Plan of Action (2008-2012) to Implement the National Policy on Gender and Development.

This Plan of Action draws its strength from the National Policy on Gender and Development (January 2000) and Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2006 on Gender Equality and Development. Developed through a participatory process that included in depth interviews with selected key informants in sector ministries and consultations with the civil society organizations, the plan aims to ensure women’s empowerment and mainstreaming needs of women, men, girls and boys in all sectors of development in Kenya so that they can participate and benefit equally from development initiatives.
The objective of the Plan of Action is to: facilitate the mainstreaming of gender concerns in all areas of the development process and to provide a basis for stakeholders to initiate programmes to promote gender equality in the country.
Broadly, the Plan of Action addresses the nine areas of the national gender policy and Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2006 on Gender Equality and Development: (i) removal of impediments to equal access to economic and employment opportunities for men and women, (ii) poverty eradication and promotion of sustainable livelihoods, (iii) legal reforms to guarantee Kenyan men and women equality before the law, as provided for in the Constitution and under the obligations of the Kenyan State in international law, (iv) to enhance gender parity in political participation and decision-making, (v) education and training to enhance and sustain measures to eliminate gender disparities in access, retention, transition and performance in education for both boys and girls, (vi) health and population in order to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for both men and women through addressing gender inequalities pertaining to access and use of basic health services and facilities,(vii) the media in order to increase the participation of women in the media and communications sector and promote gender sensitive portrayal of both men and women in the mass media, (viii) peace security and conflict resolution, (xv) and environmental sustainability.
In order to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, the plan proposes the following activities: (i) conduct a study on existing agricultural technologies to establish their appropriateness and responsiveness to then various gender needs, (ii) monitoring the impacts and appropriateness of various technologies used in agricultural production, (iii) conduct research on strategic and practical gender needs in agriculture for the resource poor.
Regarding the reduction of rural poverty, the plan of action proposes to facilitate the mainstreaming of the needs and concerns of men and women in all areas in the development process in the country. For this purpose, the plan will develop the following activities: (i) to improve access to economic and employment opportunities for both men and women, (ii) enhance measures that guarantee equity and fairness in access to employment opportunities in both formal and informal sectors, (iii) improve vocational and technical skills of the marginalized and vulnerable individuals and groups. In addition, the plan also proposes in regards to poverty reduction and sustainable livelihoods, the following actions: (i) enhance equitable distribution of productive assets, wealth and opportunities, (ii) to create a gender responsive macro-economic policy formulation systems for sustainable development, (iii) lobbying for inclusion of programmes in line ministry budgets that address the needs of the poorest, (iv) participate in Sector Working Groups to infuse gender concerns in the ministry work plans and budgets, (v) to establish and maintain an up to date e-database for women’s participation in economic development at all levels, (vi) monitoring and evaluating the deployment of women in management, curriculum development and education counseling in the education sector.
In the context of governance, the implementation of the Plan of Action will use the institutional mechanisms provided in the Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2006 and other recent developments. These include Ministry of Gender Sports Culture and Social Services, Department of Gender and Social Services, the National Commission on Gender and development, Office of the Secretary for Gender and Social Services, Gender Officers in Ministries, Parastatals and Institutions of Higher learning, District Gender and Social Development Officers and dual use of government officers at the division level structures. The implementation process will be a collaborative effort between Government Ministries and Institutions, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), communities and other development partners. The approach of being self critical in a gender responsive manner by all the stakeholders is recommended at all levels for a sustained momentum in gender mainstreaming.