KASH-Shiriki - Gender Analysis Report

Gender Analysis Report
Shiriki Activity
Keeping Alive Societies’ Hope (KASH) and Partners

Disclaimer
This report was prepared by Silvanos Owuori (Shiriki Project Manager) and Bernadette Kina (Lead
consultant) for Keeping Alive Societies’ Hope and partners (National Organization of Peer Educators and
Strengthening Community Partnership & Empowerment). Information contained in here solely represents
the views of the Authors on behalf of KASH and partners. It does not in any way represent the views of
United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
© Shiriki 2015
Acknowledgement
This analysis was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States
Agency for International Development.
Technical support granted by Shiriki Project Advisory Committee and Technical Directors (Thomas Abol
of KASH, Amb. Benjamin Mweri of SCOPE, Philip Mbugua of NOPE, Job Akuno of NOPE and Jasho
Bomu of SCOPE is highly appreciated. Shiriki team’s synergy and hard work in Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa
and Kwale Counties that saw this analysis delivered and continue to ensure fair gender representation in all
aspects of Shiriki activities is greatly acknowledged.

List of Abbreviations
KII Key Informant Interview
USAID United States Agency for International Development
FGD Focus Group Discussion
NOPE National Organisation of peer educators
SCOPE Strengthening Community Partnership & Empowerment
KASH Keeping Alive Society Hope
FGM Female Genital Mutilation
WEF Women Enterprise Fund
CSO Civil Society Organisation
NGEC National Gender and Equality Commission
CWID Coast women In Development
SRA Support Request Application
CQASO County Quality Assurance and Standards officer
GBV Gender Based Violence
CDF Constituency Development Fund
MCA Member of County Assembly

Table of contents
Disclaimer..........................................................................................................................................................2
Acknowledgement ..........................................................................................................................................2
List of Abbreviations......................................................................................................................................3
Table of contents.............................................................................................................................................4
Executive Summary...........................................................................................................................................6
Summary of Key Findings...........................................................................................................................6
Tana River County ...................................................................................................................................6
Kilifi County..............................................................................................................................................6
Mombasa County......................................................................................................................................7
Kwale County............................................................................................................................................7
Background..........................................................................................................................................................8
Activity Overview and Rationale ...............................................................................................................8
Desk review on gender issues in coastal Kenya .....................................................................................8
Gender dimensions in policies, regulations and institutional practices.............................................9
Gendered cultural norms and beliefs........................................................................................................9
Gender Roles and Responsibilities.........................................................................................................10
Access to, and Control over Resources.................................................................................................10
Patterns of Power and Decision Making ..............................................................................................11
Methodology ....................................................................................................................................................12
Number of FGDs and Interviews conducted per county.................................................................13
FINDINGS......................................................................................................................................................13
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................13
Tana River County.....................................................................................................................................14
Gender roles and responsibilities.......................................................................................................14
Levels of participation..........................................................................................................................14
Involvement of women in decision making....................................................................................14
Socio-cultural norms and beliefs........................................................................................................15
How to promote women to take up leadership roles....................................................................16
Access and control over resources ....................................................................................................17
Contribution of Shiriki in bridging the gap .....................................................................................17
Effects of Shiriki activity on men and women negative /positive..............................................17
Kilifi County................................................................................................................................................17
Gender Roles and responsibilities in Kilifi County .......................................................................18

Women Involvement in decision making ........................................................................................19
Access and control of resources.........................................................................................................19
Expected contribution and effect of Shiriki project in bridging gender gap in county
governance ..............................................................................................................................................20
Mombasa County .......................................................................................................................................20
Gender Roles and responsibilities in Mombasa County...............................................................20
Access to, and control over resources ..............................................................................................23
governance ..............................................................................................................................................23
Kwale County..............................................................................................................................................24
Gender Roles and responsibilities in Kwale County.....................................................................24
Access to and control over resources ...............................................................................................26
governance ..............................................................................................................................................26
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................................27
LIST OF RESOURCES................................................................................................................................29

Executive Summary
The study entailed understanding of gender differences within the Shiriki project target counties in Coastal
Kenya. The aim was to identify the gaps in the levels of participation across gender and assess possible
differentiation effects that Shiriki project may have on both men and women. The lessons from the analysis
process will form basis for drawing conclusion and recommendations for Shiriki project for inclusive citizen
participation in governance.
Summary of Key Findings
Tana River County
Gender differentiation is distinct within the communities of Tana River County. Men are reported to
primarily take leadership related roles while women are the home makers and implementers of decisions
made by men. Women level of participation in public forums is relatively low though this is dependent on
type of public meeting and the level they are being held. Much lower level public meetings see better
participation of women compared to higher levels. Interestingly though the men from both the Pokomo
and the Orma felt they involve their women in decision making. But it is still apparent that in both these
two communities, religion, which in this case is Islam is one of the main disempowering tool. Girls at the
age of 14 are expected to be ready for marriage and not expected to achieve higher education status. Other
cultural practices such as female genital cutting and early marriages were also mentioned as exacerbating
prevailing culture of women disempowerment. Generally, it was felt that women have access to resources
but control over these resources rests with men.
Kilifi County
Participants in this county could not differentiate between gender and sex and like other counties men are
expected to be the head of their families while women are expected to be the home makers. Women were
reported to attend public meetings in large numbers, however, they remain passive and this was attributed
to lack of confidence and lack of ownership because they attend as representatives of men. Women
involvement in decision making is relatively low as it’s considered disrespectful of women to speak in
front of men. Women said that when a man pays bride price it is taken that they have ownership rights on
their wives though both genders have access to most of the resources. However, men exercise exclusive
control of most of these resources except mobile phones which women acquire through their children or
secretly save money.
Shiriki project once implemented it is expected to contribute to women empowerment in line with
community needs. Moreover, men will also be empowered to treat women as equal stakeholders in
community decision making processes.

