This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
Empowering Kenyan Women: A Path to Socio-Economic Growth ¶
On November 25, 2019, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics released the 2019 census results, confirming that Kenyan females make up 50.5 percent of the population.
However, despite their numerical majority, Kenyan women still hold minority influence socio-economically. This is evident in the agriculture sector, where women provide 80 percent of the farm labor and manage 40 percent of the smallholder farms, yet they only own roughly one percent of agricultural land and receive just 10 percent of available credit.
The Women Enterprise Fund has taken an innovative approach to address this issue by providing loans free of interest and collateral to Kenyan women through a group methodology, also known as the social collateral model. This approach has been successful, with the fund cumulatively disbursing Sh 17 Billion and benefiting over 1,694,592 women across the country.
Partner organizations, such as Coca-Cola, have also played a crucial role in enhancing the offering through business skills training. So far, 1,232,660 women have been trained, with another 285,000 targeted to benefit from the training.
According to UN Women, increasing female employment rates could triple the growth of a country's GDP. The global agency notes that when more women work, economies grow as women's economic empowerment boosts productivity, increases economic diversification, and income equality.
The writer is CEO, Women Enterprise Fund.
