Upscaling Gender Data advocacy: KU-WEE Hub holds workshop with central economic Bloc

One of the Kenyatta University Women’s Economic Empowerment (KU-WEE Hub’s) key research approaches is advocacy. This approach ensures that data generated through the Hub’s studies is shared with policy makers and utilised for impactful Women’s Economic Empowerment policies and programmes.

To advance its advocacy efforts, the KU-WEE Hub convened a two-day workshop on May 7^th and 8^th 2025, at the White Rhino Hotel in Nyeri County. The workshop provided a platform to share key study findings, examine policy implications, and explore strategies to enhance women’s participation in the manufacturing sector. Bringing together stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and civil society, the event fostered meaningful discussions and generated recommendations for future interventions.

The Chief Guest was H.E. Dr. Mutahi Kahiga, Governor of Nyeri County, who emphasised on the importance of building collaborations between researchers and policy makers to ensure evidence-based policies and programmes for Women’s Economic Empowerment. These sentiments were echoed by Dr. Purity Ngina, Chief Executive Officer, National Gender Equality Commission, who added that strong working relations between researchers and policy makers ensure that policies and programmes are backed by credible gender data.  Other key stakeholders present were representatives from the Gates Foundation and senior officials from the State Departments for Gender, Labour, Skills Development, and Higher Education, as well as institutions like KICD, TVETA, NGEC, CAPYEI, and the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO.

Researchers presented key research outputs and engaged the stakeholders in a dialogue on what works to advance Women’s economic Empowerment in key sectors.

Integration of Transferable Skills into Basic and TVET Levels for Employability of Women in Kenya

The Principal Investigator presented on Policy Implications of Integrating Transferable Skills into Basic and TVET Levels. Based on the discussions with the key stakeholders, the following policy actions are recommended:

• Revise Curriculum Frameworks: Integrate transferable skills (e.g., critical thinking, digital literacy) into both Basic Education and TVET competency modules.
• Strengthen Trainer Capacity: Develop standardized CBET training programs with clear benchmarks for tutor competency.
• Gender-Inclusive Policies: Implement retention strategies for girls in STEM and male-dominated vocational fields.
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs): Engage industries in curriculum design, apprenticeship programs, and resource provision.
• Policy-Implementation Roadmaps: Accompany policies with detailed action plans, timelines, and budget allocations.
• National Advocacy Campaigns: Use media and stakeholder forums to promote the value of transferable skills in employability and job creation.

Improving Young Women’s Work Readiness through Apprenticeship, Internship and Mentorship

Researchers led a discussion on Policy Recommendations for Enhancing Young Women’s Employability through Apprenticeship, Internship, and Mentorship.

The thematic group discussions focused on identifying policy gaps and actionable recommendations to improve young women’s employability through structured apprenticeship, internship, and mentorship programmes.

Based on the discussions, the following policy actions are recommended:

1. Increase funding for gender-responsive and youth skills programmes. Government to review and adopt gender-responsive budgeting.
2. Strengthen partnerships between government, private sector, and training institutions. Training institutions to revise curricula with industry input.

• Standardize certifications and implement robust M&E frameworks.

1. Promote mentorship through structured programmes and digital platforms.
2. Private sector to expand paid internship and apprenticeship opportunities.

Women’s Livelihoods in Tharaka Nithi County

The Hub’s partner, Tharaka Niti County government was represented by, among others, Lilian Kiruja who is the Principal Investigator in the study on Womeen’s Livelihoods in Tharaka Nithi County and presented on Policy Recommendations for Enhancing Women’s Livelihoods

Based on the discussions, the following policy actions are recommended:

1. Policy Reform and Strengthen Gender-Responsive Policies: Advocate for laws ensuring women’s land rights and financial inclusion.
2. Technology Adoption: Scale gender-friendly innovations (e.g., hydrogels, digital training tools).

• Sustainable Funding: Mobilize public-private investments for women-centric agricultural programs.

1. Monitoring & Evaluation: Implement systems to track progress in closing gender gaps. Improving Access to Productive Resources: Enhance women’s access to land ownership, financial services, and credit facilities.
2. Promoting Skills Development and Education: Scale up vocational training, mentorship, and digital literacy programs tailored for women and girls and align training with market demands to increase employability and entrepreneurship.
3. Enhancing Social Protection and Labor Rights: Expand social protection coverage for women in informal employment.

• Investing in Childcare and Care Economy: Develop accessible and affordable childcare services to ease women’s unpaid care burden.

Female Wage Employment and Fertility – Implications for Socio-Economic Policy

Policy recommendations focus on improving maternal and child health by expanding antenatal care (e.g., in-utero health interventions) and diversifying social support systems to include financial aid and group-based credit. The study also calls for safer, non-hazardous work environments to enhance women’s well-being. Methodologically, Poisson/Negbin models addressed endogeneity and discrete fertility measures, with robust instrumental variable tests confirming validity. Future research should explore digital work innovations and psychosocial stressors. Funded by Kenyatta University’s WEE Hub, this work underscores the need for holistic policies integrating reproductive health, economic empowerment, and workplace safety to support Kenyan women.

To help translate the research findings into actionable policies and programmes for WEE, the Hub will develop and share policy briefs with line Ministries, Departments and Agencies