Mombasa County
Unlike men, women in Mombasa County considered sex as irreversible while gender can be changed. This
can be interpreted to mean that women considered gender roles as flexible entities while men were
conservative. Moreover, participants did not consider childbearing as a shared role but rather a role
exclusively reserved for women.
Despite the fact that public meetings are held in this county, men do not like attending the meetings
because they do not want to be seen as ‘idle’. Besides, women participation is limited to local community
meeting where ‘less serious’ decisions are made.
Apart from the economic activities mentioned even in other counties, participants in Mombasa reported
sex work as an economic activity for women. Everyone has access to resources but control rests with
men; with exception of mobile phones.
Shiriki project when implemented was associated with reduced radicalization of the youth due to increased
awareness/information and improved security situation as a result of reduced conflicts. Moreover, male
participants attributed the impact of the project to increased recognition and respect of citizens by the
county government.
Kwale County
Besides the common interpretations of gender, girls in Kwale County added that gender is the way men
and women relate in the society. On the contrary though men felt that there is no difference between
gender and sex. Participation of women in public meetings was felt that it is high because women are the
majority in these meetings. However they are delegated by men to represent them and give feedback
thereafter. Religion plays a major role in socialization by facilitating boys to participate in community
activities, and it is a situation that is further aggravated by the schools management who regard girls as
lacking authority.
Regarding access to and control over resources in Kwale County, participants agreed that everyone has
access to most of the resources but control is primarily with the men. Men justified their control over
resources to access to education which they considered women not to have.
The study entailed understanding of gender differences within the Shiriki project target counties in Coastal
Kenya. The aim was to identify the gaps in the levels of participation across gender and assess possible
differentiation effects that Shiriki project may have on both men and women. The lessons from the
analysis process will form basis for drawing conclusion and recommendations for Shiriki project for
inclusive citizen participation in governance.

Background
Activity Overview and Rationale
Shiriki is a three (3) year USAID-funded Activity with a focus on enhancing Civil Society Organizations and
Citizen’s participation in governance and building conflict sensitivity in service provision by target county
governments. To achieve this goal, Shiriki Activity builds on the strength of three (3) implementing partners,
Keeping Alive Societies’ Hope (KASH) as prime partner, National Organization of Peer Educators (NOPE)
as the technical partner and Strengthening Community Partnerships & Empowerment (SCOPE) as the
strategic partner.
The Activity targets four (4) counties in coastal region of Kenya namely Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa and
Kwale. The project objectives are: (1) to build Organizational and Technical capacity of 12 CSOs in Kilifi,
Mombasa, Tana River and Kwale counties by 2017 (2) to strengthen conflict management mechanisms in
Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River and Kwale Counties by 2017 (3) to improve citizens’ knowledge and skills on
devolved governance in Kilifi, Mombasa, and Tana River and Kwale counties by 2017.
This Gender analysis sought to establish the challenges and opportunities for girls and women’s social,
economic and political participation in target counties. The following three objectives among other interests
guided this : (i) To identify relevant gaps in the status and anticipated levels of participation of women and
men (including age, ethnicity, disability, location, etc) that could hinder overall activity outcomes, (ii)To
identify differences in the status of women and men (e.g. economic, political, etc) that could be addressed
by the Shiriki activity and, (iii)To assess possible differential effects that the activity might have on men and
women. Findings of this assessment will guide Shiriki Activity implementation throughout its life.
Desk review on gender issues in coastal Kenya
Gender is defined in contrast to sex, to draw attention to the social roles of and interactions between
women and men, rather than to their biological differences. Male and female roles and the relations between
men and women are not unalterable but subject to constant change because they are shaped by society, i.e.
they are socially constructed and depending on ethnicity, class, age etc. Yet, in all societies the gender
relations between women and men tend to be clearly to the disadvantage of women (Cordula Reimann,
2001). The differences are apparent in all spheres of life including governance where by even despite
increased legislative, political and social support for extended public engagement in governance, there is
ambiguity over the best means to integrate more analytic-deliberative processes within extended and
fragmented decision-making frameworks. Globally, in the recent past the concept of participation has been
widely adopted especially within the discourse of development, however, much of championing is towards
participation in the social arena, in the community or in development projects. It’s only lately that there is
growing interest in championing for inclusive participation as individuals’ rights of citizenship as well as an
indicator of democratic governance. But even this form of participation at the Kenyan Coast is heavily
challenged by a number of barriers particularly the existing gender differences found in these communities.

Gender dimensions in policies, regulations and institutional practices
A popular approach that many states have adopted in the name of increasing citizen participation in
governance is decentralization. Kenya as a country adopted the approach by enacting a new constitution in
2010 (National Council for Law Reporting, 2010) as a legal framework that brought in the county
government system that is popularly framed as ‘devolved governance’. Within this legal framework, in 2011
through an act of parliament, the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) was created with the
objective of promoting gender equality and freedom from discrimination of all persons in Kenya. Many
legal provisions are in the process of being enacted and positive effects are still to be seen. Since legal literacy
is low among the Coastal Region, many women being unaware of civil laws, customary laws, which often
discriminate against them, are reverted to.
Despite the provisions in the constitution to fair gender representation (30% gender rule) much is yet to
be seen in all the counties of the Coast Region and Gender inequity is manifested in all spheres of life
in Coast Region. In Mombasa County for example in her first integrated development plan (2013
– 2015) the county notes that more than 80% of all the departmental heads and their deputies are men
(Mombasa County Government, n.d). “Gender inequity poses a great challenge 48% girls are enrolled in
secondary schools. Statistics from the Kenya National Chambers and Industry indicates that 70% of
businesses are owned by men while women and youth share the 30%. Majority of women in Mombasa
County depends on petty trade and lower income jobs. There is also low representation of women in
decision making organs (civic and development committees in Mombasa County). The same trend has also
been reported in major private sector in the county institutions such as hotels.” In other counties the
situation is no different. Women in the Coast region are also sometimes discriminated against in most areas
of formal employment and are often left with the worst paid jobs or no jobs at all. However there are more
girls’ only schools in Mombasa (7) than boys’ only schools (3)”
Gendered cultural norms and beliefs
Some cultural practices in the region are still detrimental to the advancement and the empowerment
of the female gender. Female genital mutilation (FGM) in Tana River County for instance, it continues to
be practiced with girls in particular from especially the pastoralist communities in this county being forced
into FGM secretly before being married off. This deters them from progressing with education and
ultimately not involved in leadership platforms. In addition, preference for male children in most coastal
communities often leads to neglect of the female child in the provision of basic human needs including
education. Since females take care of the young ones having illiterate mothers have a negative effect on
general education. This could be one reason for continued poor performance in national examinations
in the region. Wife bartering and gender based violence (GBV) against women is also rampant
among the communities of the Coast region. Anecdotal evidence shows that GBV against women is
often perceived by men as a something normal that should happen to women. In Kwale, for instances, it

