Women: Engines of Development
Women make up 52% of Makueni's population and are leaders in our families and communities. Yet they face significant barriers to fully participating in economic and social life:
- • Economic exclusion: Limited access to credit, markets, and productive assets
- • Underrepresentation: Few women in leadership and decision-making positions
- • Gender-based violence: High rates of violence and harassment remain a persistent challenge
- • Unpaid care work: Women bear disproportionate burden of household and childcare responsibilities
- • Health vulnerabilities: Limited access to reproductive health and maternal care
Our commitment: We will unlock women's potential through economic empowerment, leadership development, and protection of their rights.
Our Women Empowerment Strategy
Women's Economic Empowerment
Create economic opportunities and pathways to prosperity for women entrepreneurs and workers.
- ✓ Women's microfinance fund: 300M KES to provide low-interest loans to women entrepreneurs
- ✓ Support 5,000 women-led businesses through training, mentoring, and market access
- ✓ Strengthen women farmer cooperatives for better input access and market linkages
- ✓ Ensure 30% of county employment and procurement benefits women
- ✓ Provide skills training in high-income areas (tech, healthcare, management, trades)
Women's Leadership & Representation
Ensure women have strong voice and decision-making power at all levels.
- ✓ 50% women representation in county leadership and management positions
- ✓ Establish county women's council with advisory power on policy and programs
- ✓ Women leadership development program training 500 women leaders annually
- ✓ Support women for elective and appointive positions at county and national level
- ✓ Strengthen women's civil society organizations for advocacy and accountability
Women's Rights & Social Protection
Protect women's rights and provide support to those facing violence, discrimination, or hardship.
- ✓ Establish gender and violence support centers in all sub-counties with counselors
- ✓ Zero tolerance for gender-based violence: swift investigation and prosecution
- ✓ Provide quality reproductive health services including family planning and maternal care
- ✓ Support vulnerable women through cash transfer programs and social safety nets
- ✓ Strengthen women's property and inheritance rights through legal reform
Women's Education & Skills
Ensure girls have access to quality education and women have access to skills training.
- ✓ Scholarship program: 300 girls from poor families sent to secondary and university annually
- ✓ Eliminate child marriage and school dropouts through incentive and enforcement programs
- ✓ Vocational skills for 2,000 women annually in high-demand fields
- ✓ Digital literacy for women to access economic opportunities and information
- ✓ Mentorship connecting women professionals with young girls for inspiration
Women Empowerment Targets by 2032
Women businesses funded
County employment for women
County leadership representation
Gender-based violence reduction
Women Empowerment Investment
County Budget
Annual allocation of 600M KES for women's economic empowerment, protection, and leadership
- • Women's microfinance fund: 300M KES
- • Support services & safety: 150M KES
- • Leadership & skills: 150M KES
Development Partner Support
200M+ KES from international organizations supporting gender equality initiatives
- • UN Women programs
- • World Bank initiatives
- • Bilateral gender programs