GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN

KENYA DAIRY BOARD

BY :RACHEL GATEI
ON 2ND APRIL 2014
What is Gender Mainstreaming?
• Is a strategy for achieving gender equality

• Strategy to end gender blindness in devpt process.

• Ensures women & men, have equal access to &

control over resources, opportunities & benefits at all
levels.
 Govt Position on gender mainstreaming
• Government of Kenya is committed to promotion of gender
equality through several global and regional instruments,
conventions, resolutions and declarations e.g.
 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW),1981.
 The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1995
 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly Goal No.1& 3
(Eradication of poverty, G/ Equality and women’s Empowerment ).
 Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the
Rights of Women in Africa -2003
 The AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa- 2004
 Vision 2030 and Medium Term Plan (2008 – 2012
 National Policy on Gender & Devt,2000
 Presidential Directive on 30% A.A. for women
 Establishment of Maendeleo ya Wanaume (MAWE) 2012 an organization
to deal with the rights of men and boy child
 CHALLENGES TO GENDER
MAINSTREAMING IN KENYA
• Inadequate political will
• Poor funding of gender activities
• Misconceptions about gender in government and in
society (culture)
• Inadequate skilled manpower in Gender Mainstreaming
• Lack of gender sensitive indicators in plans, and in
M&E reports.
• Sensitize staff in gender mainstreaming
• Lack of gender sensitive budgets
• Lack of gender audits to verify prog. expenditure vs
benefits and impacts on men and women
Common definitions in gender mainstreaming
• Gender? It is the social construction of roles, responsibilities
and behavior patterns assigned to men and women

• What is gender equity?

• Fairness or level playing field, where fair treatment is
accorded to both men and women.

• Who is a Gender Officer? is the officer who will oversee the

running of all Gender mainstreaming issue s and is the contact
person between the Board and Parent Ministry on all issues
pertaining to Gender Mainstreaming.

• What is a Gender Committee: is the team that will handle

all gender mainstreaming issues and is drawn from all
departments in KDB
 Gender mainstreaming in Kenya Dairy
Board.
• History : Gender committee identified and
constituted in 2009 at KDB
– Developed first edition of Gender policy

• Committee was reconstituted in 2013

comprising members drawn from all
departments.
 Purpose of G-Mainstreaming in
KDB
• To ensure commitment and inclusion of all staff of either sex in decision
making
• To ensure that company policy on hiring staff is gender sensitive
• To outline the organizations expectations and requirements to maintaining a
gender sensitive work environment
• "To be responsible for translating gender mainstreaming into practice
throughout the Boards operations by management confirming support at the
highest lever and to be held accountable for any outcomes that may require
constant monitoring..
• To ensure that there is a clear management support and the allocation of
adequate and, if need be, additional human and financial resources for gender
mainstreaming from all available funding sources are important for the
successful translation of the concept into practice
• Building commitment and capacity within the Boards 15 Stations.
 Role of Management
• Integrate a gender perspective into all training programs
• Provide continuous gender training for all staff, including those at the
highest levels;
• Provide special training for gender experts to enhance their skills;
• Ensure that specialized gender expertise is available to them;
• Coordinate their training efforts through a system-wide evaluation of the
impact of gender-training.
• Ensure commitment towards an organization based on equality and respect
for human rights irrespective of sex.
• Management levels should be responsible for developing accountability
mechanisms to monitor progress with mainstreaming. One means of
ensuring accountability is to establish clear indicators of progress, which
will be monitored over time by management
• Recruitment/ vacancies should be made available equally for females and
males .
 Role of Staffs
• All staffs are guaranteed that they will be;
• Provided copies of the gender policy to read and understand the
expectations highlighted and follow them
• Provided with requisite tools for carrying out their respective
responsibilities as prescribed
• All staffs are guaranteed equal pay based on grading
• All staffs are guaranteed paid leave as prescribed in the terms and
conditions of service.
• All staffs irrespective of sex are legible for training where necessary
• All staffs are expected to treat one another with respect
 Role of Gender Committee
• Development of Gender policy that is in line with
expectations highlighted in the national gender and
development policy to guide mainstreaming activities.
• In conjunction with HR & Admin drive the
implementation of work place policy on gender based
violence and gender issues.
• Continuously train and sensitize staff on gender
mainstreaming
• Submit quarterly progress reports to National Gender
and Equality Commission on the level of gender
mainstreaming
 Challenges of Gender
mainstreaming
• Inadequate number of committee member
composition
• Inadequate participation by staff in gender issues
• Non inclusion of gender mainstreaming
in budget preparation
• Perception that gender issues affect women only
• Sidelining of emerging issues that affect men
(brainstorm session to identify issues)
• May have a policy that is good in theory but isn't
practical
 Achievements in Gender Mainstreaming in
KDB
• Timely submission of quarterly reports
• Management commitment to ensuring gender
mainstreaming is effective
• Trained gender committee members
• Development of Gender policy
• Development of Gender based violence policy
• Development of educational brochures
Questions & Answers
• The End