has been reported that women are often viewed by their husbands as objects of trade. The husbands force
them to sleep with men so that they (men) can get monitory gain in form of compensation. In this case the
women are married but none of them is free to make informed choices over their sexual health rights. Some
organization like the Coast Women in Development have taken it upon themselves to work on prevention
and awareness of gender based violence in the Coastal region. They do this in collaboration with Pwani
GBV network.
Gender Roles and Responsibilities
Throughout Kenya's history, women at the Coast region like their counterparts in many parts of
Kenya have been subjugated to consistent rights abuses while shouldering an overwhelming amount
of responsibilities. A prominent example of this relates to agriculture, which creates over 80 percent of
Kenya's jobs and 60 percent of income. Majority of workers in the sector are women although due to land
rights and ownership it is the males who often benefits from the labour of these women . Much
of the household unpaid jobs in the homes of many families in the region are done by women. This makes
women spend a great deal of their time to unpaid yet demanding tasks and have very little time for
socialization or for self-advancement. It is the females in the region that spend a lot of time on the farms,
markets, as well as playing the very vital roles of caregiving in the family as well as housekeeping. Due to
low uptake of family planning services, many families are large leading to an increased burden of women
which makes it very difficult for them to engage in any meaningful economic activities.
Women in Coast region also have a poor perception of themselves and their abilities. Added to this is the
lack of knowledge about both their rights and the resources that are potentially available to them. The
situation is further compounded by the prevailing attitudes of the male dominated society to
women’s abilities and socio-economic roles. It is also evident that of late some men neglect their families
leading to households run solely by women, and because of a lack of fair income, most of these homes
suffer from extreme poverty.
Access to, and Control over Resources
Although currently, women do the vast majority of agricultural work and produce/market the majority of
food, in the Coast region women have limited access to productive resources such as land, capital,
farm equipment and agricultural inputs. Land has historically remained outside the control of women.
Inheritance practices in most communities in the region favour the male gender who can acquire land mostly
through inheritance and to a lesser extent through purchase. A woman’s right to land is usually limited to
user rights only. This implies that males can easily have access to other productive resources because
they can use land a s a security to borrow money if needed to purchase other productive resources. This
option is not usually available for women. As a result women from the region earn only a fraction of the
income generated and own a nominal percentage of assets. Only a small percentage of those earning a
formal wage throughout the region are women, leaving a huge percentage of women to work in the informal

sector without any government support. In recognition of this organizations like Coast women In
Development (CWID) offers education support for girls in poor families; this project identifies bright
girls from poor families that are reflected in CWID projects and offer support by facilitating them to
continue with schooling without interruption which is often occasioned by sending Support Request
Application (SRA) to government run bursary funds, Constituency Development Funds (CDF) donors,
individuals and corporate well-wishers. Women in the region relatively enjoy lower levels of education
and have limited training opportunities compared to their male counterparts. This again is because even
today in major parts of the region parents give priority (although, this is slowly changing) to boys’ education
particularly if the resources are inadequate. Other factors that affect the education of females include
unwanted pregnancies and the fact that they may be forced into early marriages by their parents
for economic gains. At present to some extend females students benefit from bursary and scholarships. In
the recent times through microfinance loaning schemes in which several institutions are providing
economic empowerment by advancing small startup loans which payable within a period is ranging
from one to three years for economic projects for women e.g. goat rearing project in Kilifi and Malindi.
Lure of easy and plentiful money coupled with new social norms (the relative anonymity and freedom from
familiar and village surveillance in the tourism locations) makes prostitution an alternative source of
employment for many young women when they go to the towns
Patterns of Power and Decision Making
Very few women vie for leadership positions in the region. For instance, there are very few elected
female political leaders in Kwale as is the case in the rest of the counties. In Tana River County there is no
elected woman apart from the Women Representative –a position reserved for women. Women’s voices
and issues are therefore under-represented in both political and public debate. Although the deputy
governor of Kwale is a woman, the Governor, Senator, and all four MPs are men. Most of the female
political leaders in Kwale as is the case in other counties from the region are appointed rather than publicly
elected, which undermines their legitimacy – and potentially, their effectiveness. The triggers for action by
public service officials in the county are firmly rooted in the (implied) threat of mass action, but
applying pressure for better service delivery is particularly challenging for female leaders, few of whom are
able to demonstrate strong public backing. The voices of women and female leaders are often heard
only in the context of so-called ‘women’s issues’, the identification of which risks excluding men
from engaging with solutions to these issues and reinforcing the boundaries that limit in which issues
women can have a voice. Some of the root causes that have led to a lack of elected female politicians and
the barriers to female political aspirants. Women in the Coast region are generally not expected to be
active in the public domain, and this is attributed to cultural norms that inhibit women from
participating in local civic processes (public forums, hearings) or standing for elections. Where they
do participate in these local processes, women’s voices are limited to speaking about the problems they are
facing – they are not seen possible providers of solutions or agents of change.

Methodology
Gender analysis for Shiriki project heavily relied on qualitative data gathered in March 2015, through focus
group discussions as well as key informant interviews conducted in the four target Counties. Data collection
was executed by field Activity staff with assistant from trained enumerators. Project officer in each County
conducted key informant interviews for both women and men in politics and leadership positions. Tools
used are annexed in this report.

The following methods will be used to collect data for purposes of gender analysis:
a) Review of available literature on gender issues in coastal region of Kenya
b) Focus group discussions with women (18years and above)
c) Focus groups discussions with men (18years and above)
d) Focus group discussions with girls (13>-< 18 years years)
e) Focus group discussions with boys (13>-< 18 years years)
f) Focus group discussion with both women and men (18 year and above)
g) Key informant interviews with women in politics or leadership positions (5 in each county)
h) Key informant interviews with men in politics or leadership positions (5 in each county)
The focus group discussions for women, men and mixed (women and men) were held at a central location
in each of the four counties (Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa,Kwale). Respondents in each group were drawn from
each sub county within the four counties.
Number of FGDs and Interviews conducted per county
Data Sources Tana
River
Kilifi Mombasa Kwale
KII with Men and women in politics and
leadership position
10 7 10 10
Focus group discussions with women (18years and
above)
1 1 1 1
Focus group discussions with men (18years and
above)
1 1 1 1
Mixed Focus group discussion (18 year and above) 1 1 1 1
Focus group discussion with girls (13>-< 18 years
years)
1 1 1 1
Focus group discussion with boys (13>-< 18 years
years)
1 1 1 1
FINDINGS
Introduction
The Kenyan National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) in their guide for County government
leadership on integration of gender equality and inclusion succinctly outlines elements of participation,
equality and equity that will support inclusivity at national and county levels. Inequality heavily impedes
economic growth and development as a whole hence it is important to be cognizant of elements that foster
inequalities so as to implement engendered efforts in promoting inclusivity in governance.

