Five months, two reshuffles, zero Gender minister as femicide cases rise
President William Ruto during a meeting with women leaders to discuss the increasing cases of femicide in the country at State House, Nairobi, on November 20, 2024.
What you need to know:
- For the second time in five months, President William Ruto has failed to appoint a Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Arts Heritage in his latest cabinet reshuffle.
- The continued vacancy has sparked criticism from women leaders, parliamentarians, and gender experts who view it as evidence of the administration's lack of commitment to gender issues.
- The situation highlights a pattern of unfulfilled promises to women, including Ruto's campaign pledge to allocate 50 percent of cabinet positions to women.
President William Ruto has once again left the Gender, Culture and Arts Heritage ministry without a substantive Cabinet Secretary, marking the second time in five months that this crucial position has remained vacant following his latest cabinet reshuffle.
The sweeping changes announced yesterday saw several key ministerial positions affected, but notably absent was an appointment to the Gender ministry, which has been without leadership since Aisha Jumwa's dismissal in July.
Among the significant changes, Margaret Nyambura, former Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, has been appointed as Kenya's High Commissioner to Ghana, while Andrew Karanja, who previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, has been nominated as Kenya's Ambassador to Brazil.
Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has been tapped to replace Nyambura in the Information ministry, while former Health CS Mutahi Kagwe will take the helm at Agriculture and Livestock Development. Gender experts have noted with concern that Kabogo's appointment represents another instance where a male candidate has replaced a female leader in a key cabinet position.
The continued vacancy in the Gender ministry has sparked criticism from various quarters, including political leaders and gender experts. Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, a vocal critic of the administration, expressed her disappointment with the president's decision.
"The fact that the President has not appointed the CS in charge of Gender since July 5, 2024, is a clear indication that he has not prioritised gender matters in his government," Wamuchomba told Nation.Africa in an interview.
The lawmaker further highlighted what she sees as a pattern of unfulfilled promises to women by the Kenya Kwanza administration.
"The President has also not delivered on the campaign promises that he made to the Kenyan women. He promised that every lactating mother leaving maternity facilities would receive free diapers for three months. To date, that has not been fulfilled. He also promised free sanitary pads for girls to fight period poverty and vowed to ensure the two-thirds gender principle is implemented. All these promises remain just that, promises," she said.
Wamuchomba also criticised the lack of progress on gender parity in parliamentary leadership, despite an executive order.
"The president has done little to ensure the Gender Parity bill passes in Parliament. We have seen him lobby for the Finance Bill, the Privatisation Bill, and the Affordable Housing Bill. We also saw how quickly he pushed the ouster of Rigathi Gachagua from office through Parliament. However, we have not seen him lobby for the Gender Parity bill, a clear indication that he has a lot of contempt for women and gender matters," she added.
The recent creation of a Femicide Taskforce without a substantive Gender CS has also drawn criticism. "This is just an action in futility. How do you come up with a taskforce to end femicide and you do not have a CS in charge of gender—the ministry that is supposed to be the coordinating ministry?" Wamuchomba questioned.
Gender experts have expressed serious concerns about the vacancy's implications. Crispin Afifu, a Gender Specialist at the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), told Nation.Africa that the president's actions suggest a concerning oversight of the ministry's existence.
"It's concerning that for the second time, the President has not appointed a substantive CS for Gender Affairs. This omission signals a missed opportunity to prioritise gender equality at the highest level of governance. The lack of a dedicated CS for Gender undermines efforts to address critical issues such as gender-based violence including the rise of femicide, women's economic empowerment, and the care economy, which require robust leadership and dedicated resources," Afifu stated.
Eva Komba, a gender and development expert, characterised the President's commitment to gender issues as "purely cosmetic."
"He continues to de-prioritise gender issues without knowing that they are the foundation of national economic development. They directly influence the gross domestic product (GDP) in many ways. We now know where he clearly stands in relation to gender matters," Komba told Nation.Africa.
Last month, the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (Kewopa) called for urgent action to fill the Gender CS position, particularly given the recent surge in femicide cases and violence against women and girls. The parliamentary association warned that the leadership vacuum has left critical issues unaddressed and halted progress on gender protection and empowerment policies.
The vacancy arose after President Ruto dissolved his Cabinet in July 2024, following anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests. His subsequent nominee for the position, Stella Soi Lang'at, was rejected by parliament, with the National Assembly's Committee on Appointments citing her failure to demonstrate strategic planning and cultural sensitivity.
The situation has highlighted a broader pattern of unfulfilled commitments to women's leadership and gender equality. During the launch of the Women Governors Caucus G7 Strategy in Nairobi in March, President Ruto had promised that if a man were a presidential candidate in his party, the running mate would be a woman, and vice versa. However, when the deputy president position became vacant following Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment, Prof Kithure Kindiki, a man, was nominated as replacement, despite appeals from women's groups.
This development follows earlier campaign promises, including a commitment made during the Kenya Kwanza Women Charter signing, where Ruto pledged to allocate 50 percent of cabinet positions to women within his first three months in office. He also promised to establish a women's rights agency, provide free sanitary towels to girls, and ensure women's consent in land transactions.
Renowned gospel musician Reuben Kigame joined the chorus of critics following the president's first cabinet appointments. "One of the greatest virtues in leadership is promise keeping. Even the Bible says it's better not to promise than do so and not fulfil. William Ruto, you promised to give women 50 percent of cabinet slots," Kigame stated.
