http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/161335 An international Journal published twice a year by the African Women Studies Centre (AWSC). It is an open access journal with a focus on all aspects of theories and practice in African women studies, both on the continent and the Diaspora. It promotes scholarship on African women in all spheres of life. 2026-04-08T18:07:30Z http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/167902 Pathfinders for Women’s Economic Empowerment Kabira, Nkatha; Ngunjiri, Wanjiku; Ombara, June This book is a sequel to "Conversations with Pathfinders: Strategies that Worked for Women in the 2010 Constitution-Making Process," capturing in detail the stories of women involved in the process and the spirit that guided their pursuit. It chronicles the experiences of women in Kenyan political parties through conversations with key figures, including Honourables Phoebe Asiyo and Martha Karua, Jael Mbogo, Kamla Sikand, Professors Julia Ojiambo, Wanjiku Kabira, and Eddah Gachukia, among others, who took on roles in the constitution-making process and the second liberation struggle. They passed the baton to younger women, paving the way for new voices such as Daisy Amdany, Honourables Beatrice Elachi and Mumbi Ngaru, Professor Patricia Kameri Mbote, among others. Despite ethnic, religious, cultural, economic, and political differences, these women worked together toward a common goal— women’s inclusion in the new Constitution. The book explores the impact and contributions of the Women’s Movement and self-mobilization on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in Kenya between 1963 and 2010. Historically, the experiences of African women have been marginalized from mainstream knowledge production and seldom acknowledged as valid sources of information to inform development across the continent. Women’s experiences and insights have not been sufficiently utilized to shape discourse, policy, and societal structures. This book seeks to make African women’s knowledge visible through academic and policy discussions. The women featured in this book hail from six regions, in Kenya, comprising the following counties: Busia, Kakamega, and Kisumu in the Western region; Kajiado, Nakuru, and Baringo in the Rift Valley; Nyeri, Muranga, and Kiambu in the Central region; Machakos, Kitui, and Makueni in Eastern region; and Kwale, Mombasa, and Kilifi in the Coast region; and Nairobi City County. The study aimed to: (1) map the historical contribution of grassroots women’s groups to women’s economic empowerment (WEE) between 1963 and 1975, during Kenya’s early independence; (2) examine their continued role in WEE from 1976 to 1997, leading up to the introduction of the affirmative action fund; and (3) assess how the national women’s movement has influenced WEE-related policies from 1990 to the present, highlighting key lessons on care work and effective mobilization strategies to inform future policy discourse. Book 2025-10-01T00:00:00Z http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/164696 Pathways to African Feminism and Development (Vol.8, Issue 1 - Dec, 2023) AWSC, Women's Economic Empowerment Hub On behalf of the Editorial Board members, authors, reviewers, and those who have contributed in one way or the other in making this issue come to be, within and outside of the University of Nairobi I extend a very warm welcome to all the readers of our journal Pathways to African Feminism and Development. I am delighted to present Volume 8, Issue No.1 (Special Issue) of the Journal on the theme Harnessing Women’s Knowledge, Experiences and Contribution towards Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Development. Without reservation, on behalf of the Editorial Board and my behalf, I extend my special appreciation and congratulations to the twelve authors whose articles are published herein - thank you for choosing to publish in our esteemed journal. I acknowledge and thank the members of the Editorial Board led by our Editor, Mrs. Anna Petkova-Mwangi, for the insights, unwavering support and focus in ensuring that the articles are professionally and timely reviewed. In a very special way, I wish to acknowledge the continued leadership of Prof. Wanjiku Kabira, particularly for her guidance and focus on ensuring that the original purpose of this esteemed journal is carried forward while ensuring the maintenance of the highest quality in processing articles for publication in every issue. As the Chairperson of the Editorial Board, I aspire to continue to work and draw on the expertise of the relevant stakeholders, particularly members of the Editorial Board and peer– reviewers to uphold seasoned decisions and processes for a quality peer-reviewed, international journal. Equally appreciated are the readers not only for being the reason for the continuity of this journal but also because the journal would be meaningless without them. As the Editorial Board trusts your continued interest and support, we aspire to continue to make the journal more appealing and relevant, especially through the selection of thematic areas and articles for future publication issues. This special issue is the last in the year 2023, even though the logistics in the publication process may spill over to early, 2024. This issue carries a selection of very stimulating articles, demonstrating diverse ways in which women harness their knowledge, skills, and experiences to contribute to economic empowerment and sustainable development across various sectors. For instance, as socially defined caregivers, the first article on Homeschooling Experiences of Kenyan Mothers of Children with Dyslexia during the COVID-19 pandemic, brings out the experiences of mothers in caring, educating and nurturing children with dyslexia, with a lasting impact on women’s social, emotional and career development. This is followed by an article with the title, From one pandemic to another through Women’s Eyes: An Analysis of the Impacts of Kenya’s Response to HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 offering an interesting reading on the impact of the two remarkable pandemics, on women in their unique and diverse situations in the society. An