In this analysis therefore, a conscious effort is made to examine those elements that when taken into
consideration will enable Shiriki project achieve its goal of strengthening citizen participation in governance.
The analysis of different perspectives on the concept of gender, gender roles and responsibilities, levels of
participation in governance and decision making, and access to and control of resources from various
stakeholders in the four counties of Shiriki project have yielded varied findings. The findings are categorized
into counties and related across gender within the emerging themes.
Tana River County
Gender roles and responsibilities
Men’s roles are basically economically and financially oriented. Men are the main breadwinners for their
families and also play the role of key decision makers in their families. Men also attend crucial meetings held
by the communities and are responsible for the security of their families. Moreover, men play a
developmental role where they agitate for growth and change as they are the controllers of resources.
Women from both the communities play the managerial roles in their families. This is where they implement
on what the men have decided upon. They perform household chores, look after the children and act as
the bridge between the fathers and their children. Any critical issues that a father would like addressed to
the children is passed through the women and any conflict between the children and the men is resolved
by the woman.
In matters of peace building and conflict resolution, women are at the fore front as they understand that
together with their children they are the most vulnerable group.
Levels of participation
Levels of participation are relatively low. However, this depends on the type of public meeting and at what
level the meeting is held. Types of public meetings include national celebrations, public barazas, women
organizations meetings and youth meetings.
The levels of participation for both genders reduce as the tier goes up i.e. from the village level up to the
county level. Also various public meetings are held which attract various demographics. For public meetings
that are conducted by the national government at the county level men mostly attend. However, positive
discrimination is implemented whereby more women are invited to attend these meetings as opposed to
men. More participation is recognized at the lower levels of administration for example at the ward level
where people feel that there issues are being addressed to and they are given a chance to contribute on these
issues. This is because they feel that these issues directly affect them. Active participation among women in
public meeting however remains relatively low and as one FGD participant noted: “For public barazas more
women attend but in terms of participation they are passive”
Involvement of women in decision making

Even with limited sex desegregated data in most of the government departments in Tana River County, it
is apparent that women are not in leadership positions. The education department for instance, all senior
positions in the department are dominated by men. The County Director of education, three Sub county
Directors of education, County Quality Assurance and Standards officer (CQASO) the three Sub County
QASOs are all men in the county. Similar observations are made in other departments as well. In the health
department the county chief officer, the director of health, the focal persons in all the three sub counties
are all men. in the elected positions within the county government, all elected members of county assembly
(MCA) are men. The women present are nominated MCAs because of the one third rule in the constitution.
Community’s interpretation of this low involvement of women in decision making platforms was put in
two angles; along tribal lines and in terms of settlement. Tribally among the Cushitic community, women
are not to be involved in any decision making processes. For the Pokomo for instance who are entirely an
agricultural community, men felt that they involve their women in decision making arguing that “women
have been giving their opinions and it has been recognized at certain levels.” On the contrary however, at
the village level and in matters concerning communities, men are the ones who decide and implement
decisions made by the council of elders of various communities. The Pokomo have ‘ghassas’ while the
Oromas hanve ‘mathadedas’ which are form of community council of elders and they are made up of men
only.
Socio-cultural norms and beliefs
Communities in Tana River have two distinct cultural orientations with some being traditionally oriented
while others have adopted modern kind of lifestyles and living in urban settings. Those in urban settings
were reported as being ‘liberal’ and ‘civilized’ while the very traditional orientation was associated with
acerbating women disempowerment where women are not to be seen and heard neither can they own
property. Moreover, women in these traditional societies are distanced from leadership roles such as
administrative chiefs, county commissioners or any other similar positions. Among the Cushitic
communities, the culture stood as very oppressive to the women. As one key informant participant reported:
“The value system is that men are put at a more superior position to women and that the traditional
arrangement gives men more power that is further enhanced and enforced by their position as holders
of economic resources”
This culture does not value education with the belief that an educated girl will get to interact with other
men outside her community and she will end up marrying outside her community. Also its believed that
women will at some point become other people’s ‘property’ through marriage therefore educating them is
like wasting resources. As one chief reflected on the oppressive culture he said:
“I remember the time I applied for the chiefs position there was one lady who also applied, the elders
from that community followed the interview panel and demanded for the lady’s name to be scraped off
the interviewees list and the panel had no option but to obey. She was not given even the chance to
express her views to the panelists … that is how serious tradition is in this county”

Religion in this case Islam on the other hand was also seen as perpetuating lowliness of women in this
county. A woman for instance is not expected to stand before men in public and address them. Moreover,
girls are married at tender age of as young as 14 years and this deters them from continuing with education.
Other cultural practices such as FGM, tolerance of early (teenage) pregnancies, and marriage rituals have
also been major factors in negatively impacting on the levels of participation among the women. During
wedding celebrations for instance the bride is forced to hold a glass with hot tea in her hands in front of
the groom until the tea gets cold without dropping the glass as a show of humility. In the same vein the
bride is also beaten up by the groom before the public. This is a Cushitic cultural practice that may be
interpreted to symbolize emphasizing the superiority of men in this society.
How to promote women to take up leadership roles
Women should be made aware of the provisions of the constitution on matters concerning them.
Attain some levels of literacy - those young enough could go back to school while those that are older can
take up adult education. They should also encourage their female children to attend and move to the highest
levels of education if possible.
Sensitized on their rights and on gender issues - Most women are harassed by their male counterparts not
just because they do not know their rights and have no confidence to report the matter to the authorities
they only report to the elders who are all men and culture does not allow them to speak in front of men so
they cannot debate their grievances .Most of the time the elders rule in favour of the man so that the man
does not lose his superiority complex in the family.
Economic empowerment – The dependence on men for everything makes women more vulnerable and
unable to take up leadership roles.
Cascading of affirmative action down to lower levels of administration – affirmative action should be
implemented from the county government level to the ward and up to the village and family levels.
Gender mainstreaming – in matters development then it should be seen how the development will affect
both sexes. Without gender mainstreaming there is no development and both sexes should be brought
together in such issues to give their contributions and be considered equally.
Positive discrimination – this is where more women than men in terms of numbers are involved in matters
of decision making. The national government offices invite more women to attend their meetings this is
done deliberately to encourage women to participate in events and meetings. Strength in numbers give
women the confidence to stand before men.

