| dc.description.abstract | Gender gaps in employment opportunities and economic investment patterns in Kenya
have continued to widen across all sectors of the economy and at various levels of
development intervention. Women and girls bear the largest and most direct costs of
these inequalities but the costs cut broadly across the society ultimately harming
everyone. In 2007 the president of Kenya called for 30% women representation in all
public sectors. In the same year, all ministries and parastatals were asked to ensure
that gender concerns are integrated into policy formulation and sector based planning,
development and programming and in the new promulgated Constitution (2010), the
principle of gender equality is emphasized as a basic requirement for equal enjoyment
of rights and freedoms. The research objective was to explore the extent of
implementation of gender mainstreaming in Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture
and Technology in relation to these guidelines and the research design was a case
study. Primary data was collected using interview guide while secondary data was
collected from the human resource and gender policy manuals, the university website
as well as pamphlets and was analysed using content analysis. Results of the study
identified that the university had taken major steps to mainstream gender. It has an
established gender and mentoring office and a Gender Advisory Board which
command various mandate on gender issues guided by a well laid down gender
policy. This is an indication of the university’s commitment to the transformation
process as well as promoting the university’s staff in understanding of the guiding
principles within the entire organization. Although the percentage of men to women
still remains relatively low at 60.5% and 39.5% respectively, it surpasses the 30%
legal requirement and therefore the efforts in place can not be overlooked. It has
engaged in a portfolio of human resource activities in the areas of recruitment,
selection, retention, performance appraisal, communication as well as employee
relations that are mutually reinforcing as opposed to contradictory in ensuring that
gender mainstreaming is enforced. There is an observable effort to have a portfolio of
both male and female in management and senior positions. The university appreciates
the fact that women in various positions make invaluable contributions and retaining
them is considered to be important. A number of challenges were observed such as
inadequate funding, lack of gender sensitive indicators, lack of well placed strategies
for frequent monitoring and evaluation of gender mainstreaming and lack of well
placed gender audits to verify program expenditure and benefits and its impacts on
men and women. Social cultural factors also had a negative role to play. It is
important that the university champion all the appropriate and necessary affirmative
action interventions to improve the situation. Serious monitoring and evaluation of
gender mainstreaming activities in all departments is necessary and more budget
allocation is needed to support strategic planning process and implementation of
gender mainstreaming activities such as sensitization and gender training. | en |