article titled Deconstructing Gender-Based Violence from Kenyan Soap Narratives, Unveiling the Nexus between Syndemics, Women’s Health, and Transformative Change brings out the interplay between media narratives and women’s health through an analysis of two soap operas. The next article, titled The Trilogy of the Coronavirus Disease, Religion and the Health of African Women interrogates the experiences of African women from the perspective of religious-based gender inequalities and the management of the coronavirus, raising concerns about how the perceived subordinate position of women, as compared to their male counterparts, diminishes the chances of women from participating in health-related decisions that directly affect them. An interesting article focusing on the Health Insurance Enrolment and Utilization of Maternal Healthcare Services among Women in Kenya, presents the experiences of women in Kenya, in the context of the current reforms in the health sector and particularly increased health insurance uptake. This is followed by an article that reaffirms the role of women as producers, processors, and managers of food in the households, titled Participation of Women Small Holder Farmers in a Food Production Program: The Panacea to Household Food Security? As if to complement the analysis, the following article presents a desk-reviewed study analysing the experiences and inclusivity of women in agriculture, based on the Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Intervention for Inclusive and Sustainable Development. This is followed by a write-up on Media Framing of Women in Business: An Analysis of Mainstream News Article’s Coverage in Kenya, a critical analysis of how mainstream media portrays women leaders in companies that were listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. As the article confirms a stereotyped, gendered portrayal of women, the same is affirmed in the following article on the Women's Experiences with Religion in the Novels of Three Women Writers, which treats the readers to how religion is used as a symbol of forces that play a constructive role in the societies through analyses of three novels by women writers. In a commonly perceived male-dominated housing sector, an article on Enhancing Sustainable Housing through Women’s Cultural Skills, Experiences and Knowledge, brings out the importance of the experiences of Maasai women in the transfer of knowledge and skills in the construction of houses, and as custodians and change agents, bringing out an elevation and connectivity between the indigenous, modern knowledge and the dynamics of the transfer processes. Finally, readers in this issue will enjoy two other articles focusing on an analysis of women’s social interactions in the Labour Market in Kenya and an African feminist critique on the inclusivity of women in War and Terrorism, thereby challenging the gender insensitive theories on war, terrorism, and the exclusion of women in the counter-terrorism activities. Journal 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/162013 Pathways to African Feminism & Development - Women's Economic Empowerment (Special Issue 2022) AWSC, Women's Economic Empowerment Hub Welcome to the 2022 special issue of Pathways to African Feminism and Development. This is an international open access journal with a focus on all aspects of theories and practice in African women studies, both on the continent and in the Diaspora. It promotes scholarship on African women in all spheres of life. The Journal is a joint publication of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Hub of the African Women’s Studies Research Centre (AWSRC) and the African Women’s Studies Program of the Department of Sociology, Social Work and African Women Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya. In September 2020 the AWSRC entered into a five years’ collaboration project with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on Women’s Economic Empowerment. We appreciate the financial support of the Foundation in the production of the current issue of the Journal. All articles have been peer reviewed double blind. The draft journal has then undergone further quality control by a scholar who goes through its totality and checks for coherence; faithfulness to the topic; contribution to knowledge on the subject matter; and any issues related to the theoretical, methodological, philosophical or ideological approaches. The current bumper issue is a fulfillment of a promise made in the previous issue that presentations made at the African Women’s Studies Fourth Annual Conference, held from 23 to 24 November 2021 would be published in the next issue of the Journal. Thus, most of the twelve articles included here were presented at the 2021 Conference. In the next regular issue of the Journal, we shall look at the devastating health and economic crisis that the COVID 19 caused. Women were disproportionately affected by this pandemic. We wish to engage scholars, researchers, students, professionals in the field of women’s economic empowerment, especially during the pandemic, in a social dialogue to discuss unpaid care work, women’s health and wellness; highlight women’s coping strategies such as self-mobilization and self-help; assess the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic on women’s business and employment; debate the use of technology in marketing during pandemics; and review the policy challenges and stimulus package opportunities for women’s economic empowerment during the pandemic. For the next regular issue of the Journal, we invite articles, case studies, book reviews and letters/ comments to the editor on the following theme. Journal of the African Women Studies Centre 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/157043 Pathways to African Feminism and Development: a Journal of the African Women Studies Centre Anna, Petkova – Mwangi; Indangasi, Henry; Ngunjiri, Margaret, W; Muhaniwa-Chijere, Mercy; Ngcimezile, Mbano-Mweso; Kamau, Jacqueline N; Simiyu, Kefa; Mbinya, Beatrice; Malunga, Bernadette; Chome, Theresa; Makanje, Gift; Muleka, Joseph; Parita, Shah; Ondicho, Tom , G.; {et.al} 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z