Access and control over resources
Men have access and control over all resources. Women have access and control over some of these
resources likewise to boys and girls who have to seek for permission from their fathers to access these
resources.
Ignorance, low education levels, lack of resources and capital, lack of information, burden of domestic
responsibilities, early marriages, poverty, oppressive culture and lack of capacity and know how to run
businesses are some of the challenges that women encounter in accessing and controlling these resources.
Men visit social places and access information while the women are locked up by house hold chores
Contribution of Shiriki in bridging the gap
Sensitization of both men and women in matters of leadership and governance. Tailored programs that
would allow men to work together with women such as Bunge la Wananchi forums will pay a big role in
bridging gender based differential gaps. Gender inclusivity will go a long way in appreciating the roles of
women in the society like what Shiriki activity has done in their meeting by inviting equal number of men
and women will enable the men realize women’s potential.
Also, exchange visits where a section of women are taken to other counties like Mombasa and Kilifi to see
how women in these areas are actively participating in decision making processes since most women in
Tana River lacks exposure and they see the injustice as a way of life.
Effects of Shiriki activity on men and women negative /positive
Positive:
Shiriki Project will have a lot of positive effect depending on the approach it takes. If Shiriki decides to pick
and work on everything then it will be overwhelmed and ultimately fail. However, when it picks a niche for
example working specifically for the women and youth which are largely the fastest growing demographic
then the multiplier and ripple effect will be sevenfold. Through concentrating its efforts to a deliberate
targeted population, then the effect would be much more than what the project anticipates.
Negative:
I have fear on the Bunge la mwananchi since it will be an open avenue for the public to air their views, and
considering the fact that the public has a negative attitude towards county government, people are not
allowed to listen to the county assembly proceeding, am afraid the public will talk negative things about the
county government and it may not go well with the county government officials. …….matron
Kilifi County

Gender Roles and responsibilities in Kilifi County
Men and women in Kilifi County reported gender as the responsibilities that men and women are
assigned to by the community and differentiated this from sex which they said is the natural appearance of
being either male or female that not only applies to human but also animals. Contrary to this however,
girls felt that there is no difference between gender and sex arguing that they all refer to the differences in
being a male or female. Women on the other hand reported that gender is the roles that individuals are
socialized to as either men or women from when they are you. As one woman in the group noted:
“Gender are the roles that we are socialized to … the problem begins from very tender age on how
children are raised up.”
Men were reported as being the head of their families where they make decisions, take charge of
protecting their families, siring children and taking charge in molding desirable behaviors. Other roles that
were also associated with Men in Kilifi County included marrying off their girls and providing basic needs
such as food and shelter. On the other hand women were reported as home makers where they take care
of their men, children and other members of the extended family such as the parents, prepare meals, farm,
fetching water and collecting firewood. Boys noted one of the roles played by women is ‘training’ their
female children on being home makers and how to take care of their men when they grow up.
Both men and women unanimously agreed
that there are public meetings that are in
within their county with women clearly
articulating the nature of these meetings as
development committees meetings, parents
meetings at school, sub-location meetings,
leaders meetings, Bunge la Mwananchi
(People’s Parliament) meetings (mainly to
read other bills before taking to the citizens)
among others. For both men and women
they felt that women are involved in large
numbers in these meetings active participation remains low among them which according to women is
because of lack of self-confidence and the feeling that women are inferior to men. Men on the other hand
relate lack of active participation by women despite their large numbers to attending meetings simply
because men are out working but they do not have ownership as decisions are made by men. In assessing
the same with boys and girls, perception of participation in different activities was however different from
both gender. Boys felt that their participation in youth activities is higher than that of girls but on the
contrary girls felt that participation for both gender is high because they are given equal opportunities and
the environment is conducive for both of them. In addition girls reported that they also take leadership
roles of clubs in schools hence they take part in decision making.

Low involvement of women in public meetings is further demonstrated by their low level of involvement
in citizen participation forums such as the People’s Parliament. Both men and women agreed that women
are involved in citizen participation forums however their level of participation is very low. The reasons
noted for this were lack of confidence to speak in public, lack of support from other women and cultural
background that do not allow women to speak in public. In addition, women noted lack of role models in
high profile positions to act as mentors as one of the reasons for low involvement. Important to note
though is that there are places within the county of Kilifi that have good representation of women in
citizen forums including in leadership; a factor that they credited to the one-third gender rule that is
stipulated in the Kenyan Constitution. There was a caution from the women though that the one-third
gender rule has not correctly been interpreted and as one woman participant said:
“However the constitution aspect of a third is misleading some people because it does not mean a third of
all members but even above, a third of the leaders”.
Women Involvement in decision making
Participants from across the groups reported that women are not involved in decision making a factor
that men related to lack of powers to make decisions in the presence of men while women related it to
illiteracy, early pregnancies and lack of confidence. Specific socio-cultural practices and norms that were
associated with lack of women involvement in decision making included women being seen as
disrespectful when they speak before men and bride price and inheritance that depict women as
‘resources’ belonging to men. In addition women felt that violence against women kills self-esteem further
alienating women from leadership positions.
Interestingly despite girls noting that they are hardly involved in decision making at home, they did not
feel that there are any socio-cultural norms and practices that enhance gender differences. Boys were also
in agreement that girls are not involved in decision making unlike them who are involved by their fathers
in especially making a decision in purchasing/selling of land. Their reasons were that girls are not involved
one because they will get married at some point and two because girls do not know how to keep secrets.
Boys also felt they even have the authority to bring their parent together when there is a disagreement.
To promote women to be in leadership it was unanimously agreed that men should build the capacity of
women beginning at the household level where they can make decisions as well as empower them
economically by enabling them start income generating activities (IGAs). In addition, there was a call for
men to educate their girls, to respect and support women in their leadership endeavors and consciously
apply the gender-rule as called for by the constitution.
Access and control of resources
Main economic activities in Kilifi were reported to include small scale farming of especially fruits, cashew
nuts and coconut, small scale business of especially palm tree products, salt and sand harvesting, mining,
fishing, tourism among others. In these economic activities women are mainly in the small scale business

