The President emphasizes on the commitment by the Jubilee Government to improve the plight of women and girls in Kenya and to promote gender equality and women empowerment.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to preside over today's commemoration of International Women's Day.
This year, International Women's Day coincides with our 50 years anniversary of independence.
It is a watershed moment: a time to appreciate how far we as a people have come. But more importantly, it is a time to re-dedicate ourselves to the full freedom and participation of our mothers and sisters in building our nation. We all know the role our women played to liberate our nation.
Over the decades, we have made great strides in gender equality and the empowerment of Kenyan women. But the journey is far from over.
Equality in the home, in the public sphere and at work remains to be attained.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dignity, equity and inclusiveness are at the core of our constitution. My Government, I have openly admitted, seeks nothing short of the complete transformation of this country. That is why we take these values so seriously: these are the values that guard our advance to the free and prosperous country that is our destiny.
And that is why we are whole-heartedly implementing specific measures to empower the women of Kenya. Our first action in office was the implementation of free maternal healthcare in centers right across the country. Already, 66 percent of deliveries are in these centers, up from 44 percent, and we expect the number to rise.
We have also ensured we adhere to the constitutional requirement in as far as women's representation in assemblies and appointments in public positions are concerned.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
My Government is keeping its pledges on empowering women and the young people.
I made a campaign promise that, in the event there would be no run off, the balance of funds allocated for the second round election would be used to support enterprises for the women and youth of this country. My Government has since delivered: the Kshs 6 Billion Uwezo Fund, which I launched in September 2013, was the fulfillment of this promise.
The legal framework has finally been approved by Parliament, and the supervising Ministry has made all necessary arrangements to ensure that the funds are disbursed to the women and youth of this country soonest.
Second, Ladies and Gentlemen, my Government also introduced the 30 percent Affirmative Action policy for women, youth and persons with disabilities in public procurement.
In easing access to public procurement by women, youth and persons with disabilities, who had long been shunted into the periphery of economic opportunities in this country, we took a mighty step on the road to full inclusion. A recent survey undertaken by the Ministry of Devolution and Planning to assess this provision indicated that Government ministries and agencies were actively implementing the policy.
We did not do this just for the good of our economy; we did it because it was also fundamentally right for our nation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When matters turn to the inclusion of women in leadership, the Constitution has provided the country with a framework in which to achieve equity. Today, we can proudly say that women are much better off than they were in the 10th Parliament where representation stood at 9.9 percent.
In the 11th Parliament, representation stands at 24.64 percent. This is the largest proportion of women in Parliament in the history of Kenya. Even then, the minimum one-third constitutional requirement is yet to be met, this is, indeed, a real transformation of our leadership.
But transformation is not confined to Parliament: the composition of my Cabinet already meets the constitutionally-mandated 33.3 percent mark, and the women appointed lead Ministries that reflect the broadest, most challenging of government responsibilities - foreign relations, defence, lands and devolution and national coordination among.
Let me make it plainly clear, women are at the very core of my government's operations, in a way that no previous administration in our country's history has ever managed. This is a transformative government.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In our effort to accelerate the abandonment of a handful of harmful practices such as Female Gential Mutilation, the government has put in place the Anti-FGM Board, which is now operational. The appointment of the Chairperson and other Board members has been gazetted. The Board has its work cut out for it, but it will find a willing and patient partner in the Jubilee government.
We share their desire for the total abandonment of a practice, which, adds no value to humanity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In education, Kenya long ago adopted free primary education 2003. Almost as important as sheer numbers of enrolment was gender parity: it would have been cruel and wasteful to limit the learning to boys.
Now, gender parity has been achieved in the primary school level enrollment rate, the next step must be to extend parity to secondary schools.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On this journey to make gender equality a reality, we continue to count on our partners to join us in uplifting the lives of women and girls. I encourage the private sector, and development partners, to continue to partner with us in this noble endeavour.
My Government is indeed fully committed to deliver on its promises to the women of Kenya. I look forward to working with you to build strong families and communities in which the women and men of this great nation can realize their full potential and find meaning in their lives.
Let me close by congratulating the First Lady for her sterling example in fighting for the rights of women and young people. You all know that tomorrow she will run in a marathon - the first by a First Lady anywhere on the globe. She is doing it as part of her Beyond Zero campaign whose goal is to improve maternal health care, and to buy mobile clinics to ensure that many of our people have access to important health facilities. I wish her well.
Many of you will run with her, and, if you haven't registered, it is not too late.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I thank you all and wish the women and girls of this our land and nation a memorable day.
