of elections. The arrant refusal by the state to adequately and timeously fund the electoral management body, inordinate delays in effecting appointments and last-minute changes to the law undoubtedly destabilise the context in which elections will be held. The government has frustrated the electoral management body including denying the opportunity for any auxiliary elections funding from other development partners. The fragile security around the country, characterised by incidents of violence in Baringo, Laikipia and Lamu counties and headlined regularly by extra-judicial executions, forced disappearances and a general breakdown in police discipline signal that the window for delivering a credible, free and fair election is shutting. Past elections have been determined by the use of violence against women and other vulnerable groups, with no accountability for sexual and gender-based crimes. SGBV has become a defining feature of political violence employed to curtail women’s participation in the country’s governance. There can be no free or fair election in a violent environment ring-fenced by impunity. The IEBC, political parties, the legislature and the Executive continue to defy the Constitution and the courts to promote the inclusion of women, youth and persons living with disabilities. An election held in such a context cannot be said to be free, fair or credible. The IEBC and other state agencies have deliberately refused to uphold and enforce obligatory integrity standards. It has failed or refused to underwrite democracy in political parties, which are publicly funded, by requiring them to meet the constitutional requirements of transparency and accountability in their political processes. IEBC and other institutions have bowed to political interests that suppress the good of the people, their safety, security and democracy. The Angaza Movement believes that Kenya has the capacity to conduct free and fair elections. Chapter Six of the Constitution defines the standards for leadership and integrity. We are calling on every Kenyan citizen to do that which the IEBC and other state institutions have failed to do: Put integrity at the head of this election. [...]

Who we are

The Community Advocacy and Awareness (CRAWN) Trust is a change catalyst providing African women and girls with the tools, voice and platforms through which they can effect change at individual, family, community, regional, national and continental levels in economic, social and political spheres. CRAWN Trust is the host organization and permanent secretariat for the National Women’s Steering Committee NWSC, a coalition platform that brings together individuals and organizations working for women’s political and economic emancipation.

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What We Do

Crawn Trust provides its services in the following Thematic Areas

Leadership & Governance

The objective of the Leadership and Governance strategy is to transform leadership and governance in Kenya through values instillation, women’s full participation, gender equity and contribute to birthing leaders who lead with skill and integrity.

Networking & Alliance Building

The objective of the Networking and Alliance Building strategy is to build a critical mass of human rights defenders who will strengthen our discourse and amplify the voices of communities for democratic change.

Information, Education & Communication

The objective of the IEC strategy is to provide men, women, PWDs, and other minority groups with the skills and knowledge to demand and access equity, justice, inclusivity, and fairness from duty bearers