together with their girls where they sell products generated by their men such as palm wine, coconut
fruits, fish etc. Boys on the other side join their fathers majorly in fishing, palm wine tapping and mining.
Government will and support in the uptake of these economic activities was reported as present through
establishment of kitties such as Uwezo fund ad WEF to boost small scale businesses, subsidies in farm
equipment such as tractors and fishing boats, and presence of extension officers at the ground.
Looking at access and control of resources in order to meaningfully improve economic activities in Kilifi
County, it was apparent that there is access to most resources across all gender however control was
perceived differently by both men and women. Women felt that control is solely by men save for mobile
phones that they acquire through their grown children or secretly saved money. Men on the other hand
felt that all have control and access of most of the resources apart from land where its men who have
control.
There was agreement however that women generally experience challenges in accessing resources and
opportunities. This was associated with lack of political good will to make a change and social-cultural
factors that are engrained within the patriarchal lineage system. The payment of bride price for instance
was cited as the reason that women are treated as another property that should be controlled by men.
Expected contribution and effect of Shiriki project in bridging gender gap in county governance
Shiriki project was felt that it will be an avenue of funding for CSOs, people at the grassroots will be
aware of their human rights and existing structures such as Bunge la Mwananchi will be strengthened. As an
effect of the project participants said that women will be empowered, there will be improved CSOs,
reduced cases of early marriages and general improvement in the county as a result of implementation of
projects that reflect community needs. Other effects of the project that were reported included improved
self-confidence/self-esteem for both men, women, boys and girls hence able to be part of decision
making processes. Moreover, women felt that they will be viewed as able people and they can be leaders
in the society, and both gender felt that participating in Shiriki project will raise their social status and
present them as role models in the society.
Mombasa County
Gender Roles and responsibilities in Mombasa County
Both men and women in Mombasa related gender to the differences in the roles of men and women as
framed by their society. Participants from across the groups differentiated gender from sex noting that sex
is the physical appearance and characteristics that distinguish men from women. Moreover, women
further distinguished sex from gender by pointing out that sex cannot be reversed but gender can be
changed. Across all gender however the roles are clearly defined with men standing out as the ‘head of
families’ or rather leaders of their families where they make decisions and provide security. Men also were
associated with providing basic needs for their families such as food and shelter. Women on the other
side were presented as nurturers with the responsibility of providing child care and being care takers of

their homes. Interestingly though, procreation which is for both men and women, it stood out more for
women whose one of their main role was reported as childbearing.
All participants reported that there are public meetings that are held in their communities in Mombasa
County and all noted that it is women who attend these meetings in larger numbers. A fact that men
participants associated with most women being unemployed hence less engaged and also that they are the
majority in the community. Women on the other hand attributed their participation to their curiosity and
the fact that they do not take things for granted hence will always be ready and willing to respond to
calls/invitations to such meetings as well as their expectations to benefit financially from such events.
Important to note however is that this participation is more limited to community local meetings such as
school meetings or chief’s barazas.
The views from the boys and girls were however different with all noting that there are no significant
differences in participation between boys and girls though participation was dependent of available
resources, type of activities, skills and the physical strength associated with the activity. Nevertheless, it
was apparent from across men and women that the influential individuals and decision-makers in such
public meetings are majorly men regardless of their low numbers. Interestingly women felt that men have
important things to do than attend meetings and that they habour certain fears that they will be viewed as
‘idle’ when they attend public meetings. Men’s strength in decision making was related to the perception
that men are socially accepted as the main decision makers who will always dominate and use their
culturally constructed superiority to push for their agenda. For women it was reported that they are
deterred by lack of confidence to speak/share their views in public forums and lack of empowerment.
In assessing about women involvement in citizen participation forums and other informal public forums
such as Bunge La Mwananchi, it did emerge that women are members of these forums with even some
taking a lead or facilitating their operations. However, more often than not active participation and
contribution is dominated by men thus influencing most of the decisions. It was actually felt that the
women who are active and vocal in these forums are ‘activists’ who use their skills and the little
confidence to make their voices heard. But this remains as a very small fraction with most women lacking
confidence to talk before men and the cultural inclination that decisions made by men are flawless and the
right ones. In the mixed group, male dominance was felt to be perpetuated by the patriarchal systems of
governance and leadership and the perception that Women are easily compromised thus can’t be trusted
with leadership positions.
Achieving inclusive participation in citizen forums was noted that it’s almost entirely dependent on the
leadership. Whereas citizen forums with good leadership have an almost balanced gender representation,
others with poor leadership have men as the majority members and coupled with rowdiness. This make it

even difficult for women to participate. Most citizen forums therefore were apparent that they facilitated
by men who in turn constitute the people dominating discussion agendas.
The cognitive process of deciding about
something important, especially in a group of
people or in an organization is critical to
leadership. In Mombasa the indulgence in that
process is reported as being lopsided where
women involvement is rated very low. The
participants across all the groups felt that all
public forums that report as a requirement to
have a certain percentage of women involved in
leadership are just done as a formality;
otherwise decisions remain at the realm of men
and more often than not are made prior to ‘deciding’ forums. This has negatively influenced their level of
participation since they don’t expect their contributions to be considered. Men related this limited
involvement of women in decision making to society framed gender roles and responsibilities that
recognize men as leaders and lack of empowerment among women of especially rural areas. Other
barriers that were reported include the social-cultural norms that expect women to be listeners and
implementers rather than decision makers and individuals’ marital status. Whereas, married women may
have a little chance to be accepted a s a leader in the community, unmarried women are not expected to
be in leadership as they are regarded as not able to make decisions for lack of ‘life experience’.
Women involvement in leadership was also related to limited economic power, women seen as sexual
objects whom to take leadership role they ought to give sexual favours, women lack of confidence with
each other, and women are not in favour of hierarchical kind of leadership as is demonstrated by their
presence in Chamas. The feeling however is that these sociocultural barriers to leadership are ingrained
from childhood with boys being made to feel that they are superior to girls. Boys and girls for instance
reported that they are not expected to interact with each other so much with emphasis being put on boys
that too much interaction with girls will make them behave girlish. This acts to exacerbate the intuition
that girls are weaker than boys. All participants however still felt that most of these norms and beliefs are
waning off and slowly losing their influence as a result of increased accessibility to education and
globalization. Boys and girls can now participate though minimally to activities initially thought to be
exclusively a reserve of the other gender.
To further improve on women involvement in leadership in Mombasa county, men felt they need to
promote and support women empowerment initiatives, employ affirmative action, enact legislation that
promote women leadership and intensify civic education that will empower women to take up leadership

