Women governors push for greater representation in leadership

Women governors under the auspices of the G7 caucus have vowed to lead a sustained campaign towards empowering and mentoring more women into positions of leadership.

Speaking yesterday during a guided tour of various development projects in Machakos County hosted by Wavinya Ndeti, the leaders vowed to team up not only to achieve socio-economic transformation of their counties but also to grow the number of women in influential leadership positions across the county.

The leaders pledged to leverage their platforms and influence to foster an environment where future female leaders can thrive.

The initiative comes at a time when global discussions on gender parity and women’s empowerment are gaining momentum, particularly in political and corporate leadership.

The women governors acknowledged the challenges that women often face in ascending to leadership roles, including systemic barriers, gender biases, and a lack of access to networks and mentorship opportunities.

To address these challenges, the leaders plan to establish comprehensive mentorship programmes, provide resources for leadership training, and create forums for young women to engage with and learn from experienced female leaders.

“The idea of G-7 is to encourage women aspiring for leadership and show them that it can actually be done. We also want to show that women exemplify exceptional leadership qualities as demonstrated by Governor Wavinya,” Kirinyaga County boss, Ann Waiguru who is also the chair of the Council of Governors said.

The visiting governors who included Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), Cecily Mbarire (Embu), Susan Kihika (Nakuru), Fatuma Achani (Kwale) and Waiguru lauded Wavinya for initiating Machakos Youth Service, a program tailored to uplift the youth from poverty and transform them into wealth creators.

“What I was able to learn from this visit and I thank Governor Wavinya for is introducing the program of Machakos Youth Service. I am confident that it will be a game changer and will consider also introducing the same in Nakuru county,” Governor Kihika said.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Mbarire who vowed she would copy-paste the concept and launch Embu Youth Service.

“As women leaders we are trying to learn from each other and exchange ideas that work for the benefit of our electorate,” she said. 

On Tuesday, Ndeti concluded a series of countywide public participation forums to engage the youth on some proposed amendments to the Machakos County Youth Empowerment Act, 2022 which seeks to anchor Machakos Youth Service in law. 

“Ms Ndeti has done a lot in the last two years even though she took over the reins when counties were not receiving a lot of money. You need to support her to complete her 10 years,” Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga said.

Some of the key development projects that the leaders visited included the groundbreaking of the construction of Athiriver Level 4 hospital with a bed capacity of 102 which will have the potential to handle about 88,000 patients annually. 

At New Machakos City, Ndeti led her colleagues in laying the foundation for the construction of a giant speciality hospital named after the famous freedom fighter, Muindi Mbingu.

The 600-bed capacity facility which is scheduled for completion in 2026 will house a modern cancer centre, Mother and Child complex among other complex medical services. 

Also unveiled at the Machakos New City site was an upcoming modern sports complex that will accommodate an Olympic size swimming pool, indoor and outdoor games as well as training facilities. 

An already completed and fully equipped Gender Based Violence rescue centre was also commissioned. 

Today, the G7 forum will be hosted at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos where about 10,000 aspiring women leaders have been invited.