roles. In addition, both men and women felt there is need to loosening their grip on the social norms and
cultural beliefs that hinder women to take up leadership roles, and support the girl-child education.
Access to, and control over resources
Main economic activities that were highlighted by all the groups in Mombasa were majorly small-scale
business orientated in the fishing industry and transport, as well as salaried employment. Women economic
activities reported were however more in the food industry and providing childcare services in other people
homes. Sex work was also regarded as an economic activity for women by both men and women.
Regarding how the national/county governments are supporting uptake of these economic activities by the
community, formation of kitties targeting special interest groups such as Women Enterprise Fund (WEF),
Uwezo Fund for the youth and Constituency Development Fund (CDF) were reported as government
initiatives to promote small scale businesses and ultimately improve the economic power of these groups.
Moreover the county government of Mombasa was reported as being in the process of enacting
law/regulations that would ensure different levels of businesses pay different fees/charges thus promoting
the small businesses especially in the rural areas. Men however felt that the government has still done very
little in improving the economic power of its citizen and if anything they have made it difficult with some
of the levies having gone up with the coming of the county government. Women also felt that in the county
of Mombasa there is limited knowledge regarding these government efforts hence citizen are not taking up
the opportunities available to improve their economic power.
Both men and women felt that they all have access to a number of resources including land, equipment,
labour, money and others, however, women, boys and girls did not have control over these resources.
Control rests solely with the men save for mobile phones. This limited control from women was related to
the fact that women are generally not the decision makers be it at the household level or even at the
community level and this greatly influences their level of control on key resources even though they could
have access to some. Also, low economic power in women and cultural practices such as inheritance that
follows the patriarchal lineage deters them from owning resources that they could have both access and
control.
Shiriki project that aims to improve citizen participation in governance was associated with increased
access to information, improved service delivery due to increased social accountability, increased
confidence and courage to share ones views and thoughts in public forums, increased level of
participation of both genders, improved gender equality with the involvement of both gender groups in
county issues, increased numbers of women in leadership positions due to the empowerment, reduced
radicalization of the youth due to increased awareness/information and improved security situation as a
result of reduced conflicts.

Men reported that some of the effects of participating in Shiriki project would include things like
expanded and strengthened current activities and initiatives on citizen participation, increased engagement
between the county government and citizens, increased recognition and respect of citizens by the county
government and other service providers and change in attitude on the citizens and the county government
officials. Women were more concerned about corruption and what change in the level of involvement of
women in leadership hoping that inclusive participation will have effect on accountability and reduced
levels of corruption, increased involvement and contribution by citizens as a result of improved
confidence and knowledge, enhanced activism and advocacy activities to influence decisions and increased
knowledge and understanding of human rights including access to information.
Moreover women felt that Shiriki project will come with a change in behavior that will change the way
other people think about women in the community. Men felt that as an outcome of the project they will
be informed and empowered hence members of the community will regard them highly/higher than they
do now thus changing our status. However, men held the perspective that change will not be at par for
both gender in some cases because of societal issues/expectations; if so women may be seen to be against
the social norms by taking up some of the “men’s responsibilities”
Kwale County
Gender Roles and responsibilities in Kwale County
Similar to what is observed in other counties, both men and women in Kwale county related gender to the
differences in the roles and responsibilities prescribed to men and women by the society. Most
participants across the groups differentiated gender from sex noting that sex is the biological deference
between men from women. Girls further added that gender is the way men and women relate in society.
On the contrary however, men felt that there is no difference between gender and sex.
Gender roles are hover clearly defined as presented across all the groups with men standing out as the
‘head of families’ where they make decisions and provide security. Other roles that were associated with
men include providing basic needs for their families such as food and shelter, disciplining their children
and providing their children with education. Women on the other hand came out as nurturers and helpers
to their men whereby they provide child care, cook, train children on household chores and help their
men in disciplining children.
Public meetings are held in Kwale County as was reported across all the groups and individuals. Some of
these meetings include Chief’s barazas, weddings, funerals, public holiday events and school meetings. All
participants reported that majority of the people who attend these public meetings are women with low
participation from men being related to being at work when the meetings are being held, men ‘delegate’
women to represent them in these meetings and give feedback thereafter. Men reported that women
basically participate in meetings more at all level in the county however women argued that despite their
attendance in high numbers, decisions are mostly made by men. In addition women felt that their

participation in county affairs at all levels is still very low and this they associated it with lack of
confidence, socio-cultural barriers such as religion, illiteracy and lack of exposure.
Contrary to what was reported for men and women adults, boys and girls reported that participation in
youth activities such as clubs is higher in boys than girls. This they said is because boys easily get
permission from parents to participate, boys are more courageous, and they are not deterred by religion as
much as girls.
In Bunge La Mwananchi however women participation is generally very low. Participants reported
reasons such as most women are assumed illiterate and they usually feel inferior before men. This is
further accentuated by religion which according to participants the Islamic religion does not allow women
to speak in public gatherings.
Relating this to girl involvement in leadership roles, participants reported minimal involvement with girls
citing that boys are given priority by school management to take such roles and girls are regarded as
lacking authority. The minimal involvement comes in when may be a girl has to stand in for a boy who is
absent and generally girls are relegated to deputizing positions.
Involvement of women in decision making was felt that is dependent on the level of education, self-
confidence and probably popularity in the community. Specific areas where women are mostly involved in
decision making include in weddings and women groups. There are other areas where women are
minimally involved such as in resource allocation meetings, conflict resolution at household and
community level meetings, inheritance related meetings and in burial ceremonies. For instance women are
not allowed to allocate burial sites.
Women related their low involvement in decision making to discrimination, lack of economic power to
support their quest to be in leadership, women are not valued in society and gender based violence. To
improve the situation however women suggested intensified civic education targeting both gender and
improved education among women. In assessing girls’ and boys’ perspective on decision making, it
emerged that girls are taken to be weak in decision making and are also not involved because they do not
know how to keep secrets.
All the above factors were agreed that they are facilitated by certain socio-cultural norms and practices
hence making it difficult for women to be in decision making processes. Religion for instance was
highlighted at the main issue that perpetuates gender differences with the Islam religion recognizing men
as the decision makers. Also within the Islamic religion, dressing code was felt to deter women from being
in decision making platforms. As one participant argued:

“Women not allowed to dress in a manner that suggests they have worn half naked and thus the
community prefer Buibui, lesos and ijabu/ninja. E.g for the case of those who wear Ninjas it might impede
them from decision making since it’s not easy for such a person to be known or recognized by
community members thus her sentiments cannot be taken with weight or this can also make such a
person not to be able to contest or vie for a leadership position which enhances decision making”
Similar sentiments are made by girls who argue that boys continue to be given priority even in education
hence widen the rift in gender differences. As one girls noted:
“In most of the cases boys are given more time/ opportunities in most of the things happening e.g. a
good example is during evening preps boys are given enough time to go for preps and even extend but
that cannot happen to girls whom by specific time they are required to retire for bed”.
Access to and control over resources
Unlike other counties that majorly assessed their main economic activities more at an individual level,
Kwale County participants outlined the major economic activities that drive their county economy and
this include tourism, fisheries, mining and agribusiness. Women however outlined main economic
activities with the small scale businesses industry which majorly were in the food industry. In small scale
business is basically where women are and they are supported by their girls while the boys support their
fathers in especially fishing.
Government support in the uptake of the mentioned economic activities was seen on the provision of
micro-finance opportunities such as the Uwezo Fund, WEF and Youth Development Fund. Other noted
support from government was from subsidized farm inputs and equipment and different forms of
trainings through the government extension officers.
Similar to other counties, Kwale County participants reported women as having access to most of the
resources but control is primarily with the men. Interesting to note though, men in Kwale felt that women
do not have access to education while girls is only to 30%. On the contrary women felt they not only have
access to education but also control over it. In a mixed group discussion their views were that apart from
land where women do not have control, they have access and control to all other resources.
Participants from Kwale felt that Shiriki project will make leaders accountable by responding to the
community needs, men and women will be provided with a common ground for understanding each
other in the governance and development agenda and leaders will know and appreciate their role. Other
benefits that were highlighted include improved girl child education, more women in leadership and
informed young people that have a voice in their county affairs. Effects such as gender balance, increased
self-esteem and confidence in girls were perceived as some of the effects that will come with participating
in Shiriki project. Moreover, participants felt that as a result of the project citizens voices will be heard by

relevant authorities and there will be increased information sharing at the community as more women will
be involved in decision making.
Fida, Ilishe Trust, Kwale Human Rights Network among others were some of the initiatives that were
mentioned that also facilitate involvement of women in governance in Kwale County.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
From the findings it is evident that in all the four counties more so in Tana River County there is need for
women empowerment and civic education to help women understand about their rights as enshrined in the
constitution so that they are able to participate in elective positions hopefully beginning 2017 general
election. Moreover it is clear from the findings that in places like Tana River and Kwale Counties women
disempowerment is part of the socialization process where boys have always been given recognition and
priority in education including by school management where they take leadership positions from early ages.
To realize the expected impact of Shiriki activity on accountable county leadership, gender balance in county
leadership, and increased engagement of county governments and their citizens, a number of
recommendations have been made as follows:
1. Shiriki Activity should consider civic education and inclusive leadership as key deliverables during
the development of the curriculum for Uzalendo Youth Camps. This should be factored as one of
the aspects which needs to be addressed in the identified existing gaps.
2. Shiriki to leverage with selected CSOs such as Kwale Education Network, in order to strengthen
the element of governance and leadership in schools. Such CSOs are in better position to even
share the findings from the gender analysis exercise and come up with competent approaches for
addressing the gender biases in schools leadership. Moreover this will form the basis upon which
inclusive leadership is developed from early years in schools.
3. Level of women participation in Bunge La Mwananchi has generally been rated very low. Apart
from the mentioned reasons behind this in the Gender analysis document, it was also noted that
one of the factors which attribute to low participation in such debates is the time at which these
forums are done. More often than not they are conducted during the evening when men are from
works while women use this time to engage with household chores. As a recommendation
therefore, Shiriki Activity in their mandate of strengthening Bunge La Mwananchi, the situation
should be treated contextually where by all community members across gender should come up
with an agreeable time that will ensure maximum participation for both men and women. Other
women-only forums such as Sauti ya Wanawake could also be used to engage more women.
4. Based on the observations made with participation in the gender analysis exercise, it is very much
easier to mobilize the more ‘exposed’ individuals in the community who more often than not are
treated as ‘activists’. To reach more women at the grassroots therefore, it will be important for
Shiriki Activity to partner with CSOs that are felt on the ground to mobilise women to participate
in leadership and governance platforms. One such structure is the Nyumba Kumi structures which

seek to enhance the participation of community members in improving security. CSOs closely
working with the Nyumba Kumi approach will be ideal to engage.
5. It is apparent from the findings that a number of socio-cultural norms and practices exist in the
four target counties and they immensely affect women to participate in decision making.
Socialization process was highlighted as one such barrier which therefore can be interpreted to
mean that people may actually not be aware of the impediments to women involvement in decision
making. Feedback to the target communities on the findings of gender analysis exercise will be a
good approach as this will not only highlight the issues specific to deferent counties but Shiriki as
a project will also have input from the community on the best way to address the identified gaps.

LIST OF RESOURCES
a) Cordula, R (2001) Towards gender mainstreaming in crisis prevention and conflict management –
guidelines for the German Technical Co-operation. Deutsche Gesellschaft
b) National Council for Law Reporting (2010) The Constitution of Kenya. Available from:
http://www.kenyaembassy.com/pdfs/The%20Constitution%20of%20Kenya